On the derivation of Mandarin null subject arguments: Support for the argument ellipsis analysis

Abstract

Relying on the classic sloppy identity diagnostic, prior research has observed that empty subjects in Mandarin Chinese cannot yield the sloppy identity reading, thus indicating that argument ellipsis (AE) is unavailable. Using a new diagnostic of AE proposed by Sakamoto (2015), this paper provides empirical evidence that in Mandarin, missing subjects anteceded by disjunctive arguments yield the so-called disjunctive reading, which can only be derived through AE. I then argue for a restricted environment where AE is available for missing subjects in Mandarin that not only explains the unavailability of sloppy reading but also captures the availability of disjunctive reading, i.e., when there is no operator-variable relationship between subject and topic positions.