Zhi-Xian Huang

OV/VO alternations and the complexities of object-licensing in Wu Chinese

While the basic/underlying word order in Chinese languages is SVO, SOV patterns are also attested, and in Mandarin frequently arise for reasons of focus or (inner) topicalization (Ernst and Wang 1995; Paul 2005). In contrast to such optional OV, in many varieties of Wu Chinese an obligatory OV sequencing often occurs,...