Cover not available

In:Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Vietnamese Linguistics
Edited by Nigel Duffield, Trang Phan and Tue Trinh
[Studies in Language Companion Series 211] 2019
► pp. 155–180

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required

Chapter 8
(In)definiteness of Vietnamese noun phrases

 | Hue University of Education, Vietnam | Utrecht University, The Netherlands
 | Utrecht University, The Netherlands
 | Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Published online: 9 October 2019
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.211.08doa
Abstract
In this contribution we discuss the factors determining the definite or indefinite interpretation of Noun Phrases in Vietnamese. In contrast to what has been claimed in the literature, we find that NPs consisting of a bare noun and NPs consisting of a numeral, a classifier (cl) and a noun, while generally indefinite, may permit a definite interpretation in certain contexts (in contrast to NPs consisting of just a classifier and a noun, which are always definite). We then compare the relevant patterns in Vietnamese with their counterparts in Mandarin and Cantonese. Although the differences may seem striking we show that they can be captured by some simple morpho-syntactic parameters.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.An overview of Vietnamese clause structure
  • 3.A template for Vietnamese noun-phrases
  • 4.Interpretive differences according to argument position
    • 4.1NPs in canonical subject position
    • 4.2NPs in postverbal positions
    • 4.3Interim summary
  • 5.Comparisons with Mandarin and Cantonese
    • 5.1NPs in canonical subject position
    • 5.2NPs in canonical object position
      • 5.2.1Bare Noun-phrases
      • 5.2.2[CL + N] Noun-phrases
    • 5.3Interim summary
  • 6.An analysis of (in)definiteness marking in Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin
    • 6.1Minimalist considerations
    • 6.2Formal implementation
      • 6.2.1Mandarin
      • 6.2.2Cantonese
      • 6.2.3Vietnamese
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (46)
References
Alexopoulou, Theodora & Folli, Raffaella. 2011. Indefinite topics and syntax of nominals in Italian and Greek. In Proceedings of West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics 28, M. Byram Washburn, Sarah Ouwayda, Chuoying Ouyang, Bin Yin, Canan Ipek, Lisa Marston & Aaron Walker (eds), 1–12. Somerville MA: Cascadilla Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2019. Topic strategies and the internal structure of nominal arguments in Italian and Greek. Linguistic Inquiry, 1–82. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baker, Mark C. 2008. The macroparameter in a microparametric world. In The Limits of Syntactic Variation [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 132], Theresa Biberauer (ed.), 351–374. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bošković, Željko. 2011. On unvalued uninterpretable features. In Proceedings of NELS 39, Suzi Lima, Kevin Mullin & Brian Smith (eds), 109–120. Amherst MA: GLSA.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2008. What will you have, DP or NP? In Proceedings of NELS 37, Emily Elfner & Martin Walkow (eds), 101–114. Amherst MA: GLSA.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bošković, Željko & Gajewski, Jon. 2011. Semantic correlates of the DP/NP parameter. In Proceedings of NELS 39, Suzi Lima, Kevin Mullin & Brian Smith (eds), 121–134. Amherst MA: GLSA.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bùi, Mạnh Hùng. 2000. Về một số đặc trưng ngữ nghĩa – ngữ pháp của những và các (On the semantic and syntactic features of những and các). Ngôn ngữ (Language) 3: 16–26.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cao, Xuân Hạo. 1988. The count/mass distinction in Vietnamese and the concept of ‘Classifier’. Zeitschrift für Phonetik, Sprachwissenschaft und Kommunikationsforschung 41: 38–47.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bui, Thuy. 2019. Temporal reference in Vietnamese. In Duffield, Phan and Trinh (eds) [this volume]Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cao, Xuân Hạo. 1989. Cấu trúc của danh ngữ tiếngViệt (The structure of the Vietnamese noun phrase). In Những vấn đề ngữ pháp tiếng Việt hiện đại (Issues in modern Vietnamese syntax), Văn Lăng Lưu (ed.), 154–175. Hà Nội: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1999a. Nghĩa của loại từ (Meaning of classifiers). Ngôn ngữ (Language) 2: 1–16.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1999b. Nghĩa của loại từ (Meaning of classifiers). Ngôn ngữ (Language) 3: 9–13.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cheng, Lisa Lai-Shen. 2009. On every type of quantificational expression in Chinese. In Quantification, Definiteness, and Nominalization, Monika Rathert & Anastasia Giannakidou (eds), 53–75. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cheng, Lisa Lai-Shen & Sybesma, Rint. 1999. Bare and not so bare noun-phrases and the structure of NP. Linguistic Inquiry 30(4): 509–542. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chierchia, Gennaro. 1998. Reference to kinds across languages. Natural Language Semantics 6: 339–405. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chomsky, Noam. 2008. On phases. In Foundational Issues in Linguistic Theory, Essays in Honor of Jean-Roger Vergnaud, Robert Freidin, Carlos Otero & Maria Luisa Zubizarreta (eds), 133–166. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chung, Sandra & Ladusaw, William A. 2004. Restriction and Saturation. