Volume 41, Issue 2

Three case studies from Japanese and Ryukyuan are presented in support of the generalization that, in the course of grammaticalization of an innovative verbal construction, vowel-stem forms will resist reductive phonological processes that apply to consonant-stem forms. Given that the constructions of the case studies are based on the verbal Ren’yookei , this differential susceptibility to phonological reduction is attributed to the fact that vowel-stem Ren’yookei instantiate the structure [[X] s ] w (s = stem, w = word) and are therefore isolation forms. A Stem Inalterability Condition is proposed to capture the observed generalization, and that condition is shown to account for the restriction of verbal onbin before t -initial suffixes to consonant-stems in both Japanese and Ryukyuan and to provide a natural understanding of the r -zero alternation of the Old Japanese Rentaikei and Izenkei suffixes.

This paper examines a particular purpose expression (PE), namely a clause with a phrase headed by the morpheme - ni , which we dub ni P. Previous literature has stated that restructuring is regulated by an intervening element between the ni P and the matrix predicate, but we provide apparent counterexamples. Considering dialectal data from western Japan, we propose that the nominative case (NOM) is licensed by the amalgam of the potential affix and focus. We then show that our counterexamples are associated with the NOM-marked NP being focused and argue that the focused NOM-marked NP is subject to licensing by the amalgam of the potential affix and focus. We also show that the excorporation-based proposal enables us to capture the effect of restructuring without relying on the pre-minimalist restructuring operation.

This paper examines Japanese sequential voicing phenomenon, so-called rendaku from the perspective of syntax-morphophonology interface. In particular, how the nature of the relation between the first and second element (E1 and E2, respectively) of a compound affects rendaku in E2 in novel deverbal-noun compound formation is investigated. An experiment that examined the frequency of rendaku depending on the nature of E2 (existing vs. nonce) and the relationship between E1 and E2 (subject, indirect object, direct object, locative adjunct, and instrument adjunct) showed that, rendaku is significantly less frequent with a nonce E2, with direct objects than subjects, and with locative adjuncts than instrument adjuncts. Importantly, contrary to what previous studies predicted, argument-adjunct distinction did not hold a significant effect. These findings can be accounted for under the hypothesis that speakers have two competing motivations, to use the rendaku form and show the uniformness of a compound, or to use the non-rendaku form and keep E2 unchanged, and that rendaku is sensitive to different types of grammatical relations between components of a compound. (Areas of study: Experimental syntax, Phonology, Morphophonology).

Studies agree that the core function of the illocutionary particle ne is expressing alignment of the interlocutors’ internal worlds. However, ne yields various and sometimes seemingly unrelated interpretations and functions such as soliciting agreement, asking for confirmation, reporting, keeping the floor, getting attention, expressing strong refusal, etc. Employing Kamio’s overarching categories of Obligatory and Optional ne , this study evaluates these two types of ne systematically in light of criteria not previously utilized in other studies, focusing on whether the speaker thinks there is alignment or wants there to be alignment between their internal world and the addressee’s at the time of utterance. The study further argues that proposing two distinct functions of ne helps explain the covert semantic links between the sentence-final ne and ne that occurs in positions other than sentence-final position. Additionally, the study argues for a cultural rationale for the use of ne in interactions in Japanese.

This paper analyzes the constraints that Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) encounter during “just chatting” streams on YouTube Live when interacting with viewers who send text messages. We apply quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how frequently streamers refer to viewers’ messages, the time lag between message receipt and reference, and how streamers cope linguistically with live streaming constraints. The analysis demonstrates that streamers struggle to address all messages, particularly given the occurrence of unavoidable time lags. We also found that streamers use three methods to manage these challenges: “reading messages aloud”, “reading usernames aloud”, and “using adjacency pairs”. Additionally, we noted that in “reading messages aloud” – the most frequently used method – quotative particles and reporting verbs are often omitted, deviating from general modern Japanese grammar. This omission, while similar to phenomena in spoken Japanese, is uniquely influenced by the nature of live streaming and “just chatting” activities.