A Multifactorial Analysis on the Syntactic Variations in One Kind of Chinese Verb-Direction Construction (VDC)

Abstract

This research investigates the linguistic features that can predict native speakers’ choice of three word order alternations of one kind of Verb-Direction Constructions (VDCs) in Mandarin Chinese, i.e., object initial, middle, and final types. Previous work on the contributing features is done through qualitative observations, and the direction of some predictions is unclear. This paper provides corpus based quantitative studies on both monofactorial and multifactorial analyses, which clarify the effectiveness of most of these parameters. In addition to the discussed features, some new features, such as the use of certain classes of verbs and imperatives, are also introduced in order to enhance the model; further directions and improvements are also.