A Study on the Empty Categories in Conceptual Structure

井上在(2001a，b)中提出概念结构中存在两种空语类：(I)α，β，γ…和(Ii)φ。前者类似于PRO&lt；obl&>，因为它必须要求先行词，而后者类似于PRO_&lt；ob&>；，因为它不需要具体的引用。这项研究项目的目的是双重的。一种是通过对英语发声动词、带to不定式补语的force和Promise以及中间动词结构的分析来论证这些范畴的存在。本研究的结果如下：1.对于发声动词，通过对这些空类别的分析，可以将这些动作动词表示为因果事件，从而能够解释这些带有可选的源/目的表达的动词的出现，这些动词与其对应的同源宾语的关系，并给出V结构等。To不定式补语的主语和宾语控制现象是在句法层面上研究的，可以用空语类(I)的分析来恰当地处理。从空语类(II)的角度分析中动结构，不仅可以解释该结构的概括性、稳定性和影响条件等各种性质，还可以解释与之相关的结构，如“假中”。4.关于这两个范畴与句法范畴的关系，这些研究得出如下假设：句法层面上的强制性控制现象和选择性控制现象分别构成了语义层面上涉及范畴(I)和(II)的现象的子集。

It is proposed in Inoue (2001a, b) that there are two kinds of empty categories in conceptual structure : (i)α, β, γ... and (ii)φ. The former is like PRO_<obl> in that it obligatorily requires an antecedent, while the latter is like PRO_<arb> in that it requires no specific reference. The purpose of this research project is twofold. One is to argue for the presence of these categories in terms of the analyses of English sound emission verbs, verbs force and promise with to-infinitive complements and middle verb construction. The other is to explore the relationship between these categories and the syntactic ones.The results obtained through this research project are the following :1. Regarding sound emission verbs, these action verbs can be represented as causal events in terms of the analysis based on these empty categories, thereby making it possible to account for the occurrence of these verbs with optional Source/Goal expressions, the relationships of these verbs to their corresponding cognate object and give a V constructions, etc.2. The subject and object control phenomena of the to-infinitive complements, hitherto investigated on the syntactic level, can appropriately be dealt with in terms of the analysis employing empty category (i).3. The analysis of the middle construction in terms of empty category (ii) can not only account for the various properties of the construction including its genericity, stativity and affectedness condition but also related constructions such as "pseudo-middles."4. Regarding the relationship of these two categories to the syntactic ones, these investigations lead to the following assumption that obligatory and optional control phenomena on the syntactic level constitute subsets of the phenomena involving categories (i) and (ii), respectively on the semantic level.