LINGUIST List 14.474

Mon Feb 17 2003

Books: Syntax, Japanese: Tsujioka

Editor for this issue: Marisa Ferrara <marisalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. jleppig, The Syntax of Possession in Japanese: Tsujioka

			
Title: The Syntax of Possession in Japanese
Series Title: Outstanding Dissertations in Linguistics
			
Publication Year: 2002
Publisher: Routledge (Taylor and Francis)
 http://www.routledge.com/
			
Author: Takae Tsujioka, Georgetown University 

Hardback: ISBN: 0415941628, Pages: 208, Price: $65.00
			
Abstract:
			
Possession is one of the most widely studied topics in the generative
grammar. Recently there has been increasing interest in the syntax
and semantics of possession. Although many studies have been
conducted on European languages, research on possessive constructions
in Japanese has been quite sparse. This is regrettable because
Japanese presents us with an interesting showcase of possessive syntax
in virtue of a wide range of constructions and their intricate
properties. Attempting to fill this gap, The Syntax of Possession in
Japanese offers an in-depth study of the sentential possessive
expressions in Japanese. The author gives a comprehensive overview of
the background issues, critically evaluates previous studies, and
proposes new analyses incorporating many recent developments in the
minimalist program. The primary focus of the study is on the question
of how possessive semantics is represented in syntax at the sentential
level when there seems to be no designated verbs of possession. It
presents new pieces of empirical data that shed light on some of the
crucial questions regarding syntactic encoding of possessive
semantics, including, (i) How are possessive expressions are related
to other ostensibly similar constructions such as
existential/locatives? (ii) How are different types of possessive
relationships (e.g., inalienable vs. alienable) encoded in syntax?

This book is a welcome addition to scholarship on syntactic theory,
the syntax of possession, and Japanese linguistcs.
			
Lingfield(s): Syntax
	
Subject Language(s): Japanese (Language Code: JPN)

Areal Regions:
East Asian

Written In: English (Language Code: English)