Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Exhaustifying conditionals
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Exhaustifying conditionals
Do you wish to request the book?
Exhaustifying conditionals
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Exhaustifying conditionals
2026
Overview
A Mandarin conditional sentence with the form [p, jiu q], where jiu is a preverbal particle, can (but not always) convey the minimal sufficiency interpretation that nothing more — other than p — needs to be true in order for q to be true. Moreover, the exclusive focus expression zhiyao can be inserted in p without changing the minimal sufficiency interpretation. This paper proposes an exhaustification-based semantic account, according to which: (i) jiu is a special exhaustivity operator over a conditional structure, giving rise to what I call the at least component; (ii) the at least component is subject to another layer of exhaustification by a covert exhaustivity operator O, giving rise to the minimal sufficiency reading; and (iii) zhiyao is an agreement marker inside the antecedent clause which signals the existence of O at the root level. Previous accounts of conditional jiu are also reviewed and discussed.
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company,中央研究院語言學研究所、John Benjamins
Subject
