Article published In: Studies in Language
Vol. 26:1 (2002) ► pp.67–123
Functional theories of island phenomena
The case of Japanese
Published online: 21 June 2002
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.26.1.04shi
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.26.1.04shi
This paper examines island effects in Japanese in four extraction types — relativization, topicalization, postposing, and wh-question formation — in terms of the “aboutness” condition claimed by Haig (1996). The condition is supported for relativization and topicalization; however, further specification is necessary for postposing and wh-question formation. It is also demonstrated that the proposed construction-specific conditions are all related to the same cognitive theory of island phenomena (Deane 1991), which reflects the mechanism of attention and short-term memory. The cognitive description thus provides insights as to why there are island effects in a putative “island-free” language.
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