Stemming from the Verbal Suffix -Zhe

Abstract

Addressed are issues raised by Chauncey Chu in "The Semantics, Syntax, and Pragmatics of the Verbal Suffix -Zhe" (abstracted in this section) discussing her own proposed constraint on the Mandarin grammatical frame V1-zhe ... V2. This constraint presupposes that the two actions are interrelated in certain ways, & that one is predominant while the other is subordinate. Chu has proposed a parameter of saliency to replace that of weighting. It is argued that caution must be used in integrating pragmatic insights into a semantic/syntactic analysis, since so many variables are involved. In a brief follow-up contained in an appendix, C. Chu briefly addresses Chen's claims & examines notions of grammatical acceptability. B. Annesser Murray.