RUcore: Rutgers University Community Repository
Degreeless comparatives
Descriptive
TypeOfResource
Text
TitleInfo
(ID = T-1)
Title
Degreeless comparatives
SubTitle
PartName
PartNumber
NonSort
Identifier
ETD_1495
Identifier
(type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.000051042
Language
(objectPart = )
LanguageTerm
(authority = ISO639-2);
(type = code)
eng
Genre
(authority = marcgt)
theses
Subject
(ID = SBJ-1);
(authority = RUETD)
Topic
Linguistics
Subject
(ID = SBJ-2);
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Contrastive linguistics
Abstract
This dissertation is a study of two non-adjectival comparatives in Chinese and Japanese, namely Chinese Differential Verbal Comparatives and Japanese sugi-constructions. By examining these two comparative constructions, this work motivates and develops an analysis that does not reply on degrees and scales, but is based on bijections. A bijection is a function f from set A to set B with the property that every member of A is paired with exactly one member of B, and vice versa.
Chapter 1 describes the background for the bijective analysis. Chapter 2 introduces Chinese Differential Verbal Comparatives (DVCs) and compares them with Chinese adjectival comparatives. Differentials of adjectival comparatives are distinct from those of DVCs in that the former are degree-denoting measure phrases, but the latter are not. Based on this fact, I argue that DVCs and adjectival comparatives are semantically distinct. DVCs denote a comparison of two sets of individuals and events based on bijections; adjectival comparatives describe an ordering relation of two degrees. (Differentials are expressions which describe the difference between two sets in comparison. For example, in the comparative John is 3 inches taller than Mary, the measure phrase 3 inches is a differential)
Chapter 3 provides another comparative construction which does not reply on degrees and scales for comparisons-- Japanese sugi-constructions. In sugi-constructions, differentials correspond to Floating Numeral Quantifiers (FNQs), which are VP-adverbs that quantify over sets of individuals. I argue that sugi- is an intensional operator, which compares world w to the closest possible world w' to w where the relevant requirements are met. As such, this account follows the possible world analysis of Stalnaker (1968, 1984). Given that in our analysis sugi- is not restricted to comparisons of degrees, FNQs can receive a consistent syntactic and semantic analysis in sugi- and non-sugi-constructions.
Chapter 4 unifies the semantics of Japanese sugi- and that of Chinese duo under the notion of bijections. I argue that bijections constitute a more fundamental method of comparison than any degree-based analysis of comparatives, because the former compares entities including individuals, events and degrees, and is able to account for a wider range of data than the latter which only compares degrees. I show that when bijections and the degree-based analyses are both applied to comparisons of degrees, their differences are trivial.
Chapter 1 describes the background for the bijective analysis. Chapter 2 introduces Chinese Differential Verbal Comparatives (DVCs) and compares them with Chinese adjectival comparatives. Differentials of adjectival comparatives are distinct from those of DVCs in that the former are degree-denoting measure phrases, but the latter are not. Based on this fact, I argue that DVCs and adjectival comparatives are semantically distinct. DVCs denote a comparison of two sets of individuals and events based on bijections; adjectival comparatives describe an ordering relation of two degrees. (Differentials are expressions which describe the difference between two sets in comparison. For example, in the comparative John is 3 inches taller than Mary, the measure phrase 3 inches is a differential)
Chapter 3 provides another comparative construction which does not reply on degrees and scales for comparisons-- Japanese sugi-constructions. In sugi-constructions, differentials correspond to Floating Numeral Quantifiers (FNQs), which are VP-adverbs that quantify over sets of individuals. I argue that sugi- is an intensional operator, which compares world w to the closest possible world w' to w where the relevant requirements are met. As such, this account follows the possible world analysis of Stalnaker (1968, 1984). Given that in our analysis sugi- is not restricted to comparisons of degrees, FNQs can receive a consistent syntactic and semantic analysis in sugi- and non-sugi-constructions.
Chapter 4 unifies the semantics of Japanese sugi- and that of Chinese duo under the notion of bijections. I argue that bijections constitute a more fundamental method of comparison than any degree-based analysis of comparatives, because the former compares entities including individuals, events and degrees, and is able to account for a wider range of data than the latter which only compares degrees. I show that when bijections and the degree-based analyses are both applied to comparisons of degrees, their differences are trivial.
PhysicalDescription
Form
(authority = gmd)
electronic resource
Extent
x, 172 p.
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Note
(type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note
(type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-171)
Note
(type = statement of responsibility)
by Xiao Li
Name
(ID = NAME-1);
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Li
NamePart
(type = given)
Xiao
NamePart
(type = date)
1979-
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB);
(type = )
author
DisplayForm
Xiao Li
Name
(ID = NAME-2);
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Schwarzschild
NamePart
(type = given)
Roger
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB);
(type = )
chair
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Roger Schwarzschild
Name
(ID = NAME-3);
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Baker
NamePart
(type = given)
Mark
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB);
(type = )
internal member
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Mark Baker
Name
(ID = NAME-4);
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Shan
NamePart
(type = given)
Chung-chieh
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB);
(type = )
internal member
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Chung-chieh Shan
Name
(ID = NAME-5);
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Kennedy
NamePart
(type = given)
Chris
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB);
(type = )
outside member
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Chris Kennedy
Name
(ID = NAME-1);
(type = corporate)
NamePart
Rutgers University
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB);
(type = )
degree grantor
Name
(ID = NAME-2);
(type = corporate)
NamePart
Graduate School - New Brunswick
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB);
(type = )
school
OriginInfo
DateCreated
(point = );
(qualifier = exact)
2009
DateOther
(qualifier = exact);
(type = degree)
2009-01
Location
PhysicalLocation
(authority = marcorg)
NjNbRU
RelatedItem
(type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
(type = RULIB)
ETD
RelatedItem
(type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
(type = local)
rucore19991600001
Identifier
(type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T3GX4BT5
Genre
(authority = ExL-Esploro)
ETD doctoral
Back to the top
Rights
RightsDeclaration
(AUTHORITY = GS);
(ID = rulibRdec0006)
The author owns the copyright to this work.
Copyright
Status
Copyright protected
Availability
Status
Open
RightsEvent
(AUTHORITY = rulib);
(ID = 1)
Type
Permission or license
Detail
Non-exclusive ETD license
AssociatedObject
(AUTHORITY = rulib);
(ID = 1)
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
Back to the top
Technical
ContentModel
ETD
MimeType
(TYPE = file)
application/pdf
MimeType
(TYPE = container)
application/x-tar
FileSize
(UNIT = bytes)
829440
Checksum
(METHOD = SHA1)
c21c567b24b441354a8ff3dac004467074040cda
Back to the top
Statistical Profile