Cleft Constructions in Japanese Syntax

by Mika Kizu

Cleft constructions occur across languages and are much analyzed in relation to syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Mika Kizu, working in a Principles and Parameters framework, with some consideration of the Minimalist Program, provides the first coherent account of cleft constructions in Japanese. She claims that the construction is analyzed on a par with topic constructions and some types of relative clause. One of the most interesting properties, the syntactic phenomenon of 'connectivity' is closely examined.

Genres: Linguistics

258 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Anie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book about clefts (but really, pseudoclefts) in Japanese. The discussion is fairly clear, and parts of the analysis are compelling. A good read for anyone interested in the subject.