汉语等级性否定的句法语义分析

Syntactic and Semantic Analysis of Gradable Negation in Mandarin

汉语中由“不”和AP或VP构成的否定式有些具有等级性(能受程度副词修饰),这些等级性否定式具有特殊的蕴含,表示反义否定。当形容词是处于上端封闭型量轴上的形容词时,其否定式具有等级性。“不X”的等级性来源于X的语义,句法上的特殊性和“不”相关。等级性否定式中的“不”是否定前缀,和形容词结合投射为AP,VP则需要和V^(0)组合转换为V^(0)后再和否定前缀结合。等级性否定是一个能产性结构,汉语存在两个“不”的假设有跨语言事实的支持。

In Mandarin,some negations in the form of“bu”(不)+X(AP/VP)are gradable(can be modified by degree adverbs).Gradable negations have special entailments and yield the contrary relation.Semantically,positive adjectives on Upper-Closed scale form gradable negations.While the gradability of“bu”+X originates from the lexical semantics of X,the syntactic features of“bu”+X are related with the negator.“Bu”in gradable negations is a negative prefix,which projects AP in combination with adjectives.It requires VP to transform to V^(0)before prefixation with“bu”.Gradable negation is a productive structure and there are empirical evidences from cross-languages supporting the hypothesis of two“bu”’s in Mandarin.