Aspect, described by Comrie (1976: 3) as the `temporal structure of events', and argument structure are two important facets of verbal semantics. Individual verbs, in linguistic expressions, always occur with a certain tense-aspect (TA) construction such as the Present and the Present Progressive and with a certain argument linking construction such as the Transitive construction and the Resultative construction. Verbal lexical semantics combined with these constructions determine the grammaticality and acceptability of, and the interpretative sense of, a predicate phrase as a whole. Therefore, aspect and the argument structure of verbs are fundamental information every speaker has to know in using a certain language. Croft (2000) represents aspect as a two dimensional model, which has a time scale and a qualitative scale. Argument structure is derived directly from the causal structure where the force-dynamic relationship between participants in event determines the order of participants according to Croft (1990,1991,1993,1994ab, 1995ab, 1998a, 1999a). These are ranked in the causal order and mapped into syntactic arguments via the linking rules. These two dimensions of verbal semantics, which are independent but related, are represented in the causal-aspectual model (Croft 2000), which combines the two dimensional representation of aspect and of the force dynamic causal structure of events. The main purpose of this thesis is to apply the causal-aspectual representation of verbal semantics proposed by Croft (2000) to Japanese predicates. First of all, the aspectual dimension of Japanese predicates is focused on. I analyze forty-eight situation types of Japanese predicates in terms of their behaviour in relation to three constructions: the Present, the Te-iru, and the Past constructions. Through an examination of the situation types that occur in these constructions, the Present is revealed to have four senses, the Te-iru to have eight senses, and the Past to have eight senses. Secondly, I focus on both the causal and aspectual structures and analyse verbs of putting and removing in terms of the causal-aspectual model for two reasons. Firstly, these two classes of verbs are important because they refer to situation of motion and location which are within the essential experience of human beings. Secondly, since causal structures with these two classes of verbs have three arguments (agent, figure, and ground), they are more complicated than the structures involved in verbs that denote non-causal relations or that involve only two participants. The verbs are subcategorised mainly according to the linking constructions. Various occurrences of verbs with the constructions are examined and their semantic structures are represented in the causal-aspectual model. A semantic structure for each construction is also proposed. Finally, systematic differences between English and Japanese verbs of putting and removing are observed and syntactic asymmetries between the two verb classes are explained in terms of the differences between the semantic natures of the events that they denote.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis is concerned with examination and interpretation from the orthographical viewpoint of the system of historical kana usage (rekishiteld, kana-zukai) proposed by the 17th century scholar-priest Keichu, and its relationship to previous and subsequent kana usage and kana usage theory. In the introductory chapter, the meanings and scope of the terra kana-zukai are considered, as also the question of how kana-zukai first arose. Chapter Two consists of a description of kana usage before Keichu, in order to put the historical kana usage of Keichu into perspective. In Chapter Three a brief introduction to Keichu and his works is given, together with a consideration of the significance of his kana usage studies within his work as a whole. Chapter Four sets out assumptions concerning the sound-system of the language of Keichu as a preliminary to examination of his kana usage writings. Chapter Five looks at the beginnings and development of Keichu's kana usage theory before Waji shoran-sho, his main work on Kana usage. Chapter Six consists of an introduction to, and translated excerpts from, Waji shoran-sho. In Chapter Seven, the kana usage and kana usage theory of Keichu is considered from the viewpoint of the layout of Waji shoran-sho. Chapter Eight sets out the principles of Keichu's kana usage theory Chapter Nine examines the actual kana spellings set out in Waji shoran-sho. Chapters Ten and Eleven consider two specialized aspects of Keichu's kana usage theory. Chapter Twelve looks briefly at kana usage and kana usage theory after Waji shoran-sho down to the present day. In the Conclusion, the findings of the study are set out. The various appendices deal with relevant topics which it was not possible to fit conveniently into the main body of the thesis.