Why The Blocking Effect?

Abstract

This chapter discusses the blocking effect observed in long-distance (LD) bound bare reflexive ziji in Mandarin Chinese. Unlike the symmetrical un-like-person blocking claimed in the literature, the chapter argues that (a) the blocking effect of ziji is not symmetrical: first- and second-person pronouns can block third-person noun phrases (np) from long distance binding ziji, though third-person NPs do not necessarily block first- or second-person pronouns from long-distance binding ziji ; and (b) other grammatical functions filled by first- and second-person pronouns, not just subjects or NPs contained in the subject, can induce the blocking effect. The chapter claims that long-distance bound ziji points to the carrier of belief, and reconstructs this notion as self-ascription. It proposes a condition to account for the properties of long distance bound ziji , and shows that the author's account can better explain the blocking effect than can previous analyses. Keywords: blocking effect; Logophoricity; Long-Distance (LD) reflexives; pronoun; ziji