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Topicalization as a prominent device in Chinese:

10 Dec 2013, Research Institute of Linguistics, HAS, Budapest, Hungary. Topicalization as a prominent device in Chinese:. With reference to relativization and complementation. TANG Zhengda Associate Professor of Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

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Topicalization as a prominent device in Chinese:

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  1. 10 Dec 2013, Research Institute of Linguistics, HAS, Budapest, Hungary Topicalization as a prominent device in Chinese: With reference to relativization and complementation TANG Zhengda Associate Professor of Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Beijing, China

  2. Outlines • Iconicity • Topicalization &Complimentation as Subject • Topicality &RelativizationAccessibility in Chinese • Topic within Nominal Phrases • Conclusion

  3. Iconicity：differing from similarity

  4. Iconicity: Model & Icon Amilyenazanya, olyan a lánya 有其父，必有其子

  5. Iconicity: Imitation Model Icon The worldLanguage Conceptual Constr.Linguistic form(Haiman 1985) Lang-external Lang.-internal

  6. Iconicity in simplest ways • Onomatopoeia, Interjections, etc. Cat meowing • In Arabic, miao • In Chinese, Mandarin, miāomiāo • In Hungarianmiaú, nyau • In English, meow [miˈaʊ], miaow(UK), or mew [mjuː] • In Estonian, mjäu, njäu • In Filipino, ngyaw • In Greek, niau, (νιάου) • Source of Noun: ya (duck), e (google), wuya (crow) • Source of Verbs: flap, flip, chirp, cuckoo, roar, zip, zig-zag • Implosives for collecting flocks, Qu(go) for shouting away • Negation（nasal/labial）——close to deny • Demonstratives and person prons (Sonority, length, height, backness)

  7. Iconicity and order (narrative sequence) • Veni, vidi, vici (Julius Caesar) Jakobson1965 • Subj– Obj.：SVO, SOV, VSO：Majority • Obj– Subj：OVS, OSV, VOS：Minority • Conditionals：Protasis-apodosis：Majority • Info. Str.：Given– New • Temporal Sequential Principle (Tai 1985)： • 在马背-上 跳 - 跳 在 马背-上 • Prep. horse.back-up jumpJumpprep. Horse.back-up • Keep Jumping on the horse back Jump onto the horse back

  8. Language Internal Iconicity (LII) • LII: Automorphism Model Icon Lang. form A Lang. form B

  9. Examples for LII：Numerals • Chinese： Model Icon/Model Icon

  10. Examples for LII：Numerals • Simplest Numeral sys.:Haruai 1 paŋ 2 mos 3 mospaŋ 2 + 1 4 mosmos 2 + 2 Model Icon

  11. Examples for LII：Numerals • Most complicated： Hindi Models Icons

  12. Universality of Topic-Comment Every human language has a common clause type with bipartite structure in which the constituents can reasonably be termed ‘topic’ and ‘comment’ • Hockett (1963): bipartite structure: T-C • Gundel (1988): Left Topic & Sent. predicate • Sohmiya (2005): T-C = Reference –Description = universal mode of thinking Every language has syntactic topic constructions in which an expression which refers to the topic of the sentence is adjoined to the left of a full sentence comment.

  13. Typological ‘Exceptionals’ in Chinese • Topic-prominent(L&T1981): Topic markers, butSVO • Prenominal Relative Clauses • Do not (strictly) follow Accessibility Hierarchy (K.C 1977) • Pre-verbal Prep. phrase • Topic-Comment WITHIN NPs • Defected subject complementation Interacted? Correlated?

  14. Topic-Prominent but SVO • Topic prominent：Chao(1968), Tai(1973), Huang(1973), Li & Thompson (1976), Xu & Liu (1998), etc. • Other T-Prom. Languages： Korean, Japanese Li & Thompson (1976) Qiang Sangkong Yi(Lolo) Zaiwa …. English, French, Twi, Indonesian Lisu Chinese, Lahu Philippine Malagasy SVO

  15. Topicalization&Complementation as Subject Another case for Language Internal Iconicity

  16. Two strategies in world langugages • clausal subject • That he did it shocked him. • clausal complement • shocked him that he did it. Rare Common Hungarian，Szabolcsi 2009

