THE NOMINATIVE/GENITIVE ALTERNATION IN MULTIPLE NOMINATIVECONSTRUCTIONS IN JAPANESE: A PRELIMINARY STATISTICAL STUDY*
Hideki Maki, Tamami Morishima, and Kazuya Tsubouchi
Gifu University

1. Introduction
In Japanese, there is a Case alternation phenomenon called the Nominative/Genitive
alternation. This takes place in sentential modifiers of nouns, but not in independent sentences,as shown in (1a) and (1b).
(1) a. John -ga/ *-nokita.
-NOM/ -GEN came.
‘John came.’b. [John-ga/-no kita] wake.
-NOM/ -GEN came reason‘the reason why John came.’
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the availability of Case alternation in multiple
Nominative constructions in Japanese, and to uncover what is actually taking place in thealternation. For this purpose, we showed examples such as (2) to 22 informants, who were
either graduate students of linguistics, or graduates of a linguistics program, and asked themto judge the grammaticality of the examples on the three level scale (to be shown in (9)). We
then provided a statistical analysis of the data.
(2) a. John-ga
eego -gawakaruwake.
-NOM English -NOM understand reason‘the reason why John understands English.’*

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 72nd Southeastern Conference on Linguistics
held at the Sheraton Capitol Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on April 9, 2005 (Maki and Morishima(2005)). We would like to thank the audience at the meeting, as well as the following people: Ronald
Craig, Stanley Dubinsky, Jessica Dunton, Noriko Imanishi, Nobuhiro Kaga, Yoichi Miyamoto,
Mamoru Mukaiyama, Fumikazu Niinuma, Masao Ochi, Kaoru Sato, Shigeki Taguchi, Michiyo Takai,
Asako Uchibori, and Michiyo Yamamoto for their helpful comments and/or data collection. All errors
are our own. The research of the first author was supported by Center for Linguistics, Nanzan
University, of which he is an adjunct researcher (from June 1, 2004 to March 31, 2006).

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Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)b. John-no eego -ga-GEN English -NOM

wakaruwake.
understand reason‘the reason why John understands English.’Through the analysis, we found that there was no statistically significant difference ingrammaticality judgments between (3a) and (3b), but there was between (4) and each of (5ac), and between (6) and each of (7a-c).
(3) a. [NP-NOM predicate] N
b. [NP-GEN predicate] N(4) [NP-NOM NP-NOM stative predicate] N(5) a. [NP-GEN NP-NOM stative predicate] N
b. [NP-NOM NP-GEN stative predicate] N
c. [NP-GEN NP-GEN stative predicate] N(6) [adverb NP-NOM NP-NOM stative predicate] N(7) a. [adverb NP-GEN NP-NOM stative predicate] Nb. [adverb NP-NOM NP-GEN stative predicate] Nc. [adverb NP-GEN NP-GEN stative predicate] N
Based on the findings, we argue that the Nominative/Genitive alternation in multiple
Nominative constructions is only an illusion, and Genitive Case is not actually licensed within
the constructions. We claim that the NP marked with Genitive Case is base-generated in DP
SPEC, where it is licensed.
The organization of this paper is as follows. Section 2 introduces the materials andmethodology to be used in this research. Section 3 statistically analyzes the collected data,
and Section 4 summarizes the results of the analysis. Section 5 discusses the implications of
the findings, and Section 6 concludes the paper.
2. Materials and Methodology
This research was started in June of 2004, and all the data were collected by the end of
November of 2004. In this study, we obtained 22 samples of data from either graduate
students of linguistics, or graduates of a linguistics program, who had been trained to judge
the grammaticality of data based on minimal pairs. The informants (14 men and 8 women,
average age 26 years old) consisted of 20 graduate students from the Graduate School of the
University of Tokyo (11), the Graduate School of Osaka University (5), the Graduate Schoolof the University of Tsukuba (2), the Graduate School of Gifu University (1), and the
Graduate School of the University of Connecticut (1), and 2 college instructors who had- 99 -

Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

already graduated from a doctorate program of linguistics. Below, we will show the materials
and methodology of this research.

