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In:New Insights into Theoretical Syntax from Asian Languages: Studies in honor of C.-T. James Huang
Edited by Andrew Simpson
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 290] 2026
► pp. 210–229

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Linking semantics and syntax

Quantifier symmetry and dou distribution

 | Academia Sinica
Published online: 15 January 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.290.08lin
Abstract
This study investigates the distribution of dou (‘all’) in Mandarin quantifier restrictors, an area largely overlooked. While dou is well-studied in nuclear scopes, its occurrence in restrictors follows distinct patterns: quantifiers that permit dou in nuclear scopes often reject it in restrictors. Symmetric quantifiers (e.g., ‘(at least) ten,’ ‘more than ten’) allow dou in restrictors, whereas non-symmetric ones (e.g., mei ‘every,’ dabufen ‘most’) do not. This paper argues that dou appears in restrictors only when the quantifier allows Q(A)(B) and Q(B)(A) to be interchanged truth-conditionally. Empirical tests on henduo (‘many’), henshao (‘few’), and proportional quantifiers support this symmetry-based analysis, emphasizing intersection (∩) as a licensing condition for dou in restrictors.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • 2.A brief review of previous studies
  • 3.Exploring monotonicity and symmetry in Generalized Quantifier Theory
  • 4.Symmetry and the distribution of dou within the restrictor
    • 4.1The hypothesis
    • 4.2Monotonically decreasing quantifiers
    • 4.3Reverse proportion
    • 4.4Definite DPs
  • 5.Unraveling the symmetry connection
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
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