| This thesis studies the interaction of different modules and the contrast among different grammatical theories through in-depth discussion of the DE(,np)-construction in Mandarin Chinese.;Two points concerning the methodology of linguistic studies emerge from this thesis: the first is that solutions easily available in one theory can often be translated into accounts in another theory and sometimes with better effect, and the second is that language-oriented studies offer insight into the interaction of modules and helps highlight distinctions among different theoretical frameworks.;In this thesis, I have provided a typology of the different morphemes sharing the phonological form /de/ in anticipation of a thorough study of the NP clitic DE(,np) which marks the head of a complex NP. DE(,np) has been accounted for in a separate module of cliticization, its distribution being captured with a general schema (,np) XP DE(,np) NP . Corresponding to this schema, a formal account in IL(,*) has also been given of the semantics of the DE(,np) constructions, with DE(,np) translated as the meet operator and the Fregean nominalization device structurally encoded. Along with the semantic account of DE(,np), I have also proposed a general account of the semantic structure of nominal elements and VP nominalization in Chinese. Last, the discontinuous idiom chunks of the POBJ construction have been studied as special cases of the DE(,np)-constructions. Three grammatical theories have been employed and comparisons of the theories provided, with the suggestion made that explicit reference to grammatical functions is needed to account for the data. |
