An Optimality-Theoretic Account of the Japanese Case System

This paper provides an Optimality-Theoretic account of the Japanese case system within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar [RRG] (Van Valin 1993; Van Valin and LaPolla 1997). It is shown that a particular ranking of universal constraints may accommodate not only the regular case marking patterns of Japanese, but the irregular ones displayed by inversion, causative, and a variety of double-nominative constructions. Finally, it is suggested that characterizing case systems in terms of the way universal constrainst are ranked opens up a way to a principled typology of case systems.