Comparative studies in Japanese and Korean with respect to functional categories and (micro-)parameter settings

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As the result of our studies, the following points have been made. First, morpho-syntactically, a wider range of functional categories are available in Japanese. More concretely, Japanese, unlike Korean, is so parametrized that Higher Applicative (higher than VoiceP) and Lower Aspect (lower than VP) are available. Consequently, indirect passives on intransitive verbs, the auxiliary use of the verb of receiving, and "lexical" compound verbs whose V2 is aspectual are possible only in Japanese. Secondly, although both Japanese and Korean allow pseudo-clefts, the nominative restriction can be lifted by multiple foci in Japanese, but not in Korean. This strongly suggests that this constraint applies in syntax in the former but in PF in the latter. Finally, both Japanese- and Korean-speaking children, like their adult counterparts, know the distinction between case markers and postpositions and the availability of argument ellipsis at the earliest stage of their language acquisition.