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Chapter 2. The syntactic status of by -phrases in Korean and Japanese

  • Sang Doh Park
View more publications by John Benjamins Publishing Company
Topics in Theoretical Asian Linguistics
This chapter is in the book Topics in Theoretical Asian Linguistics

Abstract

Traditional analyses of Japanese syntax make a distinction between ni passives and ni yotte passives depending on the type of by-phrases. These two patterns of passives correspond semantically to HI passives and CI passives in Korean respectively in that the subject in ni passives and HI passives typically bears an Affectee role whereas the subject in ni yotte passives and CI passives is not constrained by this semantic requirement. Despite the superficial similarities between Japanese and Korean passives, however, the by-phrases behave like arguments in both types of Korean passives whereas their Japanese counterparts demonstrate adjunct-like properties in ni yotte passives. While unveiling what mechanism operates in generating each type of passive construction, this chapter investigates the syntactic status of by-phrases and the origin that triggers the affectedness constraint observed in these East Asian languages.

Abstract

Traditional analyses of Japanese syntax make a distinction between ni passives and ni yotte passives depending on the type of by-phrases. These two patterns of passives correspond semantically to HI passives and CI passives in Korean respectively in that the subject in ni passives and HI passives typically bears an Affectee role whereas the subject in ni yotte passives and CI passives is not constrained by this semantic requirement. Despite the superficial similarities between Japanese and Korean passives, however, the by-phrases behave like arguments in both types of Korean passives whereas their Japanese counterparts demonstrate adjunct-like properties in ni yotte passives. While unveiling what mechanism operates in generating each type of passive construction, this chapter investigates the syntactic status of by-phrases and the origin that triggers the affectedness constraint observed in these East Asian languages.

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