Parametric variations in Mandarin and English denominal verb derivation

• Mandarin and English denominal verbs (DNVs) exhibit three asymmetries.
• Mandarin and English DNVs are subject to different derivational mechanisms.
• Zero morphemes function differently in Mandarin and English.
• Different DNV-derivations correlate with different functions of zero morphemes.
• The two parametric variations have a common source: the Analyticity Parameter.

There are three major asymmetries recognized between Mandarin and English denominal verbs (hereafter DNV): typological, aspectual and quantitative. These asymmetries receive a plausible account on the assumption that Mandarin DNVs are derived under syntactic constraints while the derivation of English DNVs is syntax-free. The different derivational mechanisms for Mandarin and English DNVs correlate with the different functions of zero morphemes in the two languages. To spell out the correlation, we posit three parameters in word derivation: the Rule Parameter (i.e., word formation is governed either morphologically or syntactically), the Morpheme Parameter (i.e., a certain kind of word derivation utilizes, in addition to a base form, either a full morpheme or a zero morpheme) and the Zero Morpheme Parameter (i.e., zero morphemes are geared to either syntactic or morphological operations in a given language). These parameters are assumedly set in such a way that DNV derivation in Mandarin is assigned to syntax but that in English to morphology.