Island-sensitivity of two different interpretations of in Chinese.

It has been assumed that the -element "why" in Chinese has two distinct interpretations: a reason reading, which typically yields "because"-answers, and a purpose reading, which typically triggers "in order to"-answers. It is claimed that the two interpretations differ in island sensitivity: the reason is sensitive to islands while the purpose is not. Assuming that the reason is a -adverb without finer internal structure, while the purpose is a -PP consisting of the preposition "for" and a -DP "what," this contrast in island sensitivity can be considered as an instance of a broader generalization: the so-called argument-adjunct asymmetry (or the DP-adverb asymmetry) of - island sensitivity. However, recent experimental studies provided mixed findings on whether the argument-adjunct asymmetry of - island sensitivity actually holds. The current study focuses on the two interpretations of "why/for what" in Chinese, and provides evidence using a formal acceptability judgment experiment that the two s are both sensitive to islands, contrary to previous generalizations. Our results provide further empirical challenge to the so-called argument-adjunct asymmetry of - island sensitivity.