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An analysis of major adjectival constructions in terms of the argument structures of adjectives---tough construction and W-class adjectival construction

Research Project

Project/Area Number 15520303
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field English linguistics
Research InstitutionYAMAGATA UNIVERSITY

Principal Investigator

MARUTA Tadao  YAMAGATA UNIVERSITY, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, PROFESSOR, 医学系研究科, 教授 (10115074)

Project Period (FY) 2003 – 2004
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2004)
Budget Amount *help
¥1,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Keywordslexical semantics / tough adjectives / W-class adjectives / property adjectives / complex predicate / argument structures / tough-construction / tough-adjectives / W class adjectives / argument structure
Research Abstract

This project is an in-depth analysis of adjectival constructions within the theoretical framework of Lexical Semantics, which has been developed for the last two decades, and assumes that the syntactic structures are direct projections of the argument structures of their main predicates, i.e., verbs. The present research is an extension of verb semantics to adjectival semantics. Among the major adjectival constructions, I have chosen TOUGH constructions (i.e., It is easy to please John/John is easy to please) and W-CLASS ADJECTIVAL constructions (i.e., It is wise of John to do so/John is wise to do so.). The approach is that first I examined the fine-grained lexical semantics of these adjectives, and then elucidated the relations between the semantic factors and the syntactic features. The points made clear are that in the TOUGH construction"John is easy to please,"to please and easy constitute the subject-predicate relation and also that they collectively serve as a single complex pre … More dicate describing the surface subject. That is, this sentence can be paraphrased as"John is such that to please him is easy."The easy in"John is easy to please"and that in"It is easy to please John"are analyzed as different lexical entities in terms of argument structure. The former is a part of the complex predicate easy-to-please where to please satisfies one of its arguments, and the latter is an independent predicate that takes the argument structure [Theme (Experiences)].
With W-CLASS ADJECIVAL constructions, at issue is why only these adjectives can take of NP. I have made it clear that the evaluation factor in the semantics of these adjectives are responsible for anchoring the PP. Thus with adjectives like slow (John is slow to finish the job.), this PP is impossible as in"^*It is slow of John to finish the job."Of can be analyzed as an linguistic form that realizes the agent of the relevant act and the evaluated person.
As stated above, the present research has claimed that the fine-grained adjectival semantics can explain the syntactic features of the major adjectival constructions. Less

Report

(3 results)
  • 2004 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report Summary
  • 2003 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (20 results)

All 2005 2004 2003 Other

All Journal Article (15 results) Publications (5 results)

  • [Journal Article] メンタル・レキシコンの包括的デザインについて-正書法レキシコンと音読メカニズムに焦点を当てて2005

    • Author(s)
      丸太 忠雄
    • Journal Title

      現代形態論の潮流(くろしお出版)

      Pages: 199-219

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Comprehensive Design of Mental Lexicon---Focused on Orthographic Lexicon and Reading Mechanism2005

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta
    • Journal Title

      Trends in Modern Morphology (Kuroshio Pub)

      Pages: 199-219

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] メンタル・レキシコンの包括的デザインについて-正書法レキシコンと音読メカニズムに焦点を当てて2005

    • Author(s)
      丸田 忠雄
    • Journal Title

      現代形態論の潮流(くろしお出版)

      Pages: 199-219

    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Mark C.Baker, Lexical Categories : Verbs, Nouns, and Adjectives2004

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta
    • Journal Title

      Studies in English Literature 45

      Pages: 248-258

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report 2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Japanese Tough Constructions : Layered thematic domains2004

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta
    • Journal Title

      付加詞の統語論とLF表示

      Pages: 1-32

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report 2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Lexical Categories : Verbs, Nouns, and Adjectives2004

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta, Mark C.Baker
    • Journal Title

      Studies in English Literature 45

      Pages: 248-258

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Japanese Tough Constructions : Layered Thematic Domains2004

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta
    • Journal Title

      Syntax of Adjuncts and LF Representation (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Report)

      Pages: 1-32

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Licensing Conditions on Resultatives and Paths2004

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta
    • Journal Title

      Annual Research Report (Facuclty of Humanities, Yamagata Univ) 1

      Pages: 1-14

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] W類の形容詞について2003

    • Author(s)
      丸田 忠雄
    • Journal Title

      英語青年 149・3

      Pages: 178-179

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report 2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Tough構文-二層の主題領域2003

    • Author(s)
      丸田 忠雄
    • Journal Title

      市河賞36年の軌跡(開拓社)

      Pages: 316-324

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report 2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] The direct object restriction on resultatives in Chinese and Jananese2003

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta, Dong XiuHui
    • Journal Title

      Yamagata University Bulletin 15.3

      Pages: 155-169

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] On W-class Adjectives2003

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta
    • Journal Title

      Eigo Seinen 149-3

      Pages: 178-179

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Tough Constructions---Two-layered Thematic Domain2003

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta
    • Journal Title

      36-year history of Ichikawa Award (Kaitaku Pub)

      Pages: 316-324

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] The Direct Object Restriction on Rsultatives in Chinese and Japanese2003

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta, Dong Xiu Hui
    • Journal Title

      Yamagata University Bulletin (Humanities) 15-3

      Pages: 155-169

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] The direct object restriction on resultatives in Chinese and Japanese2003

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta, Dong XiuHui
    • Journal Title

      Yamagta University Bulletin 15.3

      Pages: 155-169

    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] 丸田 忠雄: "Tough構文-二層の主題領域"市河賞35年の軌跡(開拓社)[P.316-324]. 316-324 (2003)

    • Related Report
      2003 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] 丸田 忠雄: "W類の形容詞について"英語青年. 2003年6月号. 712-713 (2003)

    • Related Report
      2003 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] Tadao Maruta, Dong XiuHui: "The Direct Object Restriction on Resultatives in Chinese and English"山形大学紀要(人文科学). 15-3. 155-169 (2004)

    • Related Report
      2003 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] 丸田 忠雄: "結果句と経路表現の認可条件について"山形大学人文学部研究年報. 創刊号. 3-16 (2004)

    • Related Report
      2003 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] Tadao Maruta: "Japanese Tough Constructions---Layered Thematic Domains"平成12年度〜15年度科学研究費補助金(基盤C-2)-付加詞の統語論とLF表示-研究成果報告書. (2004)

    • Related Report
      2003 Annual Research Report

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Published: 2003-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

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