Modals in Action: Imperatives and Performative Modals in Chinese

摘要

Two competing approaches to the syntax–semantics of imperatives have been proposed. The minimal view treats imperatives as properties at the level of semantics and assumes a relatively bare syntactic structure. In contrast, the modal approach analyzes imperatives as propositions that syntactically contain a (possibly covert) performative modal. This paper argues in favor of the modal approach on the basis of evidence from two Chinese languages. Specifically, I show that a performative modal particle can be overtly realized in imperative clauses in Chinese, a pattern that directly supports the presence of modal structure in imperative syntax.

The paper further investigates Imperative-and-Declarative (IaD) constructions, which have often been employed to counter the modal analysis. Confirming earlier generalizations, I demonstrate that Chinese clearly distinguishes two types of IaD sentences. Only one type admits the overt realization of a performative modal particle, while the other excludes it. This contrast provides a diagnostic for distinguishing genuine imperative antecedents from imperative-like reduced clauses.