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis is a sociolinguistic investigation into the use of local referent honorific suffixes by speakers of Osaka Japanese (OJ). Its main goal is to add to our understanding of the variation and change in the use of honorification among Japanese speakers, by including a combination of methodologies and frameworks within the scope of one discussion. The analysis covers both local referent honorific suffixes HARU, YARU and YORU, as well as Standard Japanese forms, (RA)RERU and so called special verbs. The main focus, however, is on providing a detailed examination of the local referent honorific suffix HARU. An analysis of the distribution patterns of this honorific allows us to explore (i) ongoing changes in its use across three generations of speakers, and (ii) the indexicality of its meaning in use, including the changing social meanings attached to the form see in the analysis of interactions, distribution and metapragmatic comments. The analysis shows that the use of both local and standard honorifics in informal conversations of OJ users is decreasing significantly among younger speakers. However, it also highlights the different linguistic behaviour of young men and young women in this speech community, and links their use of HARU with local linguistic and cultural ideologies, showing how they may be affecting both perceptions and patterns of use of the form. Additionally, the analysis in this dissertation looks at various levels of linguistic structure, allowing us to explore whether the Osaka honorific system does indeed function as a single system, or whether different forms at different levels of linguistic structure have their own histories and trajectories. The analysis suggests that the honorific resources available to OJ users (both standard and local features) need to be seen as a continuum (cf. Okamoto 1998), rather than separate and distinct systems. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are employed in the analysis. The quantitative analysis investigates the ongoing changes in the frequency of use of HARU, as well as its distribution according to a range of social and linguistic functions. The qualitative analysis suggests that HARU is socially meaningful for the speakers, performing multiple functions in the interpersonal domain of discourse. Combining the two approaches to study Japanese honorifics in naturally occurring conversations is an attempt at bridging the gap between a number of previous studies.

No description available.

Cette recherche a deux objectifs, la systématisation de la prosodie fondamentale du japonais langue commune et l’application de ce système prosodique à une méthode didactique. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, nous cernons d'abord un cadre théorique adaptable au japonais en nous fondant sur la théorie de la "Grammaire de l’intonation" de Morel et Danon-Boileau (1998). Ensuite, nous analysons deux types de corpus, les premières phrases d'informations télévisées, dont le style est proche de celui de l’écrit, et des extraits de dialogue spontané. Les résultats de l’analyse du corpus d'écrit oralisé corroborent une hypothèse selon laquelle l’unité discursive, qui est dans l’ordre fondamental des constituants tel que défini par la fonction de détermination correspondant à un marqueur syntaxique/discursif spécifique, doit être réalisée par la prosodie fondamentale conformément à la fonction de détermination. Les indices suprasegmentaux de cette prosodie sont la position et la durée de la pause et la mélodie des séquences du modifiant et du modifié. En application de ce système prosodique, nous proposons une méthode d’enseignement d’accès facile pour l’enseignant et l’apprenant sur les plans théorique et didactique, grâce au critère binaire de la fonction de détermination d'une part, et d’un indice "écrit", le marqueur syntaxique/discursif, d'autre part. L’analyse du corpus d’oral montre que dans l’oral la fonction de détermination n’est pas représentée par le marqueur spécifique ni par la pause, qui sont remplacés par un indice intonatif à la fin du constituant, tandis que la fonction énonciative est réalisée par l’intonation des particules finales. / This research has two objectives: a systematization of the fundamental prosody of Japanese as a common language, and an application of this prosodic system to teaching method. To attain these objectives, we first fix a theoretical framework adaptable to Japanese based on the theory "Grammaire de l’intonation" (Intonation Grammar) of Morel and Danon-Boileau (1998). We then analyze two types of corpus, readings of lead sentences of TV news, whose style are close to the written style, and extracts from spontaneous dialogues. The results of analysis of the corpus in uttered-written style corroborate the hypothesis that the discursive unit, which is in the fundamental constituent order defined by the function of determination corresponding to a specific syntactic/discursive marker, must be realized by the fundamental prosody conforming to the function of determination. The supra-segmental indicia of this prosody are the position and the length of pauses and the pitch pattern of sequences of modifier and modified. With application of this prosodic system, we propose a teaching method easily accessible both to the teacher and the learner in theoretical and didactical aspects through the binary criterion of the function of determination and a "written" indicium, the specific syntactic/discursive marker. The analysis of the corpus in spoken style shows that in this style, the function of determination is represented neither by the marker nor by the pause, which are replaced by the intonated indicium at the end of constituent, whereas the enunciative function is realized by intonation of the final particles.