Abstract
This paper proposes some new ideas about the semantics and syntax of the Japanese adnominal demonstratives a-no, ko-no and so-no. Semantically it is claimed that, while conveying familiarity by means of the demonstrative prefixes a-, ko- and so-, they lack uniqueness or maximality, and that the whole demonstrative phrase is existentially quantified; -no either marks partitivity (without excluding maximality) in the deictic and anaphoric uses, or-in bridging uses-serves to fill an argument slot (lexically encoded inside the following NP or created contextually). This analysis is supported by (i) the availability of sluicing, (ii) the distribution of numeral classifiers, and (iii) the similar behavior of French partitive constructions with respect to the "consistency test". Syntactically, Japanese adnominal demonstratives are analyzed as NP-adjuncts, an assumption supported by three morpho-syntactic properties: (i) The demonstrative prefixes, ko-, so-, a-systematically display the same morphology as that of the WH-prefix do-; (ii) The Japanese demonstratives may be preceded by a restrictive modifier, like other adjunct modifiers; (iii) They behave with respect to the ellipsis of the following NP as other no-marked expressions clearly identified as adnominal adjuncts. These hypotheses further shed light on some data from L2 acquisition.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Crosslinguistic Studies on Noun Phrase Structure and Reference |
| Publisher | Brill Academic Publishers |
| Pages | 239-268 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Volume | 39 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789004260825 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Publication series
| Name | Syntax and Semantics |
|---|---|
| Volume | 39 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0092-4563 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Linguistics and Language
- Philosophy
Cite this
The semantics and syntax of Japanese adnominal demonstratives. / Kaneko, Makoto.
Crosslinguistic Studies on Noun Phrase Structure and Reference. Vol. 39 Brill Academic Publishers, 2014. p. 239-268 (Syntax and Semantics; Vol. 39).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
}
TY - CHAP
T1 - The semantics and syntax of Japanese adnominal demonstratives
AU - Kaneko, Makoto
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - This paper proposes some new ideas about the semantics and syntax of the Japanese adnominal demonstratives a-no, ko-no and so-no. Semantically it is claimed that, while conveying familiarity by means of the demonstrative prefixes a-, ko- and so-, they lack uniqueness or maximality, and that the whole demonstrative phrase is existentially quantified; -no either marks partitivity (without excluding maximality) in the deictic and anaphoric uses, or-in bridging uses-serves to fill an argument slot (lexically encoded inside the following NP or created contextually). This analysis is supported by (i) the availability of sluicing, (ii) the distribution of numeral classifiers, and (iii) the similar behavior of French partitive constructions with respect to the "consistency test". Syntactically, Japanese adnominal demonstratives are analyzed as NP-adjuncts, an assumption supported by three morpho-syntactic properties: (i) The demonstrative prefixes, ko-, so-, a-systematically display the same morphology as that of the WH-prefix do-; (ii) The Japanese demonstratives may be preceded by a restrictive modifier, like other adjunct modifiers; (iii) They behave with respect to the ellipsis of the following NP as other no-marked expressions clearly identified as adnominal adjuncts. These hypotheses further shed light on some data from L2 acquisition.
AB - This paper proposes some new ideas about the semantics and syntax of the Japanese adnominal demonstratives a-no, ko-no and so-no. Semantically it is claimed that, while conveying familiarity by means of the demonstrative prefixes a-, ko- and so-, they lack uniqueness or maximality, and that the whole demonstrative phrase is existentially quantified; -no either marks partitivity (without excluding maximality) in the deictic and anaphoric uses, or-in bridging uses-serves to fill an argument slot (lexically encoded inside the following NP or created contextually). This analysis is supported by (i) the availability of sluicing, (ii) the distribution of numeral classifiers, and (iii) the similar behavior of French partitive constructions with respect to the "consistency test". Syntactically, Japanese adnominal demonstratives are analyzed as NP-adjuncts, an assumption supported by three morpho-syntactic properties: (i) The demonstrative prefixes, ko-, so-, a-systematically display the same morphology as that of the WH-prefix do-; (ii) The Japanese demonstratives may be preceded by a restrictive modifier, like other adjunct modifiers; (iii) They behave with respect to the ellipsis of the following NP as other no-marked expressions clearly identified as adnominal adjuncts. These hypotheses further shed light on some data from L2 acquisition.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021055461&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85021055461&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/9789004260825_010
DO - 10.1163/9789004260825_010
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:85021055461
VL - 39
T3 - Syntax and Semantics
SP - 239
EP - 268
BT - Crosslinguistic Studies on Noun Phrase Structure and Reference
PB - Brill Academic Publishers
ER -