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12. Nominalization in crosslinguistic perspective

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Handbook of Japanese Contrastive Linguistics
This chapter is in the book Handbook of Japanese Contrastive Linguistics
Masayoshi Shibatani12 Nominalization in crosslinguisticperspective1 IntroductionShibatani (2017) in the syntax volume of this handbook series offers a bold newanalysis of Japanese nominalization that distinguishes between lexical and gram-matical nominalizations on the one hand, and between verbal-based and nominal-based nominalizations on the other. While each step of the proposed analysis isjustified by language-internal evidence and theoretical considerations, the paper,due to space limitations, does not contain a full discussion of supporting evidencethat can be garnered from crosslinguistic investigations into the phenomenon ofnominalization. The discussions below complement those of the earlier paper bypresenting crosslinguistic evidence in an effort to make an even stronger case forthe proposed new analysis of nominalization.This chapter is organized as follows. First, after a brief introduction to Shibatani’stheory of nominalization, morphological evidence showing close affinity betweenlexical nominalization and grammatical nominalization is presented (section 2).Section 3 examines verbal-based grammatical nominalizations and their usagepatterns with a focus on NP-use and modification-use, revealing the nature of so-called relative clauses. Various types of relative clauses, such as internally-headedrelative clauses, headless relative clauses, and restrictive relative clauses all turnout to be merely uses of nominalizations and have no reality as independent struc-tures. Section 4 offers functional definitions for clauses, sentences, and nominaliza-tions and then shows that relativeclausesare neither clauses nor sentences, contraryto the widely held belief in thefield. There is clear evidence such as plural mor-phology and classifier marking that shows grammatical nominalizations undermodification-use qua relative clauses are different from clauses and sentences thatdo not share the denotation function of nouns and nominalizations. Section 5 takesup a bold new analysis of genitive/possessive constructions in terms of nominal-based grammatical nominalizations. In Japanese, morphological evidence for theanalysis of N-based nominalizations is somewhat indirect in that only NP-use ofV-based and N-based nominalizations shares identical morphological marking. Inother languages, however, the basic structures of both N-based and V-based nomina-lizations themselves are morphologically marked identically in both NP-use andmodification-use, supporting Shibatani’s claim that so-called genitive case or posses-sive forms (e.g.boku no‘my/mine’in Japanese,my/mine,John’sin English) are N-based nominalizations whose modification-use underlies so-called possessive con-structions (boku no hon‘my book’,my book,John’s book). Section 6 summarizes theDOI 10.1515/9781614514077-013
© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Munich/Boston

Masayoshi Shibatani12 Nominalization in crosslinguisticperspective1 IntroductionShibatani (2017) in the syntax volume of this handbook series offers a bold newanalysis of Japanese nominalization that distinguishes between lexical and gram-matical nominalizations on the one hand, and between verbal-based and nominal-based nominalizations on the other. While each step of the proposed analysis isjustified by language-internal evidence and theoretical considerations, the paper,due to space limitations, does not contain a full discussion of supporting evidencethat can be garnered from crosslinguistic investigations into the phenomenon ofnominalization. The discussions below complement those of the earlier paper bypresenting crosslinguistic evidence in an effort to make an even stronger case forthe proposed new analysis of nominalization.This chapter is organized as follows. First, after a brief introduction to Shibatani’stheory of nominalization, morphological evidence showing close affinity betweenlexical nominalization and grammatical nominalization is presented (section 2).Section 3 examines verbal-based grammatical nominalizations and their usagepatterns with a focus on NP-use and modification-use, revealing the nature of so-called relative clauses. Various types of relative clauses, such as internally-headedrelative clauses, headless relative clauses, and restrictive relative clauses all turnout to be merely uses of nominalizations and have no reality as independent struc-tures. Section 4 offers functional definitions for clauses, sentences, and nominaliza-tions and then shows that relativeclausesare neither clauses nor sentences, contraryto the widely held belief in thefield. There is clear evidence such as plural mor-phology and classifier marking that shows grammatical nominalizations undermodification-use qua relative clauses are different from clauses and sentences thatdo not share the denotation function of nouns and nominalizations. Section 5 takesup a bold new analysis of genitive/possessive constructions in terms of nominal-based grammatical nominalizations. In Japanese, morphological evidence for theanalysis of N-based nominalizations is somewhat indirect in that only NP-use ofV-based and N-based nominalizations shares identical morphological marking. Inother languages, however, the basic structures of both N-based and V-based nomina-lizations themselves are morphologically marked identically in both NP-use andmodification-use, supporting Shibatani’s claim that so-called genitive case or posses-sive forms (e.g.boku no‘my/mine’in Japanese,my/mine,John’sin English) are N-based nominalizations whose modification-use underlies so-called possessive con-structions (boku no hon‘my book’,my book,John’s book). Section 6 summarizes theDOI 10.1515/9781614514077-013
© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Munich/Boston

