On Japanese adverbs of a speaker's subjective attitude

Abstract

This thesis develops a prototype approach to lexicosyntactic categorisation and exemplifies the approach for a set of Japanese adverbs. The general proposals developed in this thesis should contribute to an understanding of lexical subcategorisation where substantial heterogeneity is an issue. In addition, the thesis advances Japanese lexicography by providing detailed analyses of the meaning and use of a number of specific lexical items. Loosely, the adverbs in the set express the speaker’s subjective a ttitu d e or a similar psychological perspective. The set (referred to as SSA adverbs) has approximately 30 members. A prototype subgrouping for this set is motivated and illustrated in detail on the basis of a combination of (and p a rtial convergence of) syntactic, semantic and pragmatic criteria and tests. The thesis demonstrates th a t simply establishing a uniform and discrete class of ‘sentence adverbs’ (characteristic of several earlier approaches) is not a realistic solution for elucidating the internal complexity of adverbs of this kind. The substantial heterogeneity among these items is more amenable to a subcategorisation based on multiple interrelated properties. These properties may vary in strength or salience depending on adverbs, giving rise to a prototype organisation. Chapters in the thesis are arranged in an inductive way. The members of the SSA adverb set are discussed according to criteria in sub-divisions, including detailed lexical analyses at each stage. A view of the internal organisation of SSA adverbs is reached stepby- step, with a final integration. Show more