Exploring the Nature of Structure-Building Mechanism and its Theoretical Consequences

• Project/Area Number: 26370457
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Linguistics
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Kitahara Hisatsugu 慶應義塾大学, 言語文化研究所(三田), 教授 (50301495)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
• Keywords: 生成文法理論 / ミニマリスト・プログラム / 言語の普遍性と多様性 / 統語構造 / 併合 / ラベル付け / 値が設定されていない素性 / 最適化の制約 / 人間言語の普遍性 / 個別言語の多様性 / 語彙項目のパラメータ化 / 統語構造のラベル付け / 一致操作（Agree） / 最適操作（Minimal Search） / 外在化（externalization） / 言語学 / 統語論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study proposed to identify the observed syntactic differences between English and Japanese, two typologically distinct languages, as consequences of the presence of unvalued features, not from the presence (or absence) of feature agreement. Specifically, it investigated the structure-building operation Merge, the labeling algorithm, the unvalued features, and how these three factors interact to generate syntactic structures. In particular, it clarified the crucial roles of unvalued features concerning how syntactic structures formed by Internal Merge get labeled in English and in Japanese.

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor/Eastern Michigan University(米国)
• [Journal Article] Some Consequences of MERGE + 3rd Factor Principles (2018)
  • Author(s): Hisatsugu Kitahara
  • Journal Title: Reports of the Keio Institute of Cultural and Linguistic Studies Volume: 49 Pages: 143-159
  • NAID: 40021514827
• [Journal Article] Merge, labeling and their interactions (2017)
  • Author(s): Epstein Samuel David、Kitahara Hisatsugu、Seely T. Daniel
  • Journal Title: Studies in Generative Grammar: Labels and Roots Volume: 128 Pages: 17-45
  • DOI: 10.1515/9781501502118-002
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Maximizing Syntactic Minimization: Five Preliminary Studies (2017)
  • Author(s): Hisatsugu Kitahara
  • Journal Title: Reports of the Keio Institute of Cultural and Linguistic Studies Volume: 48 Pages: 239-265
  • NAID: 40021189734
  • Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Phase Cancellation by External Pair-Merge of Heads: Implications for the Unification of Morphology and Syntax (2016)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Journal Title: The Linguistic Review Volume: 33 Pages: 87-102
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] A Labeling Analysis of Selection in Structured Coordination (2016)
  • Author(s): Hisatsugu Kitahara
  • Journal Title: Reports of the Keio Institute of Cultural and Linguistic Studies Volume: 47 Pages: 169-174
  • NAID: 40020785346
  • Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] From Aspects' "Daughterless Mothers (aka Delta Nodes) to POP's "Motherless"-Sets (aka Non-Projection): A Selective History of the Evolution of Simplest Merge (2015)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Journal Title: 50 Years Later: Reflections on Chomsky's Aspects Volume: MITWPL 77 Pages: 99-112
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] A Note on the (Re-)Development of 'Free' Rule-Application in the Minimalist Program (2015)
  • Author(s): Hisatsugu Kitahara
  • Journal Title: Reports of the Keio Institute of Cultural and Linguistic Studies Volume: 46 Pages: 347-352
  • NAID: 40020433382
  • Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Labeling by Minimal Search: Implications of Successive-Cyclic A-Movement and the Conception of the Postulate Phase (2014)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Journal Title: Linguistic Inquiry Volume: 45 Pages: 463-481
  • DOI: 10.1162/ling_a_00163
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 階層構造はどのようにして生み出されるのか (2018)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 慶應言語学コロキアム「人に生まれながらして具わる言語の仕組み：基礎仮説の再考」
• [Presentation] Successive Cyclic Wh-Movement without Successive Cyclic Crashing (2017)
  • Author(s): Epstein Samuel David、Kitahara Hisatsugu、Seely T. Daniel
  • Organizer: ESLJ 10th International Spring Forum 2017
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Before the Reduction of Move to Merge (2017)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 日本英語学会第35回大会ワークショップ「なぜ言語には非付値素性が存在するのか？」
• [Presentation] Revise Merge to MERGE (2017)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 九州大学英語学研究会
