This is an investigation into the grammaticalized system of focus-background agreement in Mandarin Chinese. The particles cái, jiù, dou and ye are, in a specific use type, shown to form the core of a highly systematic paradigm. This book is not just a valuable companion for anyone interested in core aspects of Mandarin Chinese grammar. It caters for the interests of theoretical linguists as well as for linguists from other fields with an interest in information-structure, focus and contrastive topics, and quantification. The outstanding characteristic of this book, viz. its effortless integration of findings from formal semantics without heavy formal load, makes it rewarding reading both for linguists with a less formal background, and for researchers with some knowledge of formal semantics.

Contents: 1. Introduction 1.1 Parallel only-worlds and other problems 1.2 Focus-background structures 1.3 Alternatives 1.4 Data 1.5 Organization of chapters/How to use this study 2. Use types 2.1 Use types of cái 2.2 Use types of jiù 2.3 Use types of dou 2.4 Use types of ye 2.6 Overview of classifications 3. Triggers and constraints: where parametric cái, jiù, dou and ye must (not) be used 3.1 Triggers and constraints: parametric cái 3.2 Triggers and constraints: parametric jiù 3.3 Triggers and constraints: parametric dou and parametric ye 3.4 The categorization problem: cái, jiù, dou and ye as agreement particles 3.5 Revisiting the non-prototypical cases 4. Cái, jiù, dou, ye and focus semantics 4.1 The function of parametric cái 4.2 The function of parametric jiù 4.3 The functions of parametric dou and ye 4.4 The architecture of the system 4.5 Residual parametric words: hái and zài 4.6 Conclusions of chapter 4 5. Problems and refinements 5.1 Problems of scope interaction and syntax 5.2 Modalizing uses of parametric cái and jiù 5.3 Three people and a piano 5.4 Two parametric words in a single clause 6. Conclusions and outlook 6.1 Main claims and results 6.2 The wider context 7. References 8. Index