Chinese Reflexives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingying Wang ◽  
Haihua Pan
Keyword(s):  
Blocking Effect ◽  
Binding Theory ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Natural Languages ◽  
Binding Condition ◽  
The Asymmetry

Among Chinese reflexives, simple reflexive ziji ‘self’ is best known not only for its licensing of long-distance binding that violates Binding Condition A in the canonical Binding Theory, but also for its special properties such as the asymmetry of the blocking effect. Different researchers have made great efforts to explain such phenomena from a syntactic or a semantic-pragmatic perspective, though up to now there is still no consensus on what the mechanism really is. Besides being used as an anaphor, ziji can also be used as a generic pronoun and an intensifier. Moreover, Chinese has other simple reflexives such as zishen ‘self-body’ and benren ‘person proper’, and complex ones like ta-ziji ‘himself’ and ziji-benshen ‘self-self’. These reflexives again indicate the complexity of the anaphoric system of Chinese, which calls for further investigation so that we can have a better understanding of the diversity of the binding patterns in natural languages.

Locality and Logophoricity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Charnavel
Keyword(s):  
Binding Theory ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Morphological Identity

Anaphors such as English herself, French elle-même, and Mandarin ziji are usually claimed to obey locality requirements stated by Condition A of Binding Theory. But we observe that in various languages, the same anaphors can be exempt from these locality requirements under certain conditions. The goal of this book is to describe and explain this widespread dual behavior of anaphors on the basis of French, English, Mandarin, Korean, and Icelandic. First, several strategies are proposed for distinguishing between the two possible behaviors of anaphors. Plain instances of anaphors require local and exhaustive binding, as well as sloppy readings in ellipsis. Exempt instances of anaphors, however, only require a logophorical interpretation, that is, to occur in phrases expressing the first-personal, mental perspective of their antecedent. Second, a new theory of exempt anaphora is proposed, which consists in deriving all properties distinguishing exempt from plain anaphors to one: the presence of a silent, syntactically represented logophoric operator introducing a local, perspectival binder for superficially exempt anaphors. This hypothesis parsimoniously reduces exempt to plain anaphors obeying Condition A, thus directly accounting for the cross-linguistically widespread morphological identity of plain and exempt anaphors. Under this proposal, the reason why exempt anaphors appear to escape locality requirements is that their binder is implicit, and their mandatory logophoric interpretation derives from the nature of this binder. Finally, several diagnostics are provided for testing the hypothesis that so-called long-distance anaphors can be analyzed just like exempt instances of anaphors.

De se marking, logophoricity, and ziji

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiang-Yun Chen
Keyword(s):  
Blocking Effect ◽  
The Self ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Attitude Ascription ◽  
New Approach ◽  
De Se

This chapter addresses the assumed connection between de se attitude ascription and logophoricity in the case of Chinese ziji. It is widely believed that logophors are among the paradigm cases of de se marking, and that long-distance ziji is logophoric. Drawing on a critical examination of a variety of analyses, this chapter argues that long-distance anaphora, de se interpretation, and logophoric marking are overlapping but distinct phenomena. Even if ziji is logophoric, it does not automatically trigger de se requirement. A de se-neutral analysis of ziji is consistent with pragmatic derivations of interpretations that emphasize the self. The findings point to a new approach to long-distance binding, and identify the blocking effect as the key issue for further research.

scholarly journals Study on Asymmetry Concentration of Mixed Oil in Products Pipeline

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 6398
Author(s):  
Yi Wang ◽  
Baoying Wang ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Yongtu Liang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Concentration Curve ◽  
Adsorption Coefficient ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Estimation Errors ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Adsorption Effect ◽  
The Asymmetry ◽  
Products Pipeline ◽  
Mixed Oil

