Linking constructions in Mayrinax Atayal

Lingua Sinica

Table 4 Three layers of Mayrinax predicates and their corresponding linkers

Matrix predicates	High-order evaluative Cognition verb (factive)	Utterance verb Cognition verb (non-factive) Evidential modal Epistemic modal	Deontic modal/tough/middle predicate Object control verb/low adverbial verb Subject control verb/resultative action verb
Selected linkers	High gi’,’i’ _H, ru’	Mid na’, mha’, cu’ _M, ga’, ki’ _M,’i’ _M	Low
Selected linkers	High gi’,’i’ _H, ru’	Mid na’, mha’, cu’ _M, ga’, ki’ _M,’i’ _M	ki’ _LA Deontic modal	’i’ _LB Tough/middle predicate; object control verb	’i’ _LC Low adverbial verb; subject control verb	cu’ _LC Resultative action verb
Syntactic category of linkers	C⁰ _H	C⁰ _M	AsP⁰	C⁰ _L	vP-layer complementizer
Syntactic category of linkers	[NO EPP] [+tense]	[EPP] [+tense]	[EPP*] [−tense]	[EPP] [−tense]	[NO EPP] [−tense] [non-phase]
Complement size	Finite island CP	Finite CP	AspP	Non-finite CP	Intransitive vP
Syntactic properties (of linkers)
Bearing an [EPP] feature	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Heading finite clauses	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Heading AV-only (non-phase) complements	No	No	No	No/Yes	Yes
Introducing pseudo-cleft	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Introducing topic clauses	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Complement undergoing topicalization	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Complement undergoing ellipsis	No	Yes	No	Yes	No

*The EPP feature is placed on the aspectual head ki’ simply because it behaves like a mid linker, which is sensitive to extraction and movement operations. However, more investigation and studies are needed to support this claim, as well as to explore whether it can form a strong phase like a mid linker