A Syntactic Study of Finite Relative Clauses and Reduced Relative Clauses

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K00564
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02080:English linguistics-related
• Research Institution: Kitami Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: TOZAWA Takahiro 北見工業大学, 工学部, 教授 (70568443)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 関係節 / ラベル付け理論 / MERGE

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I examined the syntactic derivation of reduced relative clauses and non-restrictive relative clauses. I propose a head raising analysis of reduced relative clauses in which the antecedent DP undergoes movement and then the D head undergoes further movement. Based on the analysis, I accounted for why the extraposition of reduced relative clauses is impossible. As for the derivation of non-restrictive relative clauses, I made two proposals: (i) the non-restrictive relative clauses and its antecedent undergo Parallel Merge/Sideward Merge and (ii) non-restrictive relative clauses form a coordinate structure with the matrix clause. Under these proposals, I accounted for why a bound pronoun in the non-restrictive relative clause cannot take a main-clause element as its antecedent and why the subject-aux inversion can take place in the non-restrictive relative clause.

Free Research Field

英語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

生成文法で、関係節の統語派生を明らかにすることは主要な研究課題の一つになっている。この課題に取り組むために、縮約関係節の主要部繰り上げ分析を提案した。本分析から縮約関係節の統語特性に説明を与え、Chomsky (2013, 2015)のラベル付け理論に支持を与えた。また、対併合の平行併合・横方向併合は認められると提案し、非制限関係節と先行詞が平行併合・横方向併合すると分析した。この分析に基づき、非制限関係節の統語特性に説明を与えた。本分析の帰結として、平行併合・横方向併合は文法理論から完全には破棄できないとした。