Abstract
Abstract
In this paper, we explore an explanatory theory for the Long-Distance Reflexive (LDR)
ziji
in
Chinese from the semantic-pragmatic perspective. Although it is generally held that LDR
ziji
has the properties
of
de se
interpretation, subject-orientation and the blocking effect, we discover some of its novel
characteristics such as the possible non-
de se
readings in attitude reports, the backward binding phenomenon in
extensional contexts, and in addition the blocking effect induced by the second person pronoun
ni
‘you’ in
sentences with the first person matrix subject
wo
‘I’ which cannot be readily captured under the previous
accounts. In the spirit of the empathy account originally due to Kuno and his colleagues (
Kuno
1987
;
Kuno & Kaburaki 1977
), we propose a new empathy-based account of
LDR
ziji
. Our main claim is this: LDR
ziji
is always an anaphor with the empathy requirement
such that it requires the speaker to empathize with its referent in both intensional and extensional contexts; and in intensional
contexts, it also tends to be a
de se
anaphor, or logophoric, though there are exceptions in some particular
cases, e.g., indirect speech. In our account, we demonstrate that the distribution and properties of LDR
ziji
can
receive a plausible explanation by resorting to a series of empathy constraints (
Kuno
1987
;
Oshima 2007b
) as well as its nature as the objective-self projection
(
Hirose 2002
,
2014
). Finally, comparing
Chinese LDR
ziji
with Japanese LDR
zibun
, we point out the different pragmatic effects on
them.