Abstract
This article proposes that the bei-construction, a typical passive construction in Mandarin Chinese, is not derived in a uniform fashion; rather, three types of bei-sentences must be recognized. The main distinction is made between those involving A-movement, like English passives, and those involving a null operator, like the tough-construction and the Complement Deletion Construction in English. The third type involves a lexical passive compound verb. Support for this claim comes from investigation of the facts regarding licensing of a post-verbal overt pronominal object, locality effects, the occurrence of the particle suo in the bei-construction, and the intervention of adverbs within the bei-V sequence. This article also shows the problems in previous analyses that derive the bei-construction from the same underlying structure.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 319-354 |
Number of pages | 36 |
Journal | Journal of East Asian Linguistics |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Linguistics and Language
- History and Philosophy of Science