Abstract
In Chengdu Chinese, degree intensification is inextricably associated with sentential functions, ranging from completing a sentence, encoding a focus to expressing exclamation. This correlation is exhibited in two ways: first, some intensifiers need to be paired with Sentence Final Particles (SFPs), such as the focus ni or the exclamatory no, and thus encode the relevant sentential functions. Second, some other intensifiers require no obligatory company of SFPs but still exhibit inalienable sentential functions, e.g., completing a sentence and expressing exclamation. Regardless of whether SFPs are present or not, the correlation between degree intensification and sentential functions is evident. Given this, we propose a double-layer DegP, with the lower Deg I P encoding intensification and the higher Deg S P fulfilling the sentential functions, to capture the phenomenon. This proposal can further explain the (non-)relativization of degree intensifiers in Chengdu as well as can shed new light on the semantically vacuous hen in Mandarin.