  17. Rare CommonClausal subject Clausal complement

  18. Chinese: Clausal Subject only • Clausal Subject • 他 打 小孩 激怒-了 围观者。 • he beat kid infuriate-PST onlooker • ‘That he beat the kid make the onlookers angry.’ • Clausal-Complement • *这/它 激怒-了 围观者 他打小孩。 • this/it infuriate-PST onlooker he beat kid

  19. Chinese clausal Subject: Clause reductionNon-finite, infinitival, nominalized 他 踢小孩 不-可信。 he kick kid not-reliable/true ‘His kicking kids/the kid is not true.’ * 他 踢-了 小孩 不-可信。 he kick-PAST kidnot-reliable/true ‘That he kickedthe kid is not true.’ Semantically self-contradicte: 了 is a trigger of existence presp.

  20. Inequality in complementation betweenClausal Subjectandclausal Object */# 我 不 信 他 踢 小孩。 I not believe he kick kid ‘I don’t believe in his kicking the kid. ’ 我 不 信 他 踢 –了 小孩。 I not believe he kick-PASTkid ‘I don’t believe thathe kickedthe kid. ’ Semantically self-contradicte: 了 is a trigger of existence presp.

  21. Iconicity in Subject position:‘bare’ clause and bare-NP 他 踢 小孩 不-可信。 he kick kidnot-reliable/true * 他 踢-了 小孩 不-可信。 he kick-PAST kid not-reliable/true ‘bare’ clause 独角兽 不存在。 unicorn not-exist *那只独角兽 不存在。 That-Cl. unicorn non-exist • bare-NP PAST, Dem-CL triggers existence presupposition

  22. Topicalization: the hidden power • 他 踢 小孩 –呢不-可信。 • he kick kid-TOP not-reliable/true • 独角兽- 呢不存在。 • unicorn -TOP not-exist Model Icon Bare NP Subject Clausal subject Generic topicgeneric sentence

  23. Case of Ancient Chinese 杀人者 死， 伤人 及盗 抵罪。 Kill-man-NOM/TOP die injure-man and steal be-held-guilty ‘One who murders be put to death, and who injures and steals be held guilty’ Three for one: Nominalization, Complementation = topicalization Two strategies for complemantation, as one: Nominalizer(者), Clausal reduction = topicalization Topic-Comment as the Model

  24. Differing and Similar S-complementation strategies in Tibeto-Burman Languages

  25. Nominalization: Thangmi gă-ye ah-u-n -du- be ma-lo. I-erg say-3p-1s→3-npt-top neg-do Lit. what I say, he dosen’t follow. ‘He doesn’t follow whatever I say.’ (universal quantification) (Turin1973:265) Nominalization complementation Topicalization

  26. Sangkong: 2 strategies（Li 2002） • a33 tɕa55 qha55mb31 ʑe33. herestaymostgoodMOOD ‘Staying here is best (for me)’ • mbja31a55mba33 ta33e55 a31 mb31 nge55. muchdrink-NOMNOTgoodMOOD ‘Drinking too much is not good.’ Clause reduction Nominalization Both Topicalization

  27. Eastern Kayan(SVO, Tibeto-B? Mon-Khmer?) Solnit 1986 • [a sítrē] se o kū tcɤ to 3 ashamed useful COM 3 one-CLF NEG Being ashamed isn’t any use to him! Clause reduction 全量性、类指性话题

  28. Lahu in Bangdo：T-B • Li（2012） NOM/TOP goodpoint have Exercise buy 2000 yuan need MOOD Tracter one-CL NOM/TOP Nominalization Shared Topic marking

  29. Yi (Lolo): T-BHu 2001、2004 Topicalization for complementation and Subjunctive clause

  30. Zaiwa：T-BZhu 2012 Complentatation Topicalization Subjuctive Topicalizaton

  31. Common absence of Complementizer a. That he came is true. b. It is true that he came. Topic promimece:Only in SOV languages Topicalization: de-clausalization

  32. Common tendency: Pre- vs. Post- a. His having comeis true. (Reduced, compact) b. It is true that he came.(full-fledged, finite) a'. The boy who is running is my son. b‘. The runningboy who came is my son.

