Equating by degrees or state-kinds, or both

Abstract

This paper provides novel data of a cross-categorial equation construction in Mandarin Chinese to support the cross-linguistic connection between kinds, manners, and degrees. I further identify two modes of scalar equatives in Mandarin, showing that equating by state-kinds represents a distinct equation mode than equating by degree objects. The syntactic and semantic differences between the two modes motivate us to preserve both degree state-kinds and degree objects in our ontology