A Comparative Syntax of Ellipsis in Japanese and Korean

Abstract

Japanese and Korean are similar in syntax. The task of Japanese-Korean comparative syntax is then to shed light on the nature of general principles on the basis of their common properties and to investigate microparameters that explain their differences. Mamoru Saito and Duk-Ho An examine ellipsis in the two languages, focusing on argument ellipsis, sluicing, and NP-ellipsis, showing that what has been called “sluicing” in both languages is derived by applying argument ellipsis to cleft sentences, eliding the CP subject that expresses the presupposition. Then they confirm that NP-ellipsis obtains in Japanese but not in Korean and attribute this difference to a microparameter in the genitive marker insertion rule. Finally, building on LF copying analysis of argument ellipsis, the chapter argues that an examination of NP-ellipsis and right node raising in the two languages leads to additional evidence for the LF copying analysis of ellipsis over the PF deletion analysis.