Chinese A-not-A Questions: A Minimalist Approach

In this thesis, we exclude VO-not-VO questions from A-not-A questions and investigate the derivational processes of V-not-VO questions and VO-not-V questions from a Minimalist perspective.With regard to V-not-VO questions, we propose that the V-not-V constituent, as an integral item, is generated with a [Q] feature in the numeration N (cf. Chomsky 1995). It covertly checks off the corresponding uninterpretable [Q] feature of C for the purpose of indicating the interrogative force.Since VO-not-V questions pattern like VP-not questions, we treat the former as a derived form of the latter. We assume that the Q-particle in VP-not questions has grammaticilized to acquire its clitic property (cf. Huang 1988a, Ernst 1995). Following Chomsky (1995, 2000) and N. Zhang (1997, 2001), we propose that the finite verb bears an interpretable [V] feature, and that the interrogative C bears a strong uninterpretable [V] feature. We further propose that this uninterpretable feature triggers the finite verb to undergo successive cyclic movement to C. Then the whole TP moves to [Spec, CP] as a consequence of the C-finality requirement in Chinese. According to Chomsky's (1993, 1995, 2000) Copy Theory of Movement, this V-to-C movement leaves four copies behind in overt syntax. In order for the derivation to converge at PF, we adopt Nunes' (1995, 1999, 2001, 2004) Theory of Chain Linearization to evaluate these multiple copies. After the clitic Q-particle and the copy in C are morphologically reanalyzed as a phonological word, this distinct copy is invisible to Kayne's (1994) LCA and survives at PF. Among the remaining three copies, Chomsky's (1995) economy consideration and Nunes' Chain Reduction mandate that the lower two copies be deleted. Therefore, two copies are phonetically realized. In this way, the derivation converges at both LF and PF, resulting in the grammatical structure of a VO-not-V question.