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Preface v
  3. Introduction to the Handbooks of Japanese Language and Linguistics vii
  4. Contributors xxxix
  5. Introduction 1
  6. I. Verbal constructions and related issues
  7. 1. Transitivity in Japanese from a typological perspective 17
  8. 2. Non-canonical constructions in Japanese: A crosslinguistic perspective 57
  9. 3. Voice extension in passives and causatives 109
  10. 4. Causative constructions in Japanese and Korean 137
  11. 5. Entailed and intended results in Japanese and Burmese accomplishment verbs 173
  12. 6. Resultative constructions in Japanese from a typological perspective 193
  13. 7. Verb–Verb compounding in Japanese and Turkish 227
  14. 8. Ainu complex predicates with reference to Japanese 247
  15. 9. Motion event descriptions in Japanese from typological perspectives 273
  16. 10. Deictic motion constructions in Japanese and Thai 291
  17. 11. Event integration patterns in Sidaama and Japanese 313
  18. II. Nominal constructions and related issues
  19. 12. Nominalization in crosslinguistic perspective 345
  20. 13. Clausal noun-modifying constructions 411
  21. 14. Noun-modifying constructions in Swahili and Japanese 433
  22. 15. Quantifier float in Japanese and English 453
  23. 16. Measure nouns and numerals 477
  24. 17. Japanese spatial deixis in crosslinguistic perspective 507
  25. 18. ‘Who’, ‘what’, and ‘which’ in Japanese and Chinese 533
  26. 19. Inalienable possession in Japanese, English, and Warrongo 557
  27. III. Aspect, modality, and prediction
  28. 20. Continuous aspects in Japanese, Newar and Meche 589
  29. 21. Modality in Japanese from a crosslinguistic perspective 611
  30. 22. Modality in Japanese and Spanish 635
  31. 23. Internal state predicates in Japanese and Thai 653
  32. 24. Property predication in Koryak viewed from Japanese 677
  33. 25. Subordination and insubordination in Japanese from a crosslinguistic perspective 697
  34. Subject index 719
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781614514077-013

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Preface v
  3. Introduction to the Handbooks of Japanese Language and Linguistics vii
  4. Contributors xxxix
  5. Introduction 1
  6. I. Verbal constructions and related issues
  7. 1. Transitivity in Japanese from a typological perspective 17
  8. 2. Non-canonical constructions in Japanese: A crosslinguistic perspective 57
  9. 3. Voice extension in passives and causatives 109
  10. 4. Causative constructions in Japanese and Korean 137
  11. 5. Entailed and intended results in Japanese and Burmese accomplishment verbs 173
  12. 6. Resultative constructions in Japanese from a typological perspective 193
  13. 7. Verb–Verb compounding in Japanese and Turkish 227
  14. 8. Ainu complex predicates with reference to Japanese 247
  15. 9. Motion event descriptions in Japanese from typological perspectives 273
  16. 10. Deictic motion constructions in Japanese and Thai 291
  17. 11. Event integration patterns in Sidaama and Japanese 313
  18. II. Nominal constructions and related issues
  19. 12. Nominalization in crosslinguistic perspective 345
  20. 13. Clausal noun-modifying constructions 411
  21. 14. Noun-modifying constructions in Swahili and Japanese 433
  22. 15. Quantifier float in Japanese and English 453
  23. 16. Measure nouns and numerals 477
  24. 17. Japanese spatial deixis in crosslinguistic perspective 507
  25. 18. ‘Who’, ‘what’, and ‘which’ in Japanese and Chinese 533
  26. 19. Inalienable possession in Japanese, English, and Warrongo 557
  27. III. Aspect, modality, and prediction
  28. 20. Continuous aspects in Japanese, Newar and Meche 589
  29. 21. Modality in Japanese from a crosslinguistic perspective 611
  30. 22. Modality in Japanese and Spanish 635
  31. 23. Internal state predicates in Japanese and Thai 653
  32. 24. Property predication in Koryak viewed from Japanese 677
  33. 25. Subordination and insubordination in Japanese from a crosslinguistic perspective 697
  34. Subject index 719
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