2.1. Materials
In this study, we examined three environments where the Nominative/Genitive
alternation can potentially take place, as shown in (8a-c), respectively.
(8) a. [[NP predicate] N]
b. [[NP1 NP2 stative predicate] N]
c. [[adverb NP1 NP2 stative predicate] N]
Note that for (8b), stative predicates such as wakaru ‘to understand’ and sukina ‘to like’ may
take two NPs marked Nominative. We used the two stative predicates wakaru ‘to understand’and sukina ‘to like’ in this study, as it was relatively easy to construct the relevant examples
that conform to both the structures in (8b) and (8c).
In the questionnaire, we asked each participant to indicate the degree to which s/he would
judge each of the examples on the three level scale shown in (9).
(9) The Scale
1 totally ungrammatical
2 not perfectly grammatical
3 perfectly grammatical
We used the scale in (9), following the statistical work on the Nominative/Genitive alternationin Japanese by Harada (1976).
2.2. Methodology
In this study, we used a t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means (hereafter, t-Test) toanalyze the data. As illustration, let us consider the result of the t-Test of Q1 and Q2.
Q1. Hato -ga
iru kooen.
pigeon-NOM be park
‘the park where pigeons are.’
Q2. Hato -no iru kooen.
pigeon-GEN be park
‘the park where pigeons are.’We use the data that scored a 3 (perfectly grammatical) and a 1 (totally ungrammatical) on thescale in the following discussion, and the level of statistical significance is p < .05. Observe(10).

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Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)(10) The Result of the t-Test (Q1 and Q2)
Q1 (3)
Mean
Observations
t StatP(T<=t) two-tailt Critical two tailQ2 (3)
1 0.954545
22
22
10.328695
2.079614

In the first line, Q1 (3) and Q2 (3) indicate the data that scored a 3 on the scale in theseexamples. In the second line, the mean is 1 for Q1 (3) and about .95 for Q2 (3). This meansthat 100% of the entire group of participants judged Q1 perfectly grammatical, and about 95%of the same group of participants judged Q2 perfectly grammatical. We would like to know if
there is a statistically significant difference between the two sets of data. For this purpose, weneed to look at the last line (t Critical two tail (about 2.1)) and the third line from the bottom(t Stat (about 1)). If the absolute value of t Stat is larger than t Critical two tail, it means that
there is a statistically significant difference between the two sets of data. Therefore, (10)shows that there is not a statistically significant difference between those who judge Q1
perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q2 perfectly grammatical.
A note is in order on how to interpret the statistical results. It is not true that a statisticallysignificant difference between those who judge Example X perfectly grammatical, and those
who judge Example Y which constitutes a minimal pair with Example X, perfectly
grammatical, means that either of the examples is linguistically ungrammatical. This isbecause a statistically significant difference between the two sets of data may be observed,
when 100% of the entire group of informants judge Example X perfectly grammatical, and
80% of the same group of informants judge Example Y perfectly grammatical. In this paper,
as a guideline for the grammaticality of the examples under examination, we assume that
Example X is considered to be “not grammatical,” if there is a statistically significant
difference between those who judge Example X perfectly grammatical/totally ungrammaticaland those who judge Example Y that constitutes a minimal pair with Example X perfectly
grammatical/totally ungrammatical, and less than 50% of the entire group of informants judge
Example X perfectly grammatical.
3. Analysis
In this section, we analyze the collected data. We examine the data that were marked 3(perfectly grammatical) in 3.1., and the data that were marked 1 (totally ungrammatical) in 3.2.
We see the data from two points of view (the scale of perfect grammaticality and the scale oftotal ungrammaticality), in order not to become biased by the results based on one particularpoint of view. Within each subsection, we examine (1) the bottom line data which only

