Denials and negative emotions: A unified analysis of the cantonese expressive Gwai2

Abstract

This paper deals with the Cantonese morpheme gwai2 (, lit. ‘ghost’) which, besides its spooky nominal use, also conveys expressive meaning when modifying a wide range of expressions: adjectives, verbs, wh-pronouns, etc. We begin by reviewing the empirical domain of gwai2 and different claims of the literature concerning its dual nature as an intensifier and a mixed-expressive conveying at-issue negation. We discuss both of these claims, showing that gwai2 cannot be treated as an intensifier in the usual sense, and that it does not contribute a truth-conditional negation, but rather a form of denial. We then propose a unified analysis of the morpheme based on the assumption that it indicates a negative attitude of the speaker towards its argument, notably by showing how to derive denials from this negative attitude.