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Linguistic Theory and Japanese Language

3-0-6 units · Graduate

Detailed examination of the grammar of Japanese and its structure which is significantly different from English, with special emphasis on problems of interest in the study of linguistic universals. Data from a broad group of languages studied for comparison with Japanese. Assumes familiarity with linguistic theory.

Fall 2004 · Linguistic Theory and the Japanese Language

Topics

  • Nature of Optional Movement
  • Nature of Optional Movement (cont.)
  • The EPP, Agreement and Focus I
  • The EPP, Agreement and Focus II: With Reference to Bantu
  • The EPP, Agreement and Focus III: Questioning (Certain) parametric variations: wh-movement vs. wh-in-situ, agreement vs. nonagreement
  • EPP, Syntactic Locality, and Floated Quantifiers
  • Scrambling and QR: QR is Scrambling
  • Weak Islands, Intervention Effect
  • A-chain in Acquisition
  • Agreement, Case, and Verbal Morphology: ga/no Conversion and Related Issues
  • Noun Phrase Ellipsis
  • Noun Phrase Ellipsis (cont.)
  • Make-up Class: -Wa, -Ga

Readings

  • Miyagawa, Shigeru. “EPP and semantically vacuous scrambling.” In The Free Word Order Phenomenon: Its Syntactic Sources and Diversity . Edited by Joachim Sabel, and Mamoru Saito. Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter. (To appear)
    Listed reading
  • Saito, Mamoru. “Scrambling as semantically vacuous A’-movement.” In Alternative Conceptions of Phrase Structure. Edited by Mark Baltin, and Anthon Kroch. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1989, pp. 182-200. ISBN: 0226036421.
    Listed reading
  • Sauerland, Uli, and Paul Elbourne. “Total reconstruction, PF movement, and derivational order.” Linguistic Inquiry 33 (2002): 283-319.
    Listed reading
  • Miyagawa, Shigeru. “On the EPP.” In Proceedings of the EPP/Phase Workshop. Edited by Martha McGinnis, and Norvin Richards. MIT Working Papers in Linguistics. (In press)
    Listed reading
  • Otsuka, Yuko. “Scrambling and information focus: VSO-VOS alternation in Tongan.” In The Free Word Order Phenomenon: Its Syntactic Sources and Diversity . Edited by Joachim Sabel, and Mamoru Saito. Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter. (To appear)
    Listed reading
  • Miyagawa, Shigeru. “A-movement Scrambling and Options Without Optionality.” In Word Order and Scrambling . Edited by Simin Karimi. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2003. ISBN: 0631233288.
    Listed reading
  • Baker, Mark. “Agreement, Dislocation, and Partial Configurationality.” In Formal Approaches to Function in Grammar: in honor of Eloise Jelinek . Edited by Andrew Carnie, Heidi Harley, and MaryAnn Willie. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing, 2003. ISBN: 1588113485.
    Listed reading
  • Alexiadou, Artemis and Elena Anagnostopoulou. “Parametrizing AGR: Word Order, V-Movement and EPP-Checking.” Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 16, no. 3 (1998).
    Listed reading
  • Kuroda, S. Y. “Whether we agree or not: a comparative syntax of English and Japanese.” Linguisticae Investigationes 12 (1988): 1-47.
    Listed reading
  • Sigurdsson, Halldór Ármann. “Meaningful silence, meaningless sounds.” Ms., Lund University, Sweden, 2004.
    Listed reading
  • Miyagawa, Shigeru, and Koji Arikawa. “Syntactic Locality and Floated Numeral Quantifiers.” Ms., MIT/St. Andrews, 2004.
    Listed reading
  • Bobaljik, Jonathan. “Floating Quantifiers: Handle with Care.” In The Second Glot State of the Article Book . Edited by L. Cheng, and R. Sybesma. Berlin, Germany: Mouton, 2003, pp. 107-148. ISBN: 3110171406.
    Listed reading
  • Boskovic, Zeljko. “Be careful where you float your quantifiers.” National Language and Linguistic Theory (To appear)
    Listed reading
  • Hoji, Hajime, and Yasu Ishii. “What gets mapped to the tripartite structure of quantification in Japanese?” In Proceedings of the 23rd West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics . Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press, 2004, pp. 346-359. ISBN: 1574730738.
    Listed reading
  • Johnson, Kyle, and Satoshi Tomioka. “Lowering and mid-size clauses.” In Reconstruction: proceedings of the 1997 Tübingen Workshop . Edited by Graham Katz, Shin-sook Kim, and Heike Winhart. Stuttgart, Germany; Tübingen, Germany: Universität Stuttgart and Universität Tübingen, 1997, pp. 185-206.
    Listed reading
  • Fox, Danny, and Jon Nissenbaum. “Extraposition and Scope: A case for overt QR.” In Proceedings of the 18th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics . Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press, 1999.
    Listed reading
  • Miyagawa, Shigeru. “The Nature of Weak Islands.” Ms., MIT, 2004.
    Listed reading
  • Ochi, Masao. “Move F and ga/no conversion in Japanese.” JEAL (2001): 247-286.
    Listed reading
  • Uchibori, Asako. “Raising out of CP and C-T relations.” FAJL3 Proceedings, MIT Working Papers in Linguistics, 2001.
    Listed reading
  • Watanabe, Akira. “Nominative-genitive conversion and agreement in Japanese: a cross-linguistic perspective.” JEAL 5 (1996): 373-410.
    Listed reading
  • Hoji, Hajime. “Null object and sloppy identity in Japanese.” LI 29 (1998): 127-154.
    Listed reading
  • Otani, Kazuyo, and John Whitman. “V-raising and VP ellipsis.” LI 22 (1991): 345-358.
    Listed reading
  • Watanabe, Akira. “Indeterminates and determiners.” In Proceedings of Workshop in Altaic Formal Linguistics . MIT Working Papers in Linguistics, 2004.
    Listed reading
  • Buy at MIT Press Kuno, Susumu. “Particles.” In The Structure of the Japanese Language . Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1973, pp. 37-95. ISBN: 0262110490. ↗
    Listed reading
  • Except from Shin Ishihara’s 2003 MIT dissertation.
    Listed reading

Prerequisites & course information

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-6 units

Sources