Comparative Syntax of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and English

该项目的主要目标是通过日语、韩语、汉语和英语的比较句法分析来揭示语言教师的性质。我们的最终目标是梳理出语言能力中受纯结构因素制约的那部分，区别于那些受词汇或语用制约的因素。前者涉及的规律性在语言之间和个体之间基本不变，而后者则倾向于承认语言的变异和个体的波动。近三年来研究的构式或现象包括复数、比较省略、比较省略、照应绑定、零照应等。时态、指示词、量词范围，仅举几例。我们试图分离出渗透在这些构式中的结构因素，并通过控制所涉及的词汇和语用因素，将相关的概括发展为一个可验证或可测试的假设。在项目的三年时间里，成员们保持着密切的联系。我们在美国举行了两次会议，在日本举行了五次会议，在神户大学举行了三次会议，在九州大学举行了两次会议，并在高知举行了两次分会议。在每次会议之前通过电子邮件举行讨论会议，以确保在这些会议期间进行一些实质性和富有成效的讨论。研究成果已在各种会议上发表。1996年在加州大学洛杉矶分校举行的J/K会议和1998年在南加州大学举行的东亚语言句法历时和共时研究研讨会上，举办了与该项目有关的特别讲习班。

The main objective of the project has been to uncover the nature of the language faculty through comparative syntactic analysis of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and English. Our ultimate goal is to tease out that part of language faculty which is conditioned by purely structural factors as distinct from those that are lexically or pragmatically conditioned. The regularities involved in the former should be basically invariant among languages and among individuals, while those involved in the latter tend to admit language variations as well as individual fluctuation. The constructions or phenomena treated in the past three years include pluralities, comparative ellipsis, comparative deletion, anaphoric binding, zero anaphora. tense, demonstratives, quantifier scope, just to name a few. We have tried to separate out the structural factors permeating these constructions and to develop the relevant generalizations into a hypothesis that is verifiable or testable by controlling lexical and pragmatic factors involved.During the three years of the project, the members have kept in close contact with one another. We held two meetings in the U.S., five meetings in Japan, three at Kobe University and two at Kyushu University as well as two subsessions at Kochi. Discussion session via e-mail preceded each meeting, so as to ensure some substantive and productive discussion during these meetings. Research results have been presented at various conferences. Special workshops related to the project were held at J/K conference held at UCLA in 1996 and also at a Symposium on Diachronic and Synchronic Studies of Syntax of East Asian Languages held at USC in 1998.