Markedness in the Modern Linguistic Theory : A Study in Syntax and Acquisition

标记性一直是语言学研究的热点之一。本研究旨在探讨人类语言的标记机制，特别是比较英语和日语中复杂名词短语和复杂谓语的句法和习得情况。首先，我在详细研究关系分句结构的基础上，结合我与桥本智子共同创建的新语料库，提出了tp关系分句语言和CP关系分句语言，其中CP是Murasugi（1991）所讨论的无标记结构。这一建议使我们能够在标记理论的基础上形成收购理论，并使我们能够解释日本收购中众所周知的过度生成现象的复杂模式。此外，我研究了在复杂谓词习得中广泛报道的中间阶段。我调查了在VP壳分析下儿童在及物动词、不及物动词和使役动词习得中的错误形式。基于对CHILDES数据库和我和Tomoko Hashimoto创建的数据语料库的详细分析，我提出了一个假设，说日语的孩子最初设置的参数值是小的，在形态学上是空的（就像在英语中及物动词和不及物动词传递）。最后，基于对潜能等其他类型复杂谓词的研究，笔者认为本文提出的分析可以扩展到一般复杂谓词习得阶段后的错误分析。这项研究目前正在发展成为我计划进行的下一个主要项目。

Markedness has been one of the consistent topics in the research of linguistics. The purpose of this research project was to investigate the mechanism for markedness in human language, comparing, in particular, syntax and acquisition of complex Noun Phrases and complex Predicates in English and Japanese. First, based on detailed research on the structure of relative clauses and the new corpus I created with Tomoko Hashimoto, I proposed that there are TP-relative-clause-languages and CP relative-clause languages, and CP is the unmarked structure as Murasugi (1991) disrussed. This proposal allows us to formulate the acquisition theory based on the markedness theory, and enables us to account for the complex pattern of the well-known overgeneration phenomena in Japanese acquisition.Further, I examined the intermediate stages widely reported in the acquisition of complex predicates. I investigated the erroneous forms children make in the acquisition of transitive verbs, intransitive verbs, and causatives under the VP shell analysis. Based on the detailed analysis of CHILDES database and the data corpus created by Tomoko Hashimoto and myselt I presented a hypothesis that Japanese-speaking children initially set the parameter value that the small vis mophologically null (like vin English transitive-& intransitive-verb pass). Finally, based on the research on the other types of complex predicates such as potentials, I argued that the proposed analysis would be extended to the analysis of the errors hind in the acquisition stages of the complex predicates in general. This research is currently being developed into the next major project that I plan to undertake.