Triggering an Implied Clause: Insights from Tso in Changde Dialect

Abstract

This paper argues that tso in Changde dialect is a sentence final particle and its use may trigger an implied clause. It is observed that tso is only allowed in a suggestive imperative, restricted to co-occurring with the adverb ɕian先 ‘first’. Besides, xa下or ta哒alternately appears in a tso-suffixed sentence. A comparison of tso in Changde dialecct to zhe in Mandarin on the one hand and to tşe in Longhui dialect on the other hand shows that tso has similarities to and differences from both. While zhe is an aspectual particle, it may also trigger an implicit meaning in [V+zhe] construction. Although both of tso and tşe can be used as sentence final particles to introduce a sequential event implicitly, the use of tso is more constrained than tşe.