| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 107 === This study investigates the focusing adverb, guang ‘only’, in Mandarin Chinese.
Previous studies (Tsai, 2004; Kuo, 2009) have provided thorough analyses on zhi. It is
mentioned that zhi bears exclusiveness because it presupposes the basic proposition and
asserts the negative proposition of the complementary set (Tsai, 2004). Yu (2016)
mentions that guang colloquially bears subjectivity. Since the studies of guang are the
description based on observation, this study will propose the properties of guang.
Applying Tang’s (2000) definition of negative polarity word, this study argues that
guang also possesses this feature. This explains guang’srequirement of PFE because PFE
is a predicate involved with either jiu-construction or negative expression and guang
always needs such predicate. Some studies (Fan, 2009; Wang, 2012; Ma & Zhu, 2014)
have mentioned that the phrase preceded by guang is also being focused; therefore,
Rooth’s (1992) analysis is adopted to argue that guang is a focusing adverb. Lai’s (1999)
scalar effect of quantificational jiu is followed to claim that guang…jiu…denotes a
scalar by excluding the alternatives whose value is larger than the focused element.
Arndt’s (2006) two readings of only allows us to argue that guang also has two reading:
quantificational reading and scalar reading. When guang precede a focused VP, guang
denotes a quantificational reading and bears exclusiveness like zhi does. When guang
precede a focused PP or NP, it denotes a scalar reading and has the function of restricting
a topic. In this case, guang does not bear exclusiveness. Furthermore, when guang takes
jiu-construction as its PFE in scalar reading, it conveys a meaning of not mentioning a
value larger than the focused value. On the contrary, when guang takes a negative
expression as it PFE, it conveys the meaning of not mentioning a value smaller than the
focused value.
|
|---|