Long-distance pipelines transporting multiple product oils such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, are important facilities for transporting fossil energy. One major concern in operation is the energy consumption of the pipeline. Energy consumption should be made optimized tracking batches of oils and cutting mixed oil, which requires an accurate prediction of concentration curve. In engineering, the concentration curve is usually assumed to be symmetric, but it is actually asymmetric, which may lead to estimation errors. Thus, the asymmetric concentration of mixed oil should be studied. The formation mechanism of the asymmetry of concentration curve has not been clearly clarified. A new method is proposed to measure the asymmetry of the concentration curve. Quantitative analysis is carried out for each factor on the asymmetry distribution of concentration curve. Based on the convection–diffusion equation, a modified oil-mixing model considering near wall adsorption effect is established. The model shows a good agreement with the Jablonski empirical formula. The error, compared with the experimental results, is less than 5%. The main findings are: (1) deviation volume has a negative correlation with pipe diameter and mean velocity; (2) adsorption coefficient has a greater impact on the length ratio of front and tail oil than diffusion coefficient; (3) the influence of all factors considered on the total length of mixed oil, front oil, tail oil and trail oil are basically the same; (4) if the limit of adsorption concentration in adsorption layer is 1, the reasonable value of adsorption coefficient a and b should be around 0.4. The results reveal the mechanism of asymmetric concentration of product oils and can provide practical suggestions to deal with the mixed oil.

scholarly journals On the Acquisition of Principle B

2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Elbourne
Keyword(s):  
Binding Theory ◽  
The Asymmetry

Chien and Wexler (1990) reported that children obeyed Principle B of binding theory when the antecedent was a quantifier but not when the antecedent was referential. This was argued by Grodzinsky and Reinhart (1993) to support Reinhart's (1983) theory according to which Principle B affects only bound pronouns. Since then, other studies have supported the asymmetry between referential and quantifier antecedents. This article, however, argues that previously unremarked experimental factors lessen the force of all these studies, and it points to other relevant experiments that seem to showthat children do not obey Principle B at all. It reviews previously offered theories on the acquisition of Principle B that are compatible with the latter view of the facts.

Animacy and long distance binding in Norwegian

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helge Lødrup
Keyword(s):  
Binding Theory ◽  
Thematic Roles ◽  
Thematic Role ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Binding Properties ◽  
Subordinate Clauses ◽  
Semantic Properties ◽  
Local Binding

Norwegian allows binding into finite subordinate clauses when the subordinate subject is inanimate and has a thematic role that is low on the hierarchy of thematic roles (e.g.Hun trodde hun gjorde det som var best forseg selv‘she thought she did that which was best forrefl self’). This kind of long distance binding is productive, and generally acceptable, but it has never been mentioned in the literature. This article discusses its syntactic and semantic properties. It is shown that the reflexives in question are not necessarily logophoric, and that they prefer a distributive interpretation. The general binding properties of inanimate subjects are discussed, and it is proposed that binding theory must have the option to disregard them. Binding across inanimate subjects can then be treated as local binding.

scholarly journals Local versus long-distance bound implicit arguments of inalienable relational nouns in Chinese

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
ALAN HEZAO KE ◽  
ACRISIO PIRES
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Binding Theory ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Distance Bound ◽  
Implicit Argument ◽  
Implicit Arguments ◽  
Relational Nouns

This paper argues that inalienable relational nouns in Mandarin Chinese, specifically kinship nouns (KNs, e.g. father, sister) and body-part nouns (BPNs, e.g. head, face), have an implicit reflexive argument. Based on a syntactic comparison between KNs, BPNs, locally and long-distance bound reflexives, we argue that the implicit reflexive arguments of BPNs must be locally bound, whereas that of KNs can either be locally or long-distance bound. We conclude that these two types of implicit arguments in Mandarin Chinese correspond to locally and long-distance bound reflexives, respectively. We analyze this difference in connection with binding theory and a theory of logophoricity. We argue that the implicit argument of BPNs is a locally bound anaphor and cannot be used as a logophor, whereas that of KNs can, supporting a proposal that the logophoric property leads to long-distance binding, as argued by Huang & Liu’s (2001) for reflexives in Mandarin Chinese.