  33. Relative clause: pre- and post-Reduced and full-fledged Hungarian (Hidasi 1988) azangolnyelvtanárhúgom ART Englishlanguage-teacher sister-mine ‘my sister who (is) an English teacher’ az ember akibeszél / beszél-t-em / beszél-get ART man REL say-PRE /say-PAST-1sg /say-ITER ‘the man who is speaking/I used to mention/keep talking’

  34. TopicalityandRelativizationAccessibility in Chinese

  35. Accessibility Hierarchy of NP Positions(Keenan & Comrie 1977) • The higher, • the more likely to be relativized • the more typologically attested • the more frequently occurred • the earlier to be acquired

  36. English: accessible to all

  37. Another extreme：certain AustranesiansOnly subject / focus / pivot accessible • Robust voice and/or focus system, so to ‘subjectivize’ • What about Chinese?

  38. Malagasy: Subj. bypassivization • nyvehivavy[izaynividyny vary] the woman REL buy.ACT the rice ‘the woman who bought the rice’ • ny vary [izaynovidin’ nyvehivavy] the rice REL buy.PASSthe woman ‘the rice that was bought by the woman’

  39. Tagalog (Western Malayo-Polynesian; Schachter 1977):Focalization & passivization • a) b<um>ili angbabaengbaro. • <AF>bought FOC woman PAT dress • ‘The woman bought a dress.’ • b) b<in>ilingbabaeangbaro. • <PF>bought a woman FOC dress • ‘The dress was bought by a / the woman.’ • c) babae-[ng b<um>ili ngbaro] • woman-LKR <AF>bought PAT dress • ‘the woman who bought a dress’ • d) baro-[ng b<in>ilingbabae] • dress-LKR <PF>bought a woman • ‘the dress that was bought by a / the woman’

  40. Puzzles in Chinese: Instrument Oblique high in AH * 郑屠用(它)切肉的刀 • 郑屠切肉的刀 • (这)刀，郑屠切肉。 Butcher use (it) cut meat REL knife Butcher cut meat REL knife 郑屠用刀切肉。 刀 刀 This knife, butchercut meat Butcher use knifecut meat Extraction of Instrument Extraction of Topic

  41. Puzzles in Chinese: Genetive high in AH Relativization Topicalization 奶粉丢了的孩子 milk lose-PST Relkid *奶粉有毒的孩子 • milk has poison Relkid 孩子, 奶粉丢了 kid-TOP milk lose-PST *孩子,奶粉有毒 Kid-TOP milk has poison ‘Gen’ in Chinese is de facto TOPIC

  42. Chinese AH more like this Driven by TOPICALIZATION

  43. TopicsWITHINNominal Phrases? Crazy?

  44. Common Rule in Chinese NP with 的de • The Lefter, the more likely with 的de • 漂亮 *(的) 大(的)房间 beautiful de big (de) house A/the beautiful big house • 聪明 *(的)匈牙利(的)人民 Intelligent deHungarian (de) people Intelligent Hungarian people

  45. Let’s see how powerfulisthe assimilation effect of TOP-COMicon

  46. Very peculiar type of NP hitherto less discussed 大象粗长的鼻子 Elep. thick-long denose Mod. Adj. Rel Head-Noun 粗长的鼻子 ＝ 鼻子 thick-long de nose ＝ nose But: * 大象 鼻子 * Elep. nose

  47. The Leftmost N-modifier：Against the common rule a．*那根i大象粗长的鼻子i That Cl.Elep. thick-long denose b．那只j大象j粗长的鼻子 That Cl.Elep. thick-long de nose The leftmost constraint satisfied.

  48. The Leftmost N-modifier：other peculiarities • Left-M can do without 的de！ • Left-M cannot do without additional modifier and then 的de 1、*他 品质 he(his) personality 2、*他 优秀 品质 he(his) top-ranked personality 3、他 优秀 的 品质 he(his) top-ranked de personality

  49. Leftmost-M is Costly!Garden Path resulted • Prosodic mis-match 我尊敬 - 他----------年迈的--父亲 I respect[shortest pause]he[longest pause] old father Whom to respect? The 1st parsing: WRONG The 2nd parsing: WRONG？ The 3rd parsing: Right at last!

  50. CAUSE of Leftmost-M: TOPIC-COMMENT as an ICON • Leftmost-M and Topic-Comment: PARALLEL a．L-M NP: 狗灵敏的嗅觉 dog sharpde sense-of-smell b．Topic-Comt: 狗，嗅觉灵敏。 dog sense-of-smell sharp TOP Sub-TOP Comt

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