A Data-driven Approach to Generalised Control Relations in a Discourse Pro-drop Language: Insights from a Parallel-correspondence System of Grammar

Description

In this talk, I present a typology of control relations attested in Mandarin Chinese – a “discourse pro-drop language”, which in general allows subjects and objects to be unexpressed (see e.g., Huang, 1984, 1989; Neeleman & Szendrői, 2007, 2008; Roberts & Holmberg, 2010). My talk adopts a broad definition of control, termed as “Generalised Control Relation” (cf. Huang, 1989). I illustrate how this notion of control is interpreted in an LFG-based parallel-correspondence architecture. My approach is data-driven, focusing on meticulous analysis of empirical evidence which has been obtained by applying a range of linguistic diagnostics. The systematic classification of control relations results in a Continuum of Control Force, which I argue has empirical significance for studying control relations in a discourse pro-drop language.

Period	30 Oct 2021
Event title	30th South of England LFG Meeting
Event type	Conference
Location	Oxford, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	National