Analyzing Japanese Syntax

英語で書かれた日本語統語論の教科書。言語学の中心的な統語理論である生成文法の哲学的背景から説明を始め、理論で使用される主要な概念をわかりやすく説明した上で、英語と比較しながら日本語に特徴的なさまざな構文を生成文法理論でどのように分析できるかを解説する。各章末には、理論的な背景や日本語の統語の論点についの簡略な補足解説がある。ネットで公開されている習熟度別の練習問題は、自学習や授業の教材として使用できる。

This introductory textbook explains the basic ideas and the core notions entertained in the most influential syntactic theory of generative grammar and shows how Japanese syntax can be analyzed using concrete examples from a range of phenomena. Each chapter provides concise and accessible illustrations of how the theoretical methods can be applied to the analysis of various grammatical constructions, as well as offering brief remarks on descriptive and theoretical issues for further research. Generous exercises, which may be useful for checking the reader’s understanding, are also available at the textbook webpage. These combined textbook materials allow readers to have hands-on training in linguistic analysis, and to become familiar with the recent methods and concepts underlying the analysis of natural language syntax. This textbook is an essential guide to those who are interested in starting scientific research on Japanese syntax without a prior knowledge of generative grammar.