Dynamic Parsing of Chinese Topicalization Structures

In the present paper, a partial dynamic parsing model for Chinese is set up to account for topicalization structures in Chinese. In the model the computational rules governing the process of building up the semantic structure of a sentence are specified and lexical actions of Chinese two-place verbs and three-place verbs are defined according to dynamic syntax, a grammar formalism modeling the dynamics of real-time language processing in a linear order. Then the process of parsing different kinds of Chinese topicalization structures is. illustrated in the model. Unlike others, topic in the present paper is depicted as projecting a semantic term decorating a node separated from the main proposition tree to be built, and this term is carried over to the main tree either by the rule of link, which involves copying of a term, or by the rule of merge, which unifies an unfixed node with a fixed node in a proposition structure. With these assumptions topicalization structures involving topics semantically related to subject or object of the comment part are explained in a uniform way.