Disambiguating the <i>chadian mei</i> VP construction in Mandarin Chinese: an aspectual approach

Abstract This study aims to provide a unified analysis of the chadian mei VP construction in Mandarin Chinese, which exhibits ambiguity between negative and positive polar readings. Unlike previous research that interprets this intriguing phenomenon from a desirability-based perspective, this study focuses on the distinctions between telicity and atelicity encoded in the VP structure. I propose that the disambiguation of this language-specific construction depends on the aspectual classification derived from the verbs and their complements. Specifically, when embedded in a telic situation, the chadian mei VP gives rise to an affirmative reading. In contrast, when the VP is atelic, the chadian mei VP semantically aligns with the chadian VP to denote negative polarity. Furthermore, shifts in situation type may occur due to interactions between other elements and the VP within the sentence, which accounts for the variability in the interpretation of the chadian mei VP construction at the sentential level.