• [Presentation] Seven Desiderata and Their (Immediate) Consequences (2017)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: Tokai Area of Circle of Syntax
• [Presentation] Putting Our Heads Together: A Symposium on Pair Merge (2016)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 関西言語学会第42回大会・シンポジウム
  • Place of Presentation: 龍谷大学深草キャンパス（京都府伏見区）
• [Presentation] Exploring the Notion of 'Perfection' in Language Design (2016)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 日本英語学会第34回大会・シンポジウム
  • Place of Presentation: 金沢大学（石川県金沢市）
• [Presentation] 言語はなぜパラメータ化されなければならなかったのか (2016)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 日本言語学会第153回大会・ワークショップ
  • Place of Presentation: 福岡大学（福岡県福岡市）
• [Presentation] Implications of an Unrecognized Form of Merge (2015)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Organizer: The 46th Annual Meeting of the North East Linguistic Society
  • Place of Presentation: Concordia University (Quebec, Canada)
  • Year and Date: 2015-10-17
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 人に具わる言語の種子－言語の仕組みについて－ (2015)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 英語英文学学術講演会
  • Place of Presentation: 東北学院大学（宮城県・仙台市）
  • Year and Date: 2015-10-05
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Phase Cancellation by Pair-Merge (2015)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Organizer: The 150th Meeting of the Linguistic Society of Japan
  • Place of Presentation: 大東文化大学（東京都・板橋区）
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-20
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] The Minimalist Program: Core Assumptions Revisited (2015)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 日本英文学会第87回大会シンポジウム第6部門 Examining the Basic Assumptions on the Architecture and Operations of Language Faculty: From the Perspective of the Strong Minimalist Thesis
  • Place of Presentation: 立正大学（東京都・品川区）
  • Year and Date: 2015-05-23
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] A Selective History of the Scientific Evolution and Importance of Simplest Merge (2015)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Organizer: English Linguistic Society of Japan, 8th International Spring Forum
  • Place of Presentation: 成蹊大学（東京・武蔵野市）
  • Year and Date: 2015-04-18
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Chomsky 2013, 2014を巡って (2014)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 青山学院大学言語学講演会
  • Place of Presentation: 青山学院大学
  • Year and Date: 2014-11-28
  • Invited
• [Presentation] 値を欠く素性の役割について (2014)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣
  • Organizer: 日本英語学会第32回大会ワークショップ Case and Agreement Revisited: Why do Unvalued Features Exist?
  • Place of Presentation: 学習院大学
  • Year and Date: 2014-11-08
• [Presentation] On Recent Developments in Minimalist Inquiries (2014)
  • Author(s): 北原久嗣 野村昌司
  • Organizer: 慶應言語学コロキアム Special Session
  • Place of Presentation: 慶應義塾大学
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-06
  • Invited
• [Presentation] *What do We Wonder Is Not Syntactic? (2014)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Organizer: GLOW in Asia X
  • Place of Presentation: National Tsing Hua University
  • Year and Date: 2014-05-24
• [Presentation] Free Application of Merge + Overt Case Particle = Scrambling (2014)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Organizer: 10th Workshop on Altaic Formal Linguistics
  • Place of Presentation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Year and Date: 2014-05-03
• [Presentation] Valuation and Labeling (2014)
  • Author(s): Hisatsugu Kitahara
  • Organizer: English Linguistic Society of Korea, Spring Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
  • Year and Date: 2014-04-26
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Simplest Merge and Labeling Subsume Phases (2014)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Organizer: English Linguistic Society of Japan, 7th International Spring Forum
  • Place of Presentation: Doshisha University
  • Year and Date: 2014-04-20
• [Book] Explorations in Maximizing Syntactic Minimization (2015)
  • Author(s): Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely
  • Total Pages: 242
  • Publisher: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
• [Funded Workshop] Keio Linguistic Colloquium: Is Agree Labeling? (2016)
  • Place of Presentation: Keio University Mita Campus (Tokyo, Minato-ku)