Rhetorical Questions and Polarity Licensing: On Cantonese Modal<i>Sai2</i>-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Rhetorical Questions and Polarity Licensing: On Cantonese ModalSai2

Published:2022-12-01 Issue:2 Volume:43 Page:123-142
ISSN:2470-8275
Container-title:Studies in Chinese Linguistics
language:en
Short-container-title:

Author:

Choi Tsun Hei¹

Affiliation:

1. The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Abstract

AbstractThis paper investigates the deontic modalsai2in Cantonese. I argue thatsai2is an NPI and a negative operator is induced at the sentence-initial position by the SFPsme1oraa4in rhetorical questions. In SAI sentence,sai2must syntactically agree with the negative operator for licensing, and minimality and locality effects are found in such agreement. This study may provide evidence of a syntactic approach to NPI licensing and rhetorical questions.

Publisher

Walter de Gruyter GmbH

Subject

General Earth and Planetary Sciences,General Engineering,General Environmental Science

Link

https://www.sciendo.com/pdf/10.2478/scl-2022-0005

Reference40 articles.

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