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Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

contain one NP, (2) the data with multiple NPs, and (3) the data with a sentence-initial adverb
and multiple NPs.
3.1. The Data Marked 3 (Perfectly Grammatical)
3.1.1. The Bottom Line DataFirst, we analyze the data in Questions 3 and 4 using a t-Test. The result of the t-Test is
shown in (11).
Q3. Yuki -ga
futta hi.
snow-NOM fell day‘the day it snowed.’
Q4. Yuki -no
futta hi.
snow-GEN fell day‘the day it snowed.’(11) The Result of the t-Test (Q3 and Q4)
Q3 (3)
Mean
Observations
t StatP(T<=t) two-tailt Critical two tail122
1.449138
0.162069
2.079614

Q4 (3)
0.909091
22

In (11), the absolute value of t Stat (about 1.4) is smaller than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (11) shows that there is not a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q3 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q4 perfectly grammatical.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 5 and 6 using a t-Test. The result of the t-Test
is shown in (12).
Q5. Jikan-ga
aru hito -wa, kite kudasai.
time -NOM have person -Top come please‘Those who have time, please come.’
Q6. Jikan-no
aru hito -wa, kite kudasai.
time -GEN have person -Top come please‘Those who have time, please come.’- 102 -

Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)(12) The Result of the t-Test (Q5 and Q6)
Q5 (3)
Q6 (3)
Mean
1 0.863636
Observations
22
22
t Stat1.820931
P(T<=t) two-tail0.082898
t Critical two tail 2.079614
In (12), the absolute value of t Stat (about 1.8) is smaller than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (12) shows that there is not a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q5 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q6 perfectly grammatical.
In the following discussion, as the number of the samples and t Critical two tail are 22
and about 2.1, respectively, we do not include them in the charts.
3.1.2. The Data with Multiple NPs
Let us then turn to the data with multiple NPs. First, we analyze the data in Questions 7
and 8 using a t-Test. In Question 8, the order of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-NOM. The
result of the t-Test is shown in (13).
Q7. Shinjoo -ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’Q8 Shinjoo-no, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
-GEN English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’(13) The Result of the t-Test (Q7 and Q8)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ7 (3)
Q8 (3)
0.863636 0.363636
3.924283
0.000778

In (13), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.9) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (13) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q7 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q8 perfectly grammatical.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 9 and 10 using a t-Test. In Question 10, theorder of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (14).

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Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

Q9. Shinjoo-ga, eego - ga
wakaruwake.
-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’Q10. Shinjoo-ga,
eego -no wakaru
wake.
-NOM English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’(14) The Result of the t-Test (Q9 and Q10)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ9 (3)
Q10 (3)0.818182 0.363636
3.177445
0.004535

In (14), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.2) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (14) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q9 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q10 perfectly grammatical.
Third, we analyze the data in Questions 11 and 12 using a t-Test. In Question 12, theorder of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (15).
Q11. Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’Q12. Shinjoo-no,eego -no wakaru
wake.
-GEN English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’(15) The Result of the t-Test (Q11 and Q12)
Q11 (3)Q12 (3)Mean
0.863636 0.409091
T Stat3.177445
P(T<=t) two-tail0.004535
In (15), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.2) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (15) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q11 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q12 perfectly grammatical.

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Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)Let us then examine the examples with the other stative predicate sukina ‘to like.’ First,
we analyze the data in Questions 13 and 14 using a t-Test. In Question 14, the order of the
two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-NOM. The result of the t-Test is shown in (16).
Q13. Ichiroo -ga, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-NOM baseball-NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q14. Ichiroo -no, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-GEN baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’(16) The Result of the t-Test (Q13 and Q14)
Q13 (3)Q14 (3)Mean
1 0.727273
t Stat2.806243
P(T<=t) two-tail0.01058
In (16), the absolute value of t Stat (about 2.8) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (16) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q13 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q14 perfectly grammatical.
Note, however, that 100% of the entire group of informants judged Q13 perfectly
grammatical, and about 73% of the same group of informants judged Q14 perfectly
grammatical, although there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups.
Based on the guideline for the grammaticality of the examples under examination in this study,
we must admit that Q14 is not considered “not grammatical,” and its grammaticality statusneeds to be explained, which we will come back to later.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 15 and 16 using a t-Test. In Question 16, theorder of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (17).
Q15. Ichiroo -ga, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-NOM baseball -NOM like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q16. Ichiroo -ga, yakyuu -no
sukina wake.
-NOM baseball -GEN like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’- 105 -

Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005(17) The Result of the t-Test (Q15 and Q16)
Q15 (3)Q16 (3)Mean
1 0.318182
t Stat
6.708204
P(T<=t) two-tail1.23E-06
In (17), the absolute value of t Stat (about 6.7) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (17) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q15 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q16 perfectly grammatical.
Third, we analyze the data in Questions 17 and 18 using a t-Test. In Question 18, theorder of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (18).
Q17. Ichiroo -ga, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-NOM baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q18. Ichiroo -no, yakyuu -no sukina wake.
-GEN baseball -GEN likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’(18) The Result of the t-Test (Q17 and Q18)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ17 (3)
Q18 (3)0.954545 0.545455
3.812933
0.001015

In (18), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.8) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (18) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q17 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q18 perfectly grammatical.
Note, again, that about 95% of the entire group of informants judged Q17 perfectly
grammatical, and about 55% of the same group of informants judged Q18 perfectly
grammatical, although there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups.
Given the guideline for the grammaticality of the examples under examination in this study,
Q18 is not “not grammatical.” The grammaticality of this example needs to be explained,
which we will come back to later.

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Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)3.1.3. The Data with a Sentence-Initial Adverb and Multiple NPs
Let us then examine the data with a sentence-initial adverb and multiple NPs. First, weanalyze the data in Questions 19 and 20 using a t-Test. In Question 20, the order of the two
NPs is NP-GEN and NP-NOM. The result of the t-Test is shown in (19).
Q19. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
than-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’
Q20. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-no, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
than-GEN English-NOM understand reasonv‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’(19) The Result of the t-Test (Q19 and Q20)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ19 (3)
Q20 (3)0.863636 0.136364
6.196773
3.79E-06

In (19), the absolute value of t Stat (about 6.2) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (19) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q19 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q20 perfectly grammatical.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 21 and 22 using a t-Test. In Question 22, theorder of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (20).
Q21. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
than-NOM English -NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’Q22. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga, eego -no wakaru
wake.
than
-NOM English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’(20) The Result of the t-Test (Q21 and Q22)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ21 (3)
Q22 (3)0.818182 0.363636
3.177445
0.004535- 107 -

Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

In (20), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.2) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (20) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q21 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q22 perfectly grammatical.
Third, we analyze the data in Questions 23 and 24 using a t-Test. In Question 24, theorder of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (21).
Q23. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
than-NOM English -NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’
Q24. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-no, eego -no wakaru
wake.
than
-GEN English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’(21) The Result of the t-Test (Q23 and Q24)
Q23 (3)
Q24 (3)Mean
0.863636 0.409091
t Stat3.177445
P(T<=t) two-tail0.004535
In (21), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.2) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (21) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q23 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q24 perfectly grammatical.
Let us then examine the examples with the other stative predicate sukina ‘to like.’ First,
we analyze the data in Questions 25 and 26 using a t-Test. In Question 26, the order of the
two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-NOM. The result of the t-Test is shown in (22).
Q25. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-ga, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
than-NOM baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’
Q26. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-no, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
than-GEN baseball-NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’- 108 -

Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)(22) The Result of the t-Test (Q25 and Q26)
Q25 (3)
Q26 (3)Mean
0.909091 0.136364
t Stat
6.859046
P(T<=t) two-tail8.84E-07
In (22), the absolute value of t Stat (about 6.9) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (22) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q25 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q26 perfectly grammatical.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 27 and 28 using a t-Test. In Question 28, theorder of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (23).
Q27. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-ga, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
than-NOM baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’
Q28. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-ga, yakyuu -no sukina wake.
than-NOM baseball-GEN likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’(23) The Result of the t-Test (Q27 and Q28)
Q27 (3)
Q28 (3)Mean
0.863636 0.363636
t Stat3.924283
P(T<=t) two-tail0.000778
In (23), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.9) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (23) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q27 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q28 perfectly grammatical.
Third, we analyze the data in Questions 29 and 30 using a t-Test. In Question 30, theorder of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (24).
Q29. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-ga,
yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
than-NOM baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’- 109 -

Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

Q30. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-no, yakyuu -no sukina wake.
than-GEN baseball -GEN like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’(24) The Result of the t-Test (Q29 and Q30)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ29 (3)
Q30 (3)0.863636 0.272727
4.695048
0.000124

In (24), the absolute value of t Stat (about 4.7) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (24) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q29 perfectly grammatical and those who judge Q30 perfectly grammatical.
3.2. The Data Marked 1 (Totally Ungrammatical)
In this subsection, we examine the same examples from a different perspective. To be
precise, we examine the data that were marked 1 (totally ungrammatical), to see if there is astatistically significant difference between the two examples in each minimal pair.
3.2.1. The Bottom Line DataFirst, we analyze the data in Questions 3 and 4 using a t-Test. The result of the t-Test is
shown in (25).
Q3. Yuki -ga
futta hi.
snow-NOM fell day‘the day it snowed.’
Q4. Yuki -no futta hi.
snow-GEN fell day‘the day it snowed.’(25) The Result of the t-Test (Q3 and Q4)
Q3 (1)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tail0#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!

Q4 (1)0

In (25), the absolute value of t Stat (#DIV/0!) is not determined, as there were no informants
who marked Q3 and Q4 1 (totally ungrammatical). This indicates that there is not a
statistically significant difference between those who judge Q3 totally ungrammatical andthose who judge Q4 totally ungrammatical- 110 -

Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)Second, we analyze the data in Questions 5 and 6 using a t-Test. The result of the t-Test
is shown in (26).
Q5. Jikan-ga
aru hito -wa, kite kudasai.
time -NOM have person-Top come please‘Those who have time, please come.’
Q6. Jikan-no aru hito -wa, kite kudasai.
time -GEN have person -Top come please‘Those who have time, please come.’(26) The Result of the t-Test (Q5 and Q6)
Q5 (1)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ6 (1)

0#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!

0

Just as in (25), in (26), the absolute value of t Stat (#DIV/0!) is not determined, as there were
no informants who marked Q5 and Q6 1 (totally ungrammatical). Therefore, there is not a
statistically significant difference between those who judge Q5 totally ungrammatical andthose who judge Q6 totally ungrammatical.
3.2.2. The Data with Multiple NPs
Let us then examine the data with multiple NPs. First, we analyze the data in Questions 7
and 8 using a t-Test. In Question 8, the order of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The
result of the t-Test is shown in (29).
Q7. Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’Q8. Shinjoo-no, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
-GEN English -NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’- 111 -

Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005(27) The Result of the t-Test (Q7 and Q8)
Q7 (1)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tail0-2.80624
0.01058

Q8 (1)
0.272727

In (27), the absolute value of t Stat (about 2.8) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, there is a statistically significant difference between those who judge Q7 totallyungrammatical and those who judge Q8 totally ungrammatical.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 9 and 10 using a t-Test. In Question 10, theorder of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (28).
Q9. Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’Q10. Shinjoo-ga, eego -no wakaru
wake.
-NOM English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’(28) The Result of the t-Test (Q9 and Q10)
Q9 (1)
Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ10 (1)
0 0.227273-2.48525
0.02145

In (28), the absolute value of t Stat (about 2.5) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, there is a statistically significant difference between those who judge Q9 totallyungrammatical and those who judge Q10 totally ungrammatical.
Third, we analyze the data in Questions 11 and 12 using a t-Test. In Question 12, theorder of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (29).
Q11. Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’Q12. Shinjoo-no, eego -no wakaru
wake.
-GEN English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’- 112 -

Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)(29) The Result of the t-Test (Q11 and Q12)
Q11 (1)Q12 (1)
Mean
0 0.090909
t Stat-1.44914
P(T<=t) two-tail0.162069
In (29), the absolute value of t Stat (about 1.4) is not larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, there is not a statistically significant difference between those who judge Q11
totally ungrammatical and those who judge Q12 totally ungrammatical. Given the guideline
for the grammaticality of the examples under examination, this result indicates that Q12 is not“not grammatical.” We will come back to this point later.
Let us then examine the examples with the other stative predicate sukina ‘to like.’ First,
we analyze the data in Questions 13 and 14 using a t-Test. In Question 14, the order of the
two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-NOM. The result of the t-Test is shown in (30).
Q13. Ichiroo-ga, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-NOM baseball-NOM like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q14. Ichiroo-no, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-GEN baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’(30) The Result of the t-Test (Q13 and Q14)
Q13 (1)Q14 (1)
Mean
0 0.090909
t Stat-1.44914
P(T<=t) two-tail0.162069
In (30), again, the absolute value of t Stat (about 1.4) is not larger than t Critical two tail(about 2.1). Therefore, there is not a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q13 totally ungrammatical and those who judge Q14 totally ungrammatical. Given theguideline for the grammaticality of the examples under examination, this result indicates that
Q14 is not “not grammatical.” We will come back to this point later.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 15 and 16 using a t-Test. In Question 16, theorder of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (31).

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Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

Q15. Ichiroo-ga, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-NOM baseball-NOM like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q16. Ichiroo-ga, yakyuu -no sukina wake.
-NOM baseball-GEN likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’(31) The Result of the t-Test (Q15 and Q16)
Q15 (1)
Q16 (1)
Mean
0 0.227273
t Stat-2.48525
P(T<=t) two-tail0.02145
In (31), the absolute value of t Stat (about 2.5) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, there is a statistically significant difference between those who judge Q15 totallyungrammatical and those who judge Q16 totally ungrammatical.
Third, we analyze the data in Questions 17 and 18 using a t-Test. In Question 18, theorder of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (32).
Q17. Ichiroo-ga, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-NOM baseball-NOM like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q18. Ichiroo-no, yakyuu -no sukina wake.
-GEN baseball-GEN like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’(32) The Result of the t-Test (Q17 and Q18)
Q17 (1)Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ18 (1)
0 0.181818-2.16025
0.042463

In (32), the absolute value of t Stat (about 2.2) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, there is a statistically significant difference between those who judge Q17 totallyungrammatical and those who judge Q18 totally ungrammatical.

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Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)3.2.3. The Data with a Sentence-Initial Adverb and Multiple NPs
Let us finally examine the data with a sentence-initial adverb and multiple NPs. First, weanalyze the data in Questions 19 and 20 using a t-Test. The result of the t-Test is shown in(33).
Q19. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga wakaru
wake.
than
-NOM English -NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’
Q20. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-no,
than

eego

-ga

wakaruwake.

-GEN English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’(33) The Result of the t-Test (Q19 and Q20)
Q19 (1)Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ20 (1)
0 0.409091-3.81293
0.001015

In (33), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.9) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (33) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q19 totally ungrammatical and those who judge Q20 totally ungrammatical.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 21 and 22 using a t-Test. In Question 22, theorder of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (34).
Q21. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga,
than

eego

-ga

wakaruwake.

-NOM English -NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’Q22. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga,
than

eego

-no

wakaruwake.

-NOM English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’(34) The Result of the t-Test (Q21 and Q22)
Q21 (1)
Q22 (1)
Mean
0 0.136364
t Stat-1.82093
P(T<=t) two-tail0.082898- 115 -

Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

In (34), the absolute value of t Stat (about 1.8) is not larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (34) shows that there is not a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q21 totally ungrammatical and those who judge Q22 totally ungrammatical. Given theguideline for the grammaticality of the examples under examination, this result indicates that
Q22 is not “not grammatical.” We will come back to this point later.
Third, we analyze the data in Questions 23 and 24 using a t-Test. In Question 24, theorder of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (35).
Q23. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga,
than

eego

-ga

wakaruwake.

