The de-construction in Wenzhounese: how it differs from the bǎ-construction in Mandarin

Abstract

AbstractThe canonical word order in Mandarin is SVO, but it becomes “SbǎO V” in thebǎ-construction, wherebǎvaguely expresses the affectedness of the object. How to analyze thebǎ-construction is one of the most controversial topics in Chinese grammar. This paper approaches the issue from a fresh perspective by presenting new data from Wenzhounese, where thede-construction is parallel to thebǎ-construction. Although these constructions share a considerable degree of similarity, they differ in the following key respects. First, they differ in the strategies used to topicalize the post-de/bǎnoun phrase (NP). Second, the quantifier taking scope over the post-de/bǎNP has distinct distributions. Third, Wenzhounese has a double-deconstruction unattested in Mandarin. Based on these observations, I offer a formal analysis of thede-construction within the framework of Lexical Functional Grammar. This encompasses the lexical entries, constituent-structure, and functional-structure forde, which will capture the differences betweendeandbǎand shed new light on thebǎ-construction in Mandarin.