The weight of head nouns in noun-modifying constructions in conversational Japanese
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20381323 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nobutaka Takara (University of California, Santa Barbara, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 33-72 |
| Publication date | 2012-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies in Language (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0378-4177 • E-ISSN: 1569-9978 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/sl.36.1.02tak |
| OpenAlex | W2054456908 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
This paper investigates the weight of head nouns in noun-modifying constructions (NMCs) in conversational Japanese. In my data about 70% of head nouns are ‘light’, 20% of the nouns are ‘heavy’, and the remaining is in a ‘gray zone.’ As a close observation of NMCs reveals the issues of two-way light-heavy classification for heads, I establish six parameters according to which I can model the head nouns on a scale from ‘heaviest’ to ‘lightest.’ I argue that in NMCs ‘lighter’ heads are employed instead of ‘heavier’ ones. I also argue that usage of ‘heavy’ heads is further motivated by the factors: (a) pragmatic or referential concerns, and (b) fixed expressions
Biology · Linguistics · Natural language processing · Noun · Proper noun · Computer Science · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Mathematics · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Artificial Intelligence
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2022 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |