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2005 LSA Institute Linguistic Society of America
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LSA.209 | Japanese Syntax

Yuji Takano
MW 2:55-4:35
location: 32-141

In this class, we aim to understand the nature of UG through the investigation of Japanese syntax, focusing particularly on issues related to phrase structure, word order, and movement. The class will begin by examining postposing phenomena in Japanese and Turkish, showing (1) that Turkish postposing is derived by rightward scrambling but does not involve rightward adjunction, and (2) that Japanese postposing cannot be derived by rightward scrambling. We will then develop a theory of phrase structure and linear order in which rightward scrambling receives a novel treatment, and consider why Japanese does not have rightward scrambling and what kind of operation derives Japanese postposing. Consequences of this approach will also be explored for other aspects of Japanese syntax such as leftward scrambling, verbal inflection, verb raising, and constituent formation of an unusual sort.

Prerequisites: knowledge of the principles-and-parameters theory.