-NOM English -NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’
Q24. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-no, eego -no wakaru
wake.
than
-GEN English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’(35) The Result of the t-Test (Q23 and Q24)
Q23 (1)Meant StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ24 (1)
0 0.409091-3.81293
0.001015

In (35), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.8) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (35) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q23 totally ungrammatical and those who judge Q24 totally ungrammatical.
Let us then examine the examples with the other stative predicate sukina ‘to like.’ First,
we analyze the data in Questions 25 and 26 using a t-Test. In Question 26, the order of the
two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-NOM. The result of the t-Test is shown in (36).
Q25. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-ga,
than

yakyuu -ga

sukina wake.

-NOM baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’
Q26. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-no,
thanyakyuu -ga

sukina wake.

-GEN baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’- 116 -

Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)(36) The Result of the t-Test (Q25 and Q26)
Q25 (1)
Q26 (1)Mean
0 0.363636
t Stat-3.4641
P(T<=t) two-tail0.002321
In (36), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.5) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, there is a statistically significant difference between those who judge Q25 totallyungrammatical and those who judge Q26 totally ungrammatical.
Second, we analyze the data in Questions 27 and 28 using a t-Test. In Question 28, theorder of the two NPs is NP-NOM and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in (37).
Q27. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-ga,
than

yakyuu -ga

sukina wake.

-NOM baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’
Q28. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-ga,
than

yakyuu -no

sukina wake.

-NOM baseball-GEN likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’(37) The Result of the t-Test (Q27 and Q28)
Q27 (1)
Q28 (1)Mean
0 0.363636
t Stat-3.4641
P(T<=t) two-tail0.002321
In (37), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.5) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, there is a statistically significant difference between those who judge Q27 totallyungrammatical and those who judge Q28 totally ungrammatical.
Third, and finally, we analyze the data in Questions 29 and 30 using a t-Test. In Question
30, the order of the two NPs is NP-GEN and NP-GEN. The result of the t-Test is shown in(38).
Q29. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-ga,
than

yakyuu -ga

sukina wake.

-NOM baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’- 117 -

Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

Q30. Shinjoo yori, Ichiroo-no, yakyuu -no sukina wake.
than-GEN baseball -GEN like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball more than Shinjo.’(38) The Result of the t-Test (Q29 and Q30)
Q29 (1)Mean
T StatP(T<=t) two-tailQ30 (1)
0 0.409091-3.81293
0.001015

In (38), the absolute value of t Stat (about 3.8) is larger than t Critical two tail (about 2.1).
Therefore, (38) shows that there is a statistically significant difference between those who
judge Q29 totally ungrammatical and those who judge Q30 totally ungrammatical.
4. Results
The results of the analysis are summarized below. First, as for the data marked 3, there
was a statistically significant difference between those who judged Example X perfectly
grammatical and those who judged Example Y that constitutes a minimal pair with Example
X perfectly grammatical, except the bottom line data. Under the guideline for thegrammaticality of the examples under examination, where Example X is considered to be “notgrammatical,” if there is a statistically significant difference between those who judge
Example X perfectly grammatical/totally ungrammatical and those who judge Example Y that
constitutes a minimal pair with Example X perfectly grammatical/totally ungrammatical, andless than 50% of the entire group of informants judge Example X perfectly grammatical, all
the examples with a Genitive argument were considered “not grammatical,” except thebottom line data, Q14, and Q18. The latter two are reproduced below.
Q14. Ichiroo-no, yakyuu -ga
sukina wake.
-GEN baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q18. Ichiroo-no, yakyuu -no sukina wake.
-GEN baseball-GEN like reason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’We will consider why this is so in the next section.
Second, as for the data marked 1, there was a statistically significant difference between
those who judged Example X totally ungrammatical and those who judged Example Y that
constitutes a minimal pair with Example X totally ungrammatical, except the bottom line data
and the three minimal pairs reproduced below.

