Postverbal ‘can’ in Cantonese (and Hakka) and Agree

This paper presents an analysis of sentences with the postverbal modal element dak in Cantonese and Hakka. We argue that dak is a verb, though in Cantonese and Hakka it is partly defective. It acquires different meanings depending on the position it occupies, which is either the position for modal verbs in the matrix clause or a modal position in the result denoting small clause. The analysis, if on the right track, has the consequence that there is no long distance Agree. Furthermore, it means that there is evidence for an IP-like functional projection in Chinese.