The Syntax of Null Possessors with Kinship Terms and Body Part Nouns in Vietnamese
Bare nouns representing kinship terms (KNs) and body parts (BPNs) can be assumed to project a null possessor argument, which allows for the interpretation of such nouns relative to other linguistically present NPs. In Vietnamese, the distribution of KNs and BPNs is subject to different locality cond...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Languages |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/7/158 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850077254875348992 |
|---|---|
| author | Andrew Simpson Linh Pham |
| author_facet | Andrew Simpson Linh Pham |
| author_sort | Andrew Simpson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bare nouns representing kinship terms (KNs) and body parts (BPNs) can be assumed to project a null possessor argument, which allows for the interpretation of such nouns relative to other linguistically present NPs. In Vietnamese, the distribution of KNs and BPNs is subject to different locality conditions and leads to the analysis of null possessors with KNs as covert anaphors, while null possessors with BPNs are null pronominals (pro). This contrasts with Mandarin Chinese, where it has been suggested that null possessors of KNs and BPNs are two different types of null anaphors. The observed distributional differences and analyses of bare KNs and BPNs in Vietnamese vs. Chinese raise questions of parametric variation with regard to null elements with parallel interpretive properties and also whether linking mechanisms may occur with other bare nouns without the projection of null possessors that are subject to binding theoretic locality restrictions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5e3a4cb7faa24262b4d41fd524082b02 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2226-471X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Languages |
| spelling | doaj-art-5e3a4cb7faa24262b4d41fd524082b022025-08-20T02:45:50ZengMDPI AGLanguages2226-471X2025-06-0110715810.3390/languages10070158The Syntax of Null Possessors with Kinship Terms and Body Part Nouns in VietnameseAndrew Simpson0Linh Pham1Department of Linguistics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USADepartment of Linguistics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USABare nouns representing kinship terms (KNs) and body parts (BPNs) can be assumed to project a null possessor argument, which allows for the interpretation of such nouns relative to other linguistically present NPs. In Vietnamese, the distribution of KNs and BPNs is subject to different locality conditions and leads to the analysis of null possessors with KNs as covert anaphors, while null possessors with BPNs are null pronominals (pro). This contrasts with Mandarin Chinese, where it has been suggested that null possessors of KNs and BPNs are two different types of null anaphors. The observed distributional differences and analyses of bare KNs and BPNs in Vietnamese vs. Chinese raise questions of parametric variation with regard to null elements with parallel interpretive properties and also whether linking mechanisms may occur with other bare nouns without the projection of null possessors that are subject to binding theoretic locality restrictions.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/7/158kinship termsbody part nounsnull possessors |
| spellingShingle | Andrew Simpson Linh Pham The Syntax of Null Possessors with Kinship Terms and Body Part Nouns in Vietnamese Languages kinship terms body part nouns null possessors |
| title | The Syntax of Null Possessors with Kinship Terms and Body Part Nouns in Vietnamese |
| title_full | The Syntax of Null Possessors with Kinship Terms and Body Part Nouns in Vietnamese |
| title_fullStr | The Syntax of Null Possessors with Kinship Terms and Body Part Nouns in Vietnamese |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Syntax of Null Possessors with Kinship Terms and Body Part Nouns in Vietnamese |
| title_short | The Syntax of Null Possessors with Kinship Terms and Body Part Nouns in Vietnamese |
| title_sort | syntax of null possessors with kinship terms and body part nouns in vietnamese |
| topic | kinship terms body part nouns null possessors |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/7/158 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT andrewsimpson thesyntaxofnullpossessorswithkinshiptermsandbodypartnounsinvietnamese AT linhpham thesyntaxofnullpossessorswithkinshiptermsandbodypartnounsinvietnamese AT andrewsimpson syntaxofnullpossessorswithkinshiptermsandbodypartnounsinvietnamese AT linhpham syntaxofnullpossessorswithkinshiptermsandbodypartnounsinvietnamese |