Null adjuncts and adjunct-inclusive interpretation in Japanese

Abstract

This squib demonstrates that Japanese allows null adjuncts and the Adjunct-Inclusive (AI) reading, contrary to the widely held assumption since Oku (1998). Tanaka (2023) has recently claimed that Japanese lacks the AI reading with null adjuncts; in other words, adjuncts are unelidable in Japanese. I critically examine Tanaka’s arguments and discuss the replicability of AI interpretations, emphasizing that careful control of test sentences and discourse factors is necessary when discussing the AI reading.