A Large-Scale-Corpus Based Generative Theoretical Study on The Transitivization of Intransitive Verbs in English

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Taking up three constructions in the present-day English which crucially involve the mechanism of the transitivization of intransitive verbs, the cognate object construction, the gesture-expression construction and the one's way-construction, I explored various syntactic and semantic properties of these three constructions by searching such large-size corpora as the Bank of English and the British National Corpus and Web. I identified a basic form and derivative forms of each construction by making theoretical considerations on the syntactic and semantic properties explored. Furthermore, I considered what theoretical consequences the analyses of these three constructions brought about on the general linguistic theory. I explored what sort of mechanism of extension is involved in the generation of derivative forms from a basic form in each construction. I made it clear a possibility that that mechanism of extension plays a role in the mechanism of transitivization of intransitive verbs … More in English.I have mastered the basic use of the searching tool the BNC Web through the course of the study above and so I have tried to reduce part of the achievements of my research to the academic and general society when I have played one of the instructors of the public program 'Large size Corpora and English Study' which has been held at the Graduate School of International Development (GSID) at Nagoya University in these three years.In order to deepen the understanding of the general linguistic theory which is necessitated for me to analyze the three constructions and also in order to provide academic people in general with the specialized theoretical linguistic knowledge, I have invited such excellent scholars as Prof.Emeritus Masaru Kajita (Sophia University), Prof.Takayasu Namiki (Ibaraki University), Prof.Reiko Shimamura (Tsuda College), Prof.Junya Morita (Kinjyou Gakuin University), Prof.Ken-ichi Takami and Prof.Minoji Akimoto at the GSID and I have held three general public lectures by them which has been in part supported by this grant-in-aid for me.In order to deepen the understanding of the linguistic functional aspects, conceptual semantics and the survey of English usage which is needed for pursuing my research, I have visited Harvard University, Brandeis University and London University and I have got precious data from these universities and the informative suggestions from Prof. Jackendoff at Brandeis University (now he is at Tufts University).I have made public the achievements of my research by making aural presentations as one of the lecturers of the symposiums held at the English Linguistic Society of Japan, the Japan Association for English Corpus Studies and Kumamoto University. I have seven academic articles concerning my research achievements which are contributed to Empirical and Theoretical Investigations into Language : A Festschrifts for Masaru Kajita, The Rising Generation and The English Teachers' Magazine. Finally, I have compiled the report of the achievements of my research Less