0100492869

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Predication in disguise: Which-constructions in Hong Kong Cantonese code-mixing speech

English (英語)

Papers from the International Workshop on the Syntax of Predication and Modification 2024

87-100

神戸大学大学院人文学研究科言語学研究室

2025-02-15

2025-01-16

This paper discusses an understudied, emerging type of relative constructions (RCs) in Cantonese code-mixing speech, featuring the use of the English relative pronoun which (which-RCs). They apparently constitute a relative construction that introduces an atypical, post-nominal modification of the antecedent in Cantonese. It has been characterized as an instance of lexico-syntactic transference or structural borrowing. Despite its superficial parallels with English RCs, I argue against a modification account, and put forth a predication account on such “relative constructions”. I suggest instead that (i) they involve no syntactic borrowing of modification structures, and that (ii) the relative pronoun which is best regarded as a functional morpheme establishing predication relation between a null Topic and a clause. It is lexically borrowed from English to introduce non-at-issue content, on a par with appositives and parentheticals.

Hong Kong Cantonese

会議発表論文