Linguistic Form and Function: Expression of Countability in Chinese wh-Phrases

作     者：Aijun Huang 

作者机构：Soochow University 

出 版 物：《Language and Semiotic Studies》 (语言与符号学研究（英文）)

年 卷 期：2015年第1卷第4期

页      面：34-51页

学科分类：0501[文学-中国语言文学] 050103[文学-汉语言文字学] 05[文学] 

基　　金：funded by the Post-doctoral Science Foundation of China(2014M561702) the Distinguished Post-doctoral Science Foundation of China(2015T80574) the Young Scholars Social Science Foundation of China’s Education Ministry(15YJC740031) the Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(2014SJB519) 

主　　题：Chinese wh-pronouns countability morph-syntax classifi ers 

摘      要：The present paper investigates the relationship between form(morpho-syntax)and function(semantic interpretation)as involved in the expression of countability in the Chinese whpronoun *** focus on three wh-pronouns:duo-shao‘much-little’,duo-shao-ge‘much-little-Classifier’,and ji-ge‘how many-Classifier’.Based on the examination of the interpretation and distribution of these wh-phrases in three distinct linguistic contexts(questions,bare conditionals,and negative statements),we generalize that while duo-shao functions as an indeterminate determiner,duo-shao-ge and ji-ge function as two count *** generalization invites the conclusion that the morpho-syntax of these whphrases,particularly,the presence/absence of a classifi er,determines and shapes their semantic interpretation in *** a more general perspective,the present study suggests that a linguistic form determines its own linguistic functions.