The positive morpheme in Chinese and the adjectival structure

Chinese has a positive morpheme that has two allomorphs: a covert one and an overt one (i.e., the degree word hen). The former, behaving like a polarity item, only occurs in a predicate-accessible operator[-wh] domain with a structure like , where the head X0, carrying the predicate-accessible operator[-wh] feature, not only introduces a predicate-accessible operator[-wh] but also licenses the occurrence of a degree phrase headed by the covert positive morpheme (i.e., Deg0), while the latter in other contexts. Having this as basis, I propose a condition on saturating Chinese gradable adjectives through which the bifurcated use of the ‘unmarked’ form of Chinese gradable adjectives can be well captured. Besides, the obligatory overt realization of a covert positive morpheme occurring in a predicate-accessible operator[-wh] domain, when the predicative adjective is substituted for by a pro-form, further implies that Chinese has an adjectival structure simpler than English.