Ken-ichi Takami

Topicalization and subjectivization in Japanese: Characterizational and identificational information

Abstract This paper discusses two well-known constructions in Japanese, namely, topicalization and multiple subjectivization, as typically illustrated in the following two examples cited from Mikami (1960) and Kuno (1973): 1. (1) Zoo -wa hana -ga nagai. elephant- top trunk- nom is-long ‘Elephants have long trunks.’ 2. (2) Bunmeikoku -ga dansei-ga heikin-zyumyoo -ga mizikai. civilized countries - nom male - nom average life span - nom is-short ‘It is in civilized countries that men are such that their average life span is short.’ We will argue that the acceptability of the constructions in question crucially depends on whether the topicalized or subjectivized NP is characterized by the rest of the sentence, and propose the Characterization Condition for the ‘ Zoo-wa hana-ga nagai ’ Construction (CC) and the Characterization Condition for Subjectivization (CCS). We will also argue that the phenomenon of subjectivization, which seems more complex than that of topicalization, is subject to the requirement that ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ in the structure [X- ga Y- ga Z- ga …] be identified by ‘X’ and ‘Y’, respectively, which we will call the Identifiability Condition for Subjectivization (ICS). It will also be argued that the cline of acceptability often observed in the subjectivization phenomenon can be accounted for by the interaction between the CCS and the ICS.