An Overt Operator Associating with Covert Focus: An Even-Like Semantics for Mandarin Gèng

Zhuang Chen, Yael Greenberg

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

This work proposes a novel, unified even-like semantics for Mandarin gèng. Gèng, literally even more, is mostly studied regarding its combination with gradable adjectives, where it triggers a comparison with an evaluative inference in the sense of [39]. To capture this effect, gèng is argued by [32] a.o. to be a comparative marker with an evaluative presupposition. Intriguingly, [32] observes in passing that gèng can also combine with non-gradable predicates, which remains understudied. We examine [32]’s observation in detail and propose that gèng is an even-like particle à la [15]’s semantics for English even. This straightforwardly captures gèng’s combination with non-gradable predicates. Then, by adopting two independently motivated assumptions, i.e. (a) the existence of a covert comparative marker comp in Mandarin and (b) association with covert focus, our proposal is naturally extended to gèng’s combination with gradable adjectives. At last, gèng and shènzhì, Mandarin unmarked even, are compared from a parametric variation perspective.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLogic and Engineering of Natural Language Semantics - 20th International Conference, LENLS20, Revised Selected Papers
EditorsDaisuke Bekki, Koji Mineshima, Elin McCready
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages134-154
Number of pages21
ISBN (Print)9783031608773
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024
Event20th International Conference on Logic and Engineering of Natural Language Semantics, LENLS 2023 - Osaka, Japan
Duration: 18 Nov 202320 Nov 2023

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume14569 LNCS

Conference

Conference20th International Conference on Logic and Engineering of Natural Language Semantics, LENLS 2023
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityOsaka
Period18/11/2320/11/23

Keywords

  • Mandarin gèng
  • comparatives
  • covert focus
  • evaluative presupposition
  • even-like particles
  • gradability
  • parametric variation
  • scalarity
  • shènzhì

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Theoretical Computer Science
  • General Computer Science

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