A Crossing Constraint in Japanese Syntax.

Abstract

This is a study of Japanese syntax within the framework of the Extended St and ard Theory. Special attention is given to the examination of sentences involving complex noun phrases. Complex noun phrases in Japanese act like isl and s in some syntactic configurations but not in others. It is argued that a crossing constraint presents an adequate explanation for the putative violations of the Complex NP Constraint, and , thus, renders the Complex NP Constraint unnecessary for Japanese. The derivations which have traditionally been taken as violations of the Complex NP Constraint are, rather, ruled out whenever "lines" (in the sense developed herein) connecting coreferential items cross. It is argued, moreover, that syntactic rules, both movement and deletion, are subject to the proposed crossing constraint but interpretive rules are not. The evidence for this is based on analyses of three constructions: relative clauses, reflexives, and topicalization sentences. Relative clause formation is of two kinds: one involves deletion and the other, interpretation. As for reflexives, arguments are given in support of the interpretive approach and interpretive rules of reflexivization are proposed which make crucial use of the hierarchy of grammatical functions. Topicalization is of two kinds: one involves movement and the other, interpretation. It is demonstrated that the relative deletion rule and the topicalization movement rule are governed by the crossing constraint but the interpretive rules of relativization, reflexivization, and topicalization are not. This corroborates the crossing constraint as a constraint on syntactic rules. An examination of the interaction of one type of passive and both relativization and topicalization shows that relativization and topicalization can interact with this passive regardless of crossing. This necessitates a modification of the crossing constraint. It is suggested that the crossing constraint operates only when coreferential items are located in different cyclic domains. A brief concluding chapter discusses the implications of this dissertation for the theory of grammar and for the analysis of Japanese syntax.