The lexical semantics of finite control: A view from Japanese

Author:

Akuzawa KoyoORCID,Kubota Yusuke

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a semantic analysis of control verbs in Japanese that take finite clauses marked by the nominalizer koto. We argue for an analysis in which the invisible subject of the embedded clause is a run-of-the-mill zero pronoun and where the obligatory coreference relation between the controller and the embedded subject is mediated by a primarily semantic factor. At the heart of our analysis lies the idea that there is a common underlying meaning shared across apparently heterogeneous classes of koto-taking control verbs, which consists of a causal relation between a volitional action inherent in the meaning of the verb and a de se attitude denoted by the embedded clause. The semantic analysis we offer not only explains language-internal properties of Japanese control verbs with respect to tense morpheme distribution that have been attributed to syntactic factors in the previous literature, but it also suggests a hitherto unnoticed possible cross-linguistic generalization about finite control and embedded tense interpretation which we dub ‘hypothesis of relative tense in finite control.’

Funder

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Reference90 articles.

1. Abrusán, Martha. 2023. The perspective-sensitivity of presuppositions. Mind & Language 38: 584–603. https://doi.org/10.1111/mila.12359.

2. Abusch, Dorit. 2004. On the temporal composition of infinitives. In The syntax of time, eds. Jacqueline Guéron and Jacqueline Lecarme, 27–53. Cambridge: MIT Press.

3. Akuzawa, Koyo. 2018. Kontorooru genshoo-no toogo-teki imi-teki bunseki (Syntactic and semantic analysis of control phenomena). PhD diss, University of Tsukuba.

4. Akuzawa, Koyo, and Yusuke Kubota. 2020. A semantic analysis of finite control in Japanese. In On-line Proceedings of Japanese/Korean linguistics, Vol. 26.

5. Akuzawa, Koyo, and Yusuke Kubota. 2021. Against finite raising (and against defective tense): A semantic analysis of -yooni naru in Japanese. Gengo Kenkyu 160: 246–261.

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