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Diesing, Molly. 1992. Indefinites [Linguistic Inquiry Monograph 20]. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Duffield, Nigel. 2007. Aspects of Vietnamese clause structure: Separating tense from assertion. Linguistics 45(4): 765–814. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2013. On polarity emphasis, assertion and mood in English and Vietnamese. Lingua 137: 248–270. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dương, Thanh Bình. 1971. A Tagmemic Comparison of the Structure of English and Vietnamese Sentences, ed. by C. H. van Schooneveld [Janua Linguarum]. The Hague: Mouton.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Emenau, Murray B. 1951. Studies in Vietnamese (Annamese) Grammar. Berkeley CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Heim, Irene. 1982. The Semantics of Definite and Indefinite Noun Phrases. PhD dissertation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1983. File change semantics and the familiarity theory of definiteness. In Meaning, Use and the Interpretation of Language, Rainer Bäuerle, Christoph Schwarze & Arnim von Stechow (eds), 164–189. Berlin: De Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kirby, James. 2006. Vietnamese and the structure of NP. Ms, University of Chicago.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lê, Ni La & Schmitt, Cristina. 2016. Plurality in classifier languages: A view from Vietnamese pluralizers. In Proceedings of the Forty-second Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (BLS) 42, Emily Clem, Virginia Dawson, Alice Shen, Amalia Horan Skilton, Geoff Bacon, Andrew Cheng & Erik Hans Maier (eds), 153–174. Berkeley CA: BLS.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Li, Yen-Hui Audrey. 1998. Argument determiner phrases and number phrases. Linguistic Inquiry 29: 693–702. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Milsark, Gary L. 1977. Toward an explanation of certain peculiarities of the existential construction in English. Linguistic Analysis 3: 1–29.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyễn, Tài Cẩn. 1975a. Ngữ pháp tiếng Việt: Tiếng – Từ ghép – Đoản ngữ (Vietnamese grammar: Words – Compound words – Phrases). Hà Nội: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1975b. Từ loại danh từ trong tiếng Việt hiện đại (The word class of nouns in modern Vietnamese). Hà Nội: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyễn, Thị Ly Kha. 2001. Danh từ khối trong tiếng Việt hiện đại (so sánh với tiếng Hán hiện đại) (Mass nouns in modern Vietnamese (in comparison to modern Chinese)). Ho Chi Minh City: University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University).Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyen, Tuong Hung. 2004. The Structure of the Vietnamese Noun Phrase. PhD dissertation, Boston University.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyễn, Hoàng Trung. 2019. Semantics of Vietnamese đa. [tilde above a] 2019. In Duffield, Phan & Trinh (eds) [this volume]Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyễn, Thị Ly Kha & Hoàng, Dũng. 2008. “Vietnamese Nouns and their subclasses” (co-author). In Institute of Linguistics, Vietnamese Grammar: The Theoretical Issues. Ngữ pháp tiếng Việt (những vấn đề lý luận). Hanoi: Social Sciences Publishing House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Phan, Trang. 2013. Syntax of Vietnamese Aspect. PhD dissertation, University of Sheffield.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Phan, Trang & Duffield, Nigel. 2017. To be tensed or not to be tensed: The case of Vietnamese. Investigationes Linguisticae XL: 105-125. Poznan: Institute of Linguistics – Adam Mickiewicz University.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Phan, Trang & Lander, Eric T. 2015. Vietnamese and the NP/DP parameter. Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue Canadienne de Linguistique 60(3): 391–415. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Preminger, Omer. 2011. Agreement as a fallible operation. PhD dissertation, MIT.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Reuland, Eric J. 2011. Anaphora and Language Design. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Simpson, Andrew, Soh, Hooi Ling & Nomoto, Hiroki. 2011. Bare classifiers and definiteness – A cross-linguistic investigation. Studies in language 35(1): 168–193. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sudo, Yasutada & Trinh, Tue. 2009. The indefiniteness effect in Mandarin and Vietnamese. Talk, UCLA.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thompson, Lawrence C. 1965. A Vietnamese Reference Grammar. Previously published as Mon-Khmer Studies XIII–XIV [1965]. Honolulu HI: University of Hawai’i Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tran, Jennie. 2011. The Acquisition of Vietnamese Classifiers. PhD dissertation, University of Hawai’i at Manoa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tran, Thuan. 2009. Wh-quantification in Vietnamese. PhD dissertation, University of Delaware.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Trinh, Tue. 2011. Nominal reference in two classifier languages. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 15: 629–644.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tsai, W. T. Dylan. 2001. On subject specificity and theory of syntax-semantics interface. Journal of East Asian Linguistics 10(2): 129–168. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue