Definite yi ‘one’-CL-NP Phrases in Mandarin

Rong He

Current Research in Chinese Linguistics ›› 2026, Vol. 105 ›› Issue (1) : 39-63.

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Current Research in Chinese Linguistics ›› 2026, Vol. 105 ›› Issue (1) : 39-63. DOI: 10.65961/crcl-2026-0003

Definite yi ‘one’-CL-NP Phrases in Mandarin

  • Rong He
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Abstract

It is widely assumed that yi ‘one’-CL-NP phrases in Mandarin are consistently interpreted as indefinite, whereas numeral phrases with numbers greater than one can receive definite interpretations. This paper challenges that assumption, arguing instead that Mandarin numeral phrases do not intrinsically encode distinct semantic properties. The observed contrast in definiteness between yi-CL-NP and num(>1)-CL-NP phrases, as well as the apparent restrictions on the anaphoric use of yi-CL-NP, are best explained in terms of their competition with bare nouns. Adopting the principle Minimize DP! (Patel-Grosz & Grosz 2017), this paper proposes that when a yi-CL-NP phrase and a bare noun denote the same entity, and no independent factor licenses the former, the syntactically and semantically simpler bare noun is obligatorily preferred in definite contexts.

Key words

yi-CL-NP / num-CL-NP / bare noun / definiteness / Minimize DP!

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Rong He. Definite yi ‘one’-CL-NP Phrases in Mandarin[J]. Current Research in Chinese Linguistics. 2026, 105(1): 39-63 https://doi.org/10.65961/crcl-2026-0003

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