Mandarin Rongyi and Nan as "Tough" Predicates

• Main Authors: Ting-Chi Wei, 魏廷冀
• Other Authors: Jeffrey C. Tung, Ting-Chi Tang
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 1993
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/18716582458975520106

碩士 === 國立師範大學 === 英國語文學研究所 === 81 === This thesis argues that Mandarin rongyi 'easy' and nan 'hard' are tough predicates just like their English translations. We see that Chomsky's (1977, 1981) treatment of English tough constructions can apply to Mandarin tough constructions, along with some implications on the theory of Reanalysis: (1) Re- analyzed and non-reanalyzed structures coexist at every level; (2) it is a kind of Thematic Reanalysis only for transmitting theta-role to the matrix subject; (3) it is a kind of A'- Reanalysis, reminiscent of V'-Reanalysis (Larson 1988), and both can be generalized as X'-Reanalysis. It is also found that rongyi/nan can serve as a raising predicate, prevalent in Mandarin but absent in English.