2022年度英語学研究室講演会
日時 2023年2月12日（日）13:00〜17:00
会場 文学研究科棟 2階 208教室（東北大学川内南キャンパス） [MAP]
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講演題目・概要
A Unified Approach to the Distribution of Determiner Categories in "DP-" and "NP"-languages
講師：Andreas Blümel 先生 (University of Göttingen / Keio University)
ABSTRACT
In this talk, I would like to explore a hypothesis I call the Nominal Strength Parameter (NSP). The NSP implies that the nominalizing functional head n (cf. Borer 2005) comes in the types weak and strong in the sense of Labeling Theory (cf. Chomsky 2015). I show how this hypothesis derives important differential syntactic properties of languages we might descriptively refer to as NP- and DP-languages (cf. Bošković 2005 et seq) without, however, committing to the corresponding analyses. In particular, I show how the obligatoriness of determiner categories in a subset of DP-languages (cf. Stowell 1991; Longobardi 1994) and the Left Branch Condition (cf. Ross 1967/1986) receive a uniform treatment, given weak n. Likewise, strong n accounts for the optionality of determiner categories in a subset of NP-languages and the possibility of Left Branch Extraction. These syntactic properties have morphological correlates on the nouns in the respective languages — lending further support to the NSP. Various empirical and theoretical consequences will be pursued, including the encoding and the role of (double) definiteness, of C/case, etc.
Merge of Functional Heads: A Theory of Amalgamation
講師：Yushi Sugimoto 先生 (University of Tokyo)
ABSTRACT
This presentation proposes a novel way of capturing linguistic variation without assuming (macro-)parameters under the minimalist framework based on underspecification of rule ordering (Obata et al. 2015, Obata and Epstein 2016, Epstein et al. 2018). Specifically, we propose that alternative ways of introducing functional heads to the Narrow Syntax derive the cluster effects without assuming (macro-)parameters. That is, following Epstein et al.’s (2016) claim that pair-Merge as well as set-Merge applies freely either internally or externally, each combination of the functional heads is possible in principle. We will deliver major syntactic differences among English, German, and Japanese. The theoretical consequences from this approach that we will discuss are (i) a potential solution to the labeling problem in subject in-situ phenomena in German and Japanese and (ii) the presence/absence of a phase boundary. Overall, this approach assumes only a UG that contains primitive elements such as features and syntactic operations, which arguably is desirable considering the Strong Minimalist Thesis.
Towards Optimal Design of Search and Merge
講師：Nobu Goto 先生 (Toyo University)
ABSTRACT
We propose that Merge, both External Merge and Internal Merge, is
totally free from Minimal Search, and more specifically, Search Σ to
determine the input of Merge only obeys Binarity and the Phase
Impenetrability Condition but not Minimal Search (Minimal Search-free
Merge Hypothesis). We argue that this proposal allows us not only to
derive the insights/consequences of Minimal Yield, but also creates a
new natural class, which cannot be obtained otherwise, for various
movement restrictions and its related notions, such as the freezing
effect, the that-trace effect, the anti-locality effect, the vacuous
movement hypothesis, and the economy of derivation. We further expand
the empirical and theoretical scope of our proposal by considering
exceptions to the freezing effect and the rationale of Binarity that
plays a crucial role in our theory of Search Σ for Merge. We suggest
that the exceptions can be dealt with by adopting Form Copy, and
Binarity follows from the Uniqueness Principle.