A Study on Syntactic Distribution of the Phrase ‘tai+A+le’ and Constraint of Deleting the Particle ‘le’

This paper examines when the form '太+A(了)' appears in various positions of adnominals, adverbs, predicates, complements, subjects, and objects, in what situations '了' can be omitted, and under what circumstances '了' must be used. The results of this paper's analysis are summarized as follows. First, the form '太+A' cannot be used as an adjective or adverb in an affirmative sentence, but it can be used when a negator appears in the predicate. The reason for this is believed to be that the form of '太+A' indicates that a certain degree of deviation from the standard has been exceeded, so this meaning must correspond to the meaning of negation. Second, the form '太+A(了)' can freely appear in the position of a predicate or complement, and cases where '了' can be omitted can be broadly divided into four types. First, this is a case where the form '太+A' is used in a subordinate clause. Second, the form '太+A' is used in the context of contrast. Third, there is a case where a negator comes before '太+A(了)'. Fourth, when the form '太+A' appears multiple times, '了' is generally added only at the end and '了' is omitted for the rest. The sentence-final particle '了' generally functions to highlight a new situation related to the present as the focus. Therefore, if there is no need to highlight a new situation related to the present, there is no need to add '了'. In general, the predicate in the main clause tends to be the focus, but the predicate in the subordinate clause is used as a premise. In addition, in cases where the cause is explained or the meaning of contrast is expressed, the speaker often conveys a situation that the speaker already knows rather than a newly recognized situation, and even in the case of negation, the content of the affirmation is presented as a premise. Third, the form '太+A(了)' can also appear in the subject position, and in this case, '了' can be omitted. When the form '太+A(了)' appears in the subject position, it can be interpreted as a dependent clause. In particular, when '了' is present, the possibility of being interpreted as a dependent clause increases. Fourth, the form '太+A(了)' can also appear in the position of the object, and in this case, the situations in which '了' can be omitted are the same as when it is used as a predicate. In other words, when it is used in a subordinate clause or in a context of contrast, when the predicate has a negative meaning or is used with a negator, and when the form '太+A(了)' appears multiple times, '了' can be omitted.