Abstract
In Japanese, the use of a negative preterite (past-perfective) clause (“...V-nakatta”) is discourse-pragmatically constrained, and oftentimes a negative nonpast-nonperfective clause (“...V-te inai”) is used where a preterite clause is expected. At the descriptive level, a negative preterite can be characterized as conveying that the described eventuality was plausible (though did not happen) at some past time. This work argues that the Japanese negative preterite predicate invariably expresses the existence (occurrence) of a “negative eventuality”, as opposed to the non-existence (non-occurrence) of eventualities, and that the “plausibility implication” is a side effect of this feature. It will be furthermore argued that, while Japanese nonpast-tensed clauses generally specify that the topic time is some nonpast time, this does not necessarily apply to nonpast-nonperfective clauses, making it possible for a negative nonpast-nonperfective clause to express the non-existence of eventualities in a past topic time.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
iru is a “nonperfective” auxiliary that may receive a wide array of interpretations, including resulting state, progressive, habitual, and perfect (Sect. 4).
- 2.
The abbreviations in glosses are: Acc \(=\) accusative, Attr \(=\) attributive, Aux \(=\) auxiliary, BenAux \(=\) benefactive auxiliary, DAux \(=\) discourse auxiliary, Dat \(=\) dative, DPrt \(=\) discourse particle, Gen \(=\) genitive, Ger \(=\) gerund, Inf \(=\) infinitive, Intj \(=\) interjection, ModAux \(=\) modal auxiliary, Neg(Aux) \(=\) negation/negative auxiliary, NegGer \(=\) negative gerund, NpfvAux \(=\) non-perfective auxiliary, Npst \(=\) nonpast, Pl \(=\) plural, Plt(Aux) \(=\) polite(ness auxiliary), Pfv \(=\) perfective, Prs \(=\) present, Psv \(=\) passive, Th \(=\) thematic wa (topic/ground marker).
- 3.
This is grossly simpler than Bernard & Champollion’s original formulation, which implements the continuation approach to syntax/semantic interface.
- 4.
https://w.wiki/3D$7 (accessed on October 1, 2021).
- 5.
A past-tensed nonperfective clause, such as (i), does not allow a preterite-like interpretation, unlike its nonpast-tensed counterpart. I take this to be simply because the quasi-past interpretation of i is blocked because it would lead to sheer semantic redundancy, i and -ta both specifying “TT TU”.
.
- 6.
This pattern does not straightforwardly carry over to counterfactual conditionals with a “fake past” in the matrix clause.
.
References
Bernard, T., Champollion, L.: Negative events in compositional semantics. In: Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory, vol. 28, pp. 512–532 (2018). https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v28i0.4429
Bloch, B.: Studies in colloquial Japanese I: inflection. J. Am. Orient. Soc. 66, 97–130 (1946). https://doi.org/10.2307/596327
Condoravdi, C.: Temporal interpretation of modals: modals for the present and for the past. In: Beaver, D.I., Martínez, L.D.C., Clark, B.Z., Kaufmann, S. (eds.) The Construction of Meaning, pp. 59–88. CSLI Publications, Stanford (2002)
Fábregas, A., Rodríguez, R.G.: On inhibited eventualities. Nat. Lang. Linguist. Theory 38, 729–773 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11049-019-09461-y
Higginbotham, J.: On events in linguistic semantics. In: Higginbotham, J., Pianesi, F., Varzi, A.C. (eds.) Speaking of Events, pp. 18–52. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2000). https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199239313.003.0002
Klein, W.: Time in Language. Routledge, London (1994)
Kondo, A.: Jodooshi “ri/tari” ni hiteiji ga kasetsu suru baai. Kokugogaku Kenkyuu 42, 1–13 (2003)
Krifka, M.: Nominal reference, temporal constitution and quantification in event semantics. In: Bartsch, R., van Benthem, J., van Emde Boas, P. (eds.) Semantics and Contextual Expression, pp. 75–115. Foris, Dordrecht (1989). https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110877335-005
Kudo, M.: Tense and aspect in discourse. In: Jacobsen, W.M., Takubo, Y. (eds.) Handbook of Japanese Semantics and Pragmatics, pp. 423–448. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin (2020). https://doi.org/10.1515/9781614512073-008
Kusumoto, T.: Kako no hitei jitai o arawasu shite inai ni okeru hanashite no shinteki taido to hyoogen kooka. Area and Culture Studies 92, 48–64 (2016)
Matsuda, F.: “Kakoji ni ... shita ka?” ni taisuru hitei no hentoo keishiki: Shite inai to shinakatta no sentaku ni kanshite. Nihongo Kyoiku J. Jpn. Lang. Teach. 113, 34–42 (2002)
Miller, P.: Negative complements in direct perception reports. In: Proceedings of Chicago Linguistic Society 39, vol. 1, pp. 287–303 (2003)
Ogihara, T., Fukushima, T.: Semantic properties of the so-called past tense morpheme in Late Late Middle Japanese. J. East Asian Linguis. 24, 75–112 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10831-014-9124-8
Oshima, D.Y.: On the morphological status of - te, - ta, and related forms in Japanese: evidence from accent placement. J. East Asian Linguis. 23(3), 233–265 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10831-014-9120-z
Parsons, T.: Events in the Semantics of English: A Study in Subatomic Semantics. MIT Press, Cambridge (1990)
Przepiórkowski, A.: On negative eventualities, negative concord, and negative yes/ no questions. In: Matthews, T., Strolovitc, D. (eds.) Semantics and Linguistic Theory, vol. 9, pp. 237–254. CLC Publications, Ithaca (1999). https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v9i0.2828
Sauerland, U.: The present tense is vacuous. Snippets 6, 12–13 (2002)
Shibatani, M.: The Languages of Japan. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1990)
Shirai, Y.: The semantics of the Japanese imperfective - teiru. J. Pragmat. 32(3), 327–361 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(99)00051-X
Shirota, S.: Nihongo keitairon. Hituzi Shobo, Tokyo (1998)
de Swart, H.: Meaning and use of not...until. J. Semant. 13(3), 221–263 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/13.3.221
Teramura, H.: Nihongno no sintakusu to imi, vol. II. Kurosio Publishers, Tokyo (1984)
Tian, Y., Breheny, R.: Negation. In: Cummins, C., Katsos, N. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Experimental Semantics and Pragmatics, pp. 195–207. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198791768.013.29
Tsujimura, N.: An introduction to Japanese linguistics, 2nd edn. Blackwell, Malden (2007)
Yamashita, Y.: Tensu no “ta” to asupekuto no “ta”. J. Int. Student Center Hokkaido Univ. 8, 1–13 (2004)
Zaradzki, L.: Verbal negation. In: Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 24, vol. 2, pp. 485–502 (2020). https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2020.v24i2.911
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Oshima, D.Y. (2023). The Semantic Markedness of the Japanese Negative Preterite: Non-existence of (Positive) Eventualities vs. Existence of Negative Eventualities. In: Bekki, D., Mineshima, K., McCready, E. (eds) Logic and Engineering of Natural Language Semantics. LENLS 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14213. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43977-3_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43977-3_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-43976-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-43977-3
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)