Japanese ECM as Embedded Bare Topicalization

Proceedings of the 38th Meeting of the North East Linguistic Society. Ottawa, CA, 2007-10-26/28, University of Ottawa.Article“Japanese ECM as Embedded Bare Topicalization”. Proceedings of the 38th Meeting of the North East Linguistic Society. Ottawa, CA, 2007-10-26/28, University of Ottawa. North East Linguistic Society, 2009, p. 415-426.conference pape

On Null Complementizers in English and Japanese

In this paper, I argued that relative clauses and prenominal gapless clauses in Japanese are IPs, contrary tothe proposal that they are CPs headed by a null complementizer. I followed the assumption that the lack of CPis responsible for the inapplicability of embedded topicalization in relative clauses (and prenominal gaplessclauses) in Japanese, and concluded that whenever prenominal gapless clauses have a complementizer, it mustbe overt. I also showed that null complementizers must satisfy syntactic-phonological conditions, and showedthat relative clauses in Japanese do not have a null complementizer. Hence, I proposed that NGC is a result ofAgree between a nominal element D and the embedded subject, which is blocked by the CP projection inaccordance with the PIC. I also proposed an alternative analysis of NGC with recourse to a mechanism wheremovement is triggered by an uninterpretable feature of the moving element. I extended this approach to headmovement, and answered two questions: why NGC is possible and is blocked by the CP projection.ArticlePapers from the Twenty-Fifth National Conference of the English Linguistic Society of Japan. 25:235-244 (2008)conference pape

Head Movement in Overt Syntax: Its Interaction with Object Shift and PF Requirements

Proceedings of the 27th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics Poster Session. LA, US, 2008-05-16/18, UCLA.Article“Head Movement in Overt Syntax: Its Interaction with Object Shift and PF Requirements”. Proceedings of the 27th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics Poster Session. Kevin Ryan. LA, US, 2008-05-16/18, West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics. UCLA, UCLA WPL, 2008, p. 78-86.conference pape

Syntactic Operations on Heads and their Theoretical Implications

This thesis examines Case-licensing and its consequences. I claim that there are several cases where a DP is base-generated in SpecCP, and examine how it is Case-licensed. The relevant cases are the Exceptional Case-marking (ECM) construction in Japanese and the mean construction in English (as in What do you mean that I’m a liar?). In particular, I argue that the embedded subject of Japanese ECM is base-generated in SpecCP as a bare topic (i.e., it is an instance of embedded bare topicalization), and is Case-licensed by the matrix verb. I discuss two conflicting sets of data regarding Japanese ECM; one shows that the ECMed subject undergoes overt object shift, and the other shows that it remains in the embedded clause. I demonstrate that these data can all be successfully handled if the ECMed subject undergoes covert object shift. More generally, I argue for an approach where Case-licensing requires merger with a Case-licensing head (cf. Bošković 2007, Saito 2012). From this perspective, I investigate head excorporation theory (cf. Saito 2012, Shimada 2007, Tonoike 2009, etc.), under which heads are base-generated in complex forms such as v-V and C-T, and v and C excorporate and merge with VP and TP, respectively, projecting as vP and CP. I claim that covert head excorporation is crucially relevant to scope calculation in Japanese. I discuss an alternation between accusative objects and nominative objects in the potential construction in Japanese. Arguing for the claim that the structural position of these objects directly reflects their scope interpretation (with no Quantifier Raising involved), I argue that scope ambiguities arise depending on the options regarding which complex head the object merges with and head excorporation of the scope taking head. I extend the proposal to the causative construction in Japanese, and also provide an account of Case patterns in Japanese causatives

Japanese Middles and Nonmovement

This article was originally published in the CLS proceedings.ArticleProceedings from the Annual Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society. 43(1):243-253 (2007)conference pape

On the Role of Complementizers in Japanese

The 9th Seoul International Conference On Generative GrammarKwangwoon University, SeoulAugust 8(Wed)-11(Sat), 2007Co-hosted by the Korean Generative Grammar Circle and Dongguk University, SeoulSeoul International Conference on Generative Grammar (SICOGG) BulletinProceedings of the 9th Seoul International Conference on Generative Grammar : 181-193(2007)conference pape

On the Subject of the Japanese Middle and Tough Constructions

“On the Subject of the Japanese Middle and Tough Constructions”. Current Issues in Unity and Diversity of Languages: Collection of the Papers Selected from the CIL 18. Seoul, KR, 2008-07-21/26, International Congress of Linguists. Korea University in Seoul, The Linguistic Society of Korea, 2009, p. 1875-1886.ArticleCurrent Issues in Unity and Diversity of Languages: Collection of the Papers Selected from the CIL 18conference pape

On the Relationship between Nominative Objects and Major Subjects in Japanese

ArticleLanguage & Information Society. 10:121-145 (2009)departmental bulletin pape

The Licensing of Nominative Case in Japanese: Evidence from Ga/No Conversion

The 8th Seoul International Conference On Generative GrammarSookmyung Women's University, SeoulAugust 9-12, 2006ArticleProceedings of the 8th Seoul International Conference on Generative Grammar : 197-212(2006)conference pape

The DP Internal Genitive Licensing and Argument/Adjunct

The 10th Seoul International Conference On Generative GrammarDongguk University, SeoulJuly 17(Thu)-20(Sun), 2008Co-hosted by the Korean Generative Grammar Circle and Dongguk University, SeoulSeoul International Conference on Generative Grammar (SICOGG) BulletinArticleProceedings of the 10th Seoul International Conference on Generative Grammar : 295-314(2008)conference pape