A Generative Analysis On Chinese Qualitative Adjective Functioning As Predicate

Chinese adjective, especially Chinese qualitative adjective is very special, as it can be the predicate of a sentence without the help of a copula. Most attention is focused on this linguistic phenomenon, such as studies on the part of speech of Chinese adjective; Chinese adjective-predicate-sentence; conditions on which Chinese adjective can be predicate and so on. However, there are few specialized researches paying attention to the problem of Chinese adjective functioning as predicate itself, not even to say how Chinese qualitative adjective functions as predicate. Besides, except for the phenomenon of Chinese qualitative adjective functioning as predicate without a copula, we find in many relevant materials, such as linguistic typology, materials on “shi” that Chinese qualitative adjective can also be predicate with “shi” preceding it and sometimes with “shi” preceding it and “de” following it. But there exist some doubts waiting for clarification in these discussions: when functioning as predicate, among the three relevant elements, Chinese qualitative adjective, “shi” and “de”, which is the main verb, and what role other elements play.This thesis aims to solve the two problems mentioned above: to exemplify in a systemic way the problem of Chinese qualitative adjective functioning as predicate; to clarify the syntactic features of Chinese qualitative adjective and other relevant element such as “shi” and “de” under different conditions, and analyze which is the main verb, what role other elements play.To fulfill our writing aims, we investigate these problems in the framework of generative grammar, which can supply us with well-rounded theories that we need, such as light verb theory, “shi-focusing construction”, and DP hypothesis. Also, it can fulfill our aim to clarify the syntactic features of Chinese qualitative adjective and “shi”, “de” in an intuitive way, such as the tree diagram, which can show the syntactic features of the sentence elements directly.On the basis of previous studies, for the first problem, we claim that there are three ways for Chinese qualitative adjective to be a predicate, following Chen’s demonstration(2012): one is that Chinese qualitative adjective functions as predicate by itself; the second way is that it functions as predicate with a “shi” preceding it, i.e. “shi + Chinese qualitative adjective”; the last one is that Chinese qualitative adjective together with a “shi” before it and a “de” after it functions as predicate, i.e. “shi + Chinese qualitative adjective + de”.For the second problem, we claim that when a Chinese qualitative adjective functions as predicate individually, according to Chomsky, it is base-generated in the position of the head of VP, and it is the main verb of the sentence; then we further demonstrate that when “shi + Chinese qualitative adjective” function as a predicate, on account of “Shi-focusing construction”, “shi” is only a syntactic element, a focus marker, which is base-generated in the position of head of FocP, while Chinese qualitative adjective is still the main verb, which is base-generated in the position of head of VP; in the third situation ―“shi + Chinese qualitative adjective + de”, which corresponds to pseudo cleft sentence, “shi” is a predicational “shi”, a linking verb, base-generated in head of VP, while Chinese qualitative adjective has to become nominalized, forming a DP not DeP together with “de”..In this thesis, we provide a relevantly systemic analysis of Chinese qualitative adjective functioning as predicate, which fills the gap of previous studies. And also we analyze the syntactic features of Chinese qualitative adjective and “shi” preceding it, and “de” following it, making clear which is the main verb of a sentence when they functioning as predicate alone or in a way of combination. All these help us gain a better understanding of Chinese qualitative adjective, especially how it functions as predicate.