A multidimensional approach to the category verb in Cantonese

Abstract

Several studies highlight the significance of grammatical variation among members of the same lexical category (Croft 1991, Hopper & Thompson 1984, Francis 1999, Malouf 1998, McCawley 1982), calling into question the standard assumption that lexical categories are defined by a single set of syntactic features. In this paper, we present evidence showing a wide range of grammatical variation among members of the category 'verb' in Cantonese. We explain this variation using the multidimensional theory of lexical categories developed in Francis 1999 within the framework of autolexical grammar (Sadock 1991). For each lexical item, the theory allows inde- pendently-specified category features in distinct modules of grammar. For example, Cantonese stative verbs, as discussed in Matthews and Yip 1994, show an interesting mixture of properties: They allow direct comparison, intensification, and sometimes reduplication (like adjectival verbs) while also accepting objects that may be topicalized and focused (like transitive action verbs). To account for these data, we propose that lexical semantic features of the verb constrain direct comparison, intensification, and aspect marking; formal syntactic features constrain topicalization and focusing; and both lexical semantic and morphophonological features constrain reduplication. This multidimensional theory of lexical categories accommodates data that are problematic for the standard, syntaxcentered approach.