ON CHINESE ORDINAL CONSTRUCTIONS

Abstract

A Chinese ordinal construction in the form [di + Num + Cl + N] is ambiguous between a definite construal and an indefinite quantity construal. The morpheme di heads a DP, and the two readings of the ordinal expression can be attributed to the lexical ambiguity of the morpheme di. On the one hand, if the event is realized once, and there is an ordered set of objects in a single space within which the context of a sentence can verify a presupposed referential existence for the denotation of ordinal phrases, di is a [+strong] determiner giving rise to a definite reading. On the other hand, if the event is carried out more than once, no such an ordered set of objects is present in a single space, and the context of a sentence cannot verify a presupposed referential existence for the denotation of ordinal phrases, di is a [-strong] determiner with an additive function and results in an indefinite quantity reading.

漢語序數結構「第 + 數量詞 + 量詞 + 名詞」有歧義現象：定指語意與非定指數量語意。「第」投射DP，而序數結構的兩個語意則歸因於詞素「第」的歧異。若事件發生一次，含一個排序集合存在於單一空間，且語境能從此集合認可序數結構具預設指稱存在(presupposed referential existence)時，「第」是強勢定語([+strong] determiner)，且序數結構必須解釋為定指。另一方面，若事件發生一次以上，沒有排序集合存在於單一空間，且語境無法從此集合認可序數結構具預設指稱存在時，「第」是弱勢定語([-strong] determiner)並帶有加總功能。因此，序數結構必須解釋為非定指數量語意。