A study of non-finite adverbial clauses in Basque from a cognitive and functional perspective

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13023
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 02060:Linguistics-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (2023); The University of Tokyo (2020-2022)
• Principal Investigator: Ishizuka Masayuki 東京農工大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 講師 (50838539)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: バスク語 / 副詞節 / 意味論 / 統語論 / 言語類型論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The results of this study revealed the characteristics of (1) small clauses, (2) action adverbs, and (3) converbs and gerundives in French Basque.
(1) A small clause consists of a subject and a complement, and can function as either an adverbial clause or a complement clause. When the subject or complement of the small clause has a possessive relationship with the subject of the main clause, it functions as an adverbial or complement clause. Furthermore, by comparing it with Japanese double-subject constructions, the function of possessive copular sentences was clarified. (2) Action adverbs express the manner of actions and possess a unique argument structure. This demonstrated that action adverbs are different from simple adverbs of manner. (3) Regarding converbs and gerundives in Basque, it was clarified what meanings they can express, indicating new directions for further research.

Free Research Field

言語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

学術的意義として、バスク語フランス方言の文法的特徴を詳細に解明することで、言語学における文法理論の発展に寄与した。また、日本語の二重主語構文との比較研究を通じて、言語間の類似性と相違点を明らかにし、言語普遍性への理解を深めた。社会的意義として、バスク語という少数言語の文法的特徴を明らかにすることで、言語の多様性とその保存の重要性を示した。それにより，言語文化の維持と振興への寄与も期待される。