An Semantical and Syntactic Approach to Degree Modification in Japanese

在日语中，程度状语主要修饰形容词所表示的状态的程度。首先，状态程度副词如totemo "非常"和状态程度副词及数量副词如kanari "非常、相当、相当"修饰等级形容词。这类形容词分为开放式形容词和封闭式形容词。这两类副词在英语语言学上被称为加强词或助动词等。第二，"kyoky-shushoku"副词（完成/最大化）如kanzennni "完全"和"kyoky-kinjichi"副词（近似）如流浪汉"几乎，几乎"修饰非等级形容词或封闭等级形容词。这两类形容词在其标量结构上都有一个最大端点，从动词的词汇分解理论或动词的1（exical）-句法分析的角度，我们可以在一定程度上预测（a）以动词词根为基础的动词的目的性。在这种观点下，语言被分为根敏感语言和非根敏感语言。例如，英语属于前者，日语属于后者。在后一类语言中，（1）动词的目的性不是完全根据词根来预测的。

In Japanese, degree adverbials fundamentally modify a degree of state denoted by adjectives.They are classified into two types. First, adverbs of degree of state such as totemo 'very' and adverbs of degree of state and amount such as kanari 'very, quite, considerably' modify gradable adjectives. This kind of adjectives are classified into open-scale and closed-scale adjectives. The two kinds of adverbs have been called intensifier or booster, etc. in English Linguistics. Second, kyokuten-shushoku adverb (completive/ maximizer) such as kanzennni 'completely' and kyokuten-kinjichi adverb (approximator) such as hobo 'almost, nearly' modify non-gradable adjectives or closed-scale adjectives. Both types of adjectives have a maximal end point on their scalar structure.From the view of the theory of Lexical Decomposition of verbs or the 1(exical)-syntactic approach to verbs, we can, to some extent, predict (a)telicity of verbs, based on the root of the verbs. In this viewpoint, languages are divided into root-sensitive languages and non-root-sensitive ones. For example, English belongs to the former, and Japanese the latter. In the latter type languages, (a)telicity of verbs is not completely predicted on the basis of the root.