Tonal marking of telicity in Hakka: An agree-based analysis

Abstract

This paper investigates a syntactic mechanism underlying the tonal marking of telicity in Longbuzhen Hakka. While previous typological studies have documented tonal alternations as aspectual markers in some Sinitic languages, formal syntactic accounts of their distribution remain underexplored. Building on Schmitt (1996), we argue that AGRO probes its c-commanding domain for an internal argument, valuing its [uTelic] feature against the internal argument’s [+quantized] feature upon successful valuation. Thus, a rising contour tone surfaces on the predicate head. Furthermore, we provide novel empirical evidence from Hakka ditransitive constructions, demonstrating that dative PPs induce an intervention effect.