4 SENTENCE STRUCTURE: WORD ORDER AND TOPICALIZATION

4.1 BASIC WORD ORDER: SUBJECT, VERB AND OBJECT

4.1.1 SUBJECT-OBJECT-VERB ORDER

我 幅幅 畫 都 想 買
Ngóh fūk-fūk wá dōu séung máaih
I CL-CL picture all want buy
‘I want to buy every picture.’

4.1.2 VERB–SUBJECT ORDER

噖日 打 大 風 出 唔 到 街
Kàhmyaht dá daaih fūng chēut m̀h dóu gāai
yesterday blow big wind out not PRT street
‘Yesterday it was so windy that we couldn’t go out.’

4.1.3 RIGHT-DISLOCATION

成日 問 啲 奇怪 問題， 佢 會
Sìhngjaht mahn dī kèihgwaai mahntàih, kéuih wúih
always ask CL strange question s/he will
‘Always asks strange questions, he does.’

佢 會 成日 問 啲 奇怪 問題
kéuih wúih Sìhngjaht mahn dī kèihgwaai mahntàih
s/he will always ask CL strange question
‘Always asks strange questions, he does.’

(See also similar examples collected by Lawrence Cheung.)

4.2 TOPICALIZATION AND TOPIC PROMINENCE

4.2.1 TOPICALIZATION OF THE OBJECT

港大 我 噖日 去過， 中大 就 未 去過
Góngdaaih ngóh kàhmyaht heui-gwo, Jūngdaaih jauh meih heui-gwo
HK-University I yesterday go-EXP Chinese-University then not-yet go-EXP
‘I went to HKU yesterday, but I haven’t been to CUHK yet.’

4.2.2 HANGING TOPICS AND DOUBLE SUBJECTS

錢 我 幫 你 唔 到 嘞
Chín ngóh bōng léih m̀h dóu laak
money I help you not PRT SFP
‘As far as money’s concerned I can’t help you.’ (film)

4.2.3 SECONDARY TOPICALIZATION

我 九龍 唔係 幾 識 路
Ngóh Gáulùhng mhaih géi sīk louh
I Kowloon not-be quite know road
‘I don’t know the roads too well in Kowloon.’

4.2.4 VERB FRONTING

A: 你 識 好 多 中文 噃?
Léih sīk hóu dō Jūngmán bo?
you know very much Chinese SFP
‘You know a lot of Chinese, right?’
B: 講 就 係， 睇 就 唔係
Góng jauh haih, tái jauh mhaih
speak then yes read then no
‘Yes, as far as speaking is concerned, not reading.’

4.2.5 DEFINITE SUBJECTS AND EXISTENTIAL SENTENCES

隻 貓 走咗 入嚟
Jek māau jáu-jó yahp-làih
CL cat walk-PFV enter-come
‘The cat came in.’

4.2.6 TOPIC CHAINS

件 衫 好 靚 呀， 我 鍾意 到 痺， 你 買唔買 俾 我 唧?
Gihn sāam hóu leng a, ngóh jūngyi dou bei, léih máaih-m̀h-máaih béi ngóh jēk?
CL blouse very pretty SFP I like till paralyzed you buy-not-buy for me SFP
‘That blouse is really to die for. Will you buy (it) for me?’