Title: The EN Reading of Cha(yi)dian-mei “Almost-NEG”

Abstract: In Mandarin Chinese, cha(yi)dian-mei “almost-NEG” can be interpreted as expletive negation(EN) and double negation(DN). The EN reading is attributed to the features of approximate adverbs and the semantics of negative marker mei. In this case, cha(yi)dian , an approximate adverb, has both the proximal meaning component and the polar meaning component; and mei encodes nonveridicality on the semantic level neither confirming nor denying the truth of a proposition. The polar component of cha(yi)dian and the negative marker’s non commitment to truth value together trigger the negative sense. When mei functions as a truth reversing operator entailing certainty and making a truthful statement, cha(yi)dian-mei is interpreted affirmatively. The reading of cha(yi)dian-mei “almost-NEG” is not tricky if taken into consideration the approximate adverbs and nonveridicality which capture a large cross-linguistic picture of multiple negatives.

Keywords: cha(yi)dian-mei “almost-NEG,” apprpxomate adverbs, expletive negation, double negation

Author: Weiping Wen, Professor, School of Foreign Languages, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan, China.

DOI: 10.19967/j.cnki.flc.2022.04.014