Against verb-stranding VP-ellipsis in Japanese: reply to Funakoshi (2016)

Abstract

Japanese has a deletion operation, called argument ellipsis, that targets arguments (Oku in A theory of selection and reconstruction in the minimalist program, 1998). The operation does not apply to adjuncts, and thus, adjuncts are unelidable. Funakoshi (J East Asian Linguist 25(2):113–42, 2016), following in the footsteps of Otani and Whitman (Linguist Inquiry 22:345–58, 1991), argues that adjuncts can be elided when V-stranding VP-deletion applies. This article refutes Funakoshi’s proposal. Under rigorous control, adjuncts are generally unelidable even when the context strongly favors the adjunct inclusive interpretation, showing that the language lacks VP-deletion. It is also shown that, for a small number of speakers who permit the adjunct inclusive interpretation, the interpretation is sensitive to island constraints. The observation is attributed to covert right dislocation (Tanaka in J Linguist 37:551–79, 2001), marginally available for such speakers.