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Semantico-syntactic analysis of passive tough-infinitives in Present-day English

Research Project

Project/Area Number 24520555
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Research Field English linguistics
Research InstitutionTokyo University of Science

Principal Investigator

MARUTA Tadao  東京理科大学, 理学部, 教授 (10115074)

Project Period (FY) 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Keywordstough adjectives / passive infinitive / lexical semantics / 語彙意味論 / 形容詞 / tough類 / 態 / tough / voice / raising / adjective / 評価形容詞 / W類
Outline of Final Research Achievements

According to prescriptive grammars, tough constructions with passive infinitives such as (1) are supposed to be ungrammatical. Instead, (2) is legitimate: (1) This book is easy to be read; (2) This book is easy to read. In the generative grammar, (1) will also be ruled out as the raising operation (tough-Movement) only target at the object in the infinitive. However, in these days, so-called passive infinitives have been allowed particularly in American English. Note, however, that the subject of the infinitive cannot be always raised to the surface subject position, but it is only allowed when the voice of the infinitive is passive. In my project, I attribute the possibility of passive infinitives to the voice nature of tough adjectives. In fact, those adjectives with lexically passive meaning such as ready or fit can show passive infinitives: (3) The car is ready to be washed.

Report

(4 results)
  • 2014 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2013 Research-status Report
  • 2012 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (6 results)

All 2015 2014 2013

All Journal Article (1 results) (of which Peer Reviewed: 1 results) Presentation (4 results) (of which Invited: 2 results) Book (1 results)

  • [Journal Article] Diathesis Alternation Exhibited by Evaluative Adjectives2013

    • Author(s)
      Tadao Maruta
    • Journal Title

      東京理科大紀要(教養編)

      Volume: 45 Pages: 113-127

    • NAID

      40019737022

    • Related Report
      2012 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Presentation] 動作主指向副詞の意味論2014

    • Author(s)
      丸田 忠雄
    • Organizer
      高知大学英語研究会
    • Place of Presentation
      高知大学
    • Year and Date
      2014-07-27
    • Related Report
      2014 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Short love poems are easy to be read and understood.は語彙意味論から2013

    • Author(s)
      丸田 忠雄
    • Organizer
      Morphology Lexicon Forum 2013
    • Place of Presentation
      慶応大学
    • Related Report
      2013 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] 評価形容詞について2013

    • Author(s)
      丸田 忠雄
    • Organizer
      Kansai Lexicon Project
    • Place of Presentation
      大阪大学
    • Related Report
      2013 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] 評価形容詞の語彙意味論を巡って2013

    • Author(s)
      丸田 忠雄
    • Organizer
      日本英語学会第31回大会
    • Place of Presentation
      福岡大学
    • Related Report
      2013 Research-status Report
  • [Book] 語彙意味論の新たな可能性を探って2015

    • Author(s)
      丸田 忠雄、由本陽子他3名
    • Total Pages
      250
    • Publisher
      開拓社
    • Related Report
      2014 Annual Research Report

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Published: 2013-05-31   Modified: 2019-07-29  

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