Subextraction in Japanese and subject-object symmetry

Abstract

For a long time Japanese was taken to be a language lacking a subject-object asymmetry in subextraction. Two recent experimental studies have challenged this conclusion suggesting that Japanese complex NP (CNP) subjects are more opaque to subextraction than CNP objects (Jurka 2010; Jurka et al. 2011). Given the significance of this claim for the cross-linguistic landscape of subextraction phenomena, this study further explores the nature of subextraction phenomena in Japanese with three acceptability judgment experiments. We show that overt subextraction (scrambling) out of CNP subjects and objects results in similar acceptability ratings once the relative weight and order of constituents are properly controlled for. Recent experimental work which suggested that Japanese has a subject-object asymmetry to subextraction predicted that wh-in-situ adjuncts should lead to greater degradation for subextraction out of subjects as compared to subextraction out of objects. To test this prediction, we also present novel experimental data on wh-in-situ phrases inside subjects and objects in Japanese. Our results show that the argument/adjunct status of wh-in-situ phrases does not interact with the subject/object status of the CNPs, further invalidating the recent claims. Together these findings support the traditional view that Japanese has no subject-object asymmetry in subextraction, whether overt or covert. Having restored the status of Japanese as a language with no subject-object asymmetry in subextraction, we discuss possible reasons that could account for the absence of such an asymmetry. We suggest that the lack of asymmetry is due to Japanese subjects’ inability to satisfy the EPP on T/C; we further contend that cross-linguistic variation in subject transparency follows from whether or not the feature D comes from subjects.