A Theoretical Study of Interface Between Syntactic and Discourse Structures

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The present research project was a theoretical study of building interface which controls syntactic and discourse structures. We also attempted to clarify various interface factors that contribute to the mapping of lexical, conceptual, or event structures into syntactic and discourse structures.Inada has researched syntactic and lexical semantic structures of embedded clauses and demonstrated the significance of clarifying the event structures of sentences and the study of interface between syntactic and lexical conceptual structures.Takubo, based upon the theory of discourse management, clarified the factors that function to control discourse structures including sentence particles, vocative forms, and other modality-related expressions.Arita investigated various tense structures in subordinate clause and conditional clauses, and attempted to show these phenomena can be naturally explained along the line presented in Takubo's Discourse Management Theory. She also demonstrated that Mental Space Model by Fauconnier, if properly reformulated, can also accommodate Japanese tense phenomena including causal chains.Murao also demonstrated that some kind of causal chains in discourse are closely related to event structures of lexical conceptual structures of a sentence. Through his discussion with Goldberg, Langacker and others, he has clarified so-called cognitive aspects of discourse structures.