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SUBJECTS IN JAPANESE AND ENGLISH

YOSHIHISA KITAGAWA, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract

The main purpose of this thesis is to show that the structural relation "government" holds between a verbal head and its subject at the level of Logical Form (LF) in both Japanese and English. We first offer an analysis of complex predicate constructions in Japanese. This analysis allows us to incorporate insights obtained by transformational approaches to these constructions (Kuroda (1965), Kuno (1973), Shibatani (1973), etc.) while at the same time adhering to the spirit of the Lexicalist Hypothesis (Chomsky (1970)) and Government and Binding Theory (Chomsky (1981)). In particular, we will propose that the complex predicates in Japanese (e.g., Verb + sase (CAUSE)) are morphologically derived in the lexicon by means of affixation (Farmer (1980) and Miyagawa (1980), etc.), but do involve complementation at the level of Logical Form--as a result of "Affix Raising". Extending the Affix Raising Analysis, we then offer an account of phrase structure in Japanese and English. In particular, we will propose that the subject of a sentence in Japanese is base-generated under the sentence (=I('Max)) node headed by a complex predicate consisting of (normally) a verb and a tense affix, but ends up being located within the projection of a verb due to the raising of the tense affix at LF. The subject in English, on the other hand, will be proposed to be normally base-generated within the projection of a verb (=V('max)), but to be later brought out of the verbal projection and placed under a sentence, leaving a trace behind within the verbal projection. In the final part, we will develop a theory of binding in which the V('max)-internal subject at LF is analyzed to behave as a possible binder of anaphors and pronominals. Adopting the dichotomy of lexical and non-lexical Case proposed by Chomsky (1981) and Saito (1985), we will conclude that Principles A and B of the Binding Theory require that, at LF, anaphors must be bound and pronominals must be free within the projection of, i.e., within the government domain of, their lexical Case assigner.

Subject Area

Linguistics

Recommended Citation

KITAGAWA, YOSHIHISA, "SUBJECTS IN JAPANESE AND ENGLISH" (1986). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI8701183.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI8701183

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