Deriving the Differences Between English and Japanese: A Case Study in Parametric Syntax

Abstract

This paper explores a way of deducing the set of major typological differences between English and Japanese including the existence of obligatory syntactic wh movement, of the so-called ‘multiple subject’ structures in clauses and noun phrases, of the ‘scrambling’ phenomena, etc. It is argued that, given the relativized X-bar theory proposed in Fukui 1986, it is possible to derive many of the differences from a single fundamental difference between the two languages, i.e. the presence of agreement-inducing ’functional’ categories in the core lexicon of English and the lack of such elements in the core lexicon of Japanese. Implications of this result for the general theory of parameters in linguistic theory are also discussed. © 1988, International Heart Journal Association. All rights reserved.