A referential/quantified asymmetry in the second language acquisition of English reflexives by Chinese-speaking learners

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Sentence Type ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Binding Theory ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Value Judgment ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
Chinese Learners

There has been considerable research that investigates whether reflexives in interlanguage grammars (ILGs) are constrained by Principle A of the Binding Theory. These earlier studies focused on the role of sentence type, including both finite and non-finite test sentences; they did not examine the role of antecedent type, namely distinguishing between quantified antecedents and referential antecedents in the test sentences. This study explores Chinese learners’ acquisition of the locality constraints on the binding of English reflexives from a developmental perspective, focusing both on the role of sentence type and the role of antecedent type. A story-based truth-value judgment task was administered to three proficiency levels of Chinese-speaking learners of English. It was found that the finite/non-finite asymmetry in the learners’ long-distance (LD) judgments was strongest for the intermediate participants but much weaker for the beginners and advanced participants; the referential/ quantified asymmetry in the learners’ LD judgments was strongest for the advanced participants but much weaker for the beginners and intermediate participants. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The morphological basis of anaphora

1991 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Burzio
Keyword(s):  
Recent Literature ◽  
Binding Theory ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Morphological Basis ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Local Binding

Chomsky (1981: 188, 220; 1986a: 166) formulates the Binding Theory essentially as in (1).(1) (A) An anaphor must belocally bound(B) A pronoun must not belocally bound(C) An R-expression must not be boundThe notion ‘bound’ is defined as ‘c-commanded by a co-referential element’. As for the notion ‘locally’, that of Chomsky (1986a) differs somewhat from that of Chomsky (1981), and much recent literature addresses the issue, especially in connection with the phenomenon of ‘Long Distance Anaphora’. (For relevant discussion see Burzio (1989c and references therein) and also Levinson, this volume.) For most of our purposes, it will be sufficient to assume Chomsky's (1981: 188) ‘within its [i.e. the anaphor's/pronoun‘s] governing category’, or even the formally simpler (though empirically less adequate) ‘within the same minimal clause’. The empirical effects of the Binding Theory in (1) can then be illustrated as in (2a, b, c) – instances of local binding, non-local binding, and no binding respectively. In each case the connecting line expresses intended co-reference, much as co-indexation in later examples. Each ungrammatical case is accounted for by the principle indicated in parentheses.

Kokborok and the simple-complex reflexive distinction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gargi Roy ◽  
Kārumūri V Subbārāo ◽  
Rajesh Kumar ◽  
Martin Everaert
Keyword(s):  
Binding Theory ◽  
Simple Complex ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Established Fact ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Local Binding

Abstract This paper presents an in-depth investigation of the binding strategies in Kokborok and we will look more specifically how this sheds light on the theories of reflexivization. Kokborok, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Tripura, a state in the North-East of India, has two reflexives: sak sak ‘self self’ and sak baithaŋ ‘self self’. The form sak sak ‘self self’ conforms to Principle A of classic Binding Theory, blocking long-distance binding, but this does not hold true for sak baithaŋ allowing non-local binding. It is a well-established fact that some reflexives allow non-local binding, but it is generally assumed that this phenomenon is limited to a certain type of reflexive, morpho-syntactically ‘simple reflexives.’ The so-called ‘complex reflexives’ generally bar non-local binding, and the Kokborok reflexive sak baithaŋ seems an exception to that. This paper explores the uniqueness involved in the nature of anaphoric binding in Kokborok.

scholarly journals Covert reflexive argument in inalienable relational nouns

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Hezao Ke ◽  
Acrisio Pires
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Binding Theory ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Distance Bound ◽  
Implicit Argument ◽  
Implicit Arguments ◽  
Relational Nouns

This paper argues that inalienable relational nouns in Mandarin Chinese, specifically kinship nouns (e.g. father, sister) and body-part nouns (e.g. head, face), have an implicit reflexive argument. Based on  a syntactic comparison between kinship nouns, body-part nouns, local- and long-distance bound reflexives, we argue that the implicit reflexive arguments of kinship nouns and body-part nouns differ from each other: The implicit argument of kinship nouns must be locally bound, whereas that of body-part nouns can either be locally bound or long-distance bound. Therefore, we conclude that these two types of implicit arguments in Mandarin Chinese correspond to local- long-distance bound reflexives, respectively. Finally, we relate this difference to binding theory concerning local and long-distance anaphors.

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