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Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)Q11. Shinjoo-ga, eego -ga
wakaruwake.
-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’Q12. Shinjoo-no,

eego

-no

wakaruwake.

-GEN English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English.’Q13. Ichiroo-ga,

yakyuu - gasukina wake.

-NOM baseball- NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q14. Ichiroo- no,yakyuu -ga

sukina wake.

-GEN baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q21. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga,
than

eego

-ga

wakaruwake.

-NOM English-NOM understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’Q22. Ichiroo yori, Shinjoo-ga,
than

eego

-no

wakaruwake.

-NOM English-GEN understand reason‘the reason why Shinjo understands English more than Ichiro.’
Given the guideline for the grammaticality of the examples under examination, all theexamples with a Genitive argument were considered “not grammatical,” except the bottom
line data, Q12, Q14, and Q22.
Therefore, among the examples with a Genitive argument, Q12, Q14, Q18, and Q22,
along with the bottom line data, were not considered “not grammatical.” We will consider
what these facts suggest in the next section.
5. Discussion
The most striking finding in this study is the fact that with the exception of Q12, Q14,
and Q18, a Genitive argument cannot appear in multiple Nominative constructions shown in(8b).

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Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005(8) a. [[NP predicate] N]
b. [[NP1 NP2 stative predicate] N]
c. [[adverb NP1 NP2 stative predicate] N]
Furthermore, occurrence of a Genitive argument is totally prohibited in (8c), where an adverb
is placed in the sentence-initial position, with the exception of Q22. If a Genitive argument
were licensed in situ by a nominal head in terms of Agree (Chomsky (2000)), it would be able
to freely appear in (8c). The fact that this is not the case suggests that a Genitive argument
cannot be licensed in situ within the sentential modifier.
Alternatively, one could argue that a Genitive argument in (8a-c) may move to the SPECof D, which takes the NP. However, as Ochi (2001) argues, a relative clause is an adjunct, andmovement of the Genitive argument into DP SPEC in overt syntax would lead to a violationof the Condition on Extraction Domain (CED) proposed by Huang (1982). Note that the
hypothesis that a Genitive argument may move into DP SPEC (or the Genitive Case feature
may move to D) in covert syntax (Miyagawa (1993)) would lead to overgeneration, under theassumption that a relative clause is transparent for covert movement (Huang (1982)).
Furthermore, in the structure in (8b), when the Genitive argument is not placed in thesentence-initial position, the example is considered to be “not grammatical.” Compare Q14
and Q18 on one hand, and Q16 on the other.
Q14. Ichiroo-no,

yakyuu -ga

sukina wake.

-GEN baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q18. Ichiroo-no,

yakyuu -no

sukina wake.

-GEN baseball-GEN likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’Q16. Ichiroo-ga,

yakyuu -no

sukina wake.

-NOM baseball-GEN likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’We saw that while 73% of the informants judged Q14 perfectly grammatical, and 55% of theinformants judged Q18 perfectly grammatical, only 32% of the same informants judged Q16
perfectly grammatical.
Based on the above arguments, we suggest that a Genitive argument, if the sentence with
it is grammatical, is base-generated in DP SPEC, functioning as a modifier of the noun, rather
than as a subject of the sentential modifier, and there is a (covert) pronoun that refers to it in
the prenominal sentential modifier, as shown in (39).

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Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative Constructions in Japanese (H. Maki et al.)(39) [DP NP-GENi [[...proi...] N] D]
The claim that NP-GEN functions as a modifier of the noun is supported by the fact that Q14,
for instance, and (40) can have the same interpretation.
Q14. Ichiroo-no,

yakyuu -ga

sukina wake.

-GEN baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason why Ichiro likes baseball.’(40) Ichirooi-nitsuite-no,

yatsui-ga-about -GEN he-NOM/proi yakyuu -ga

sukina wake.

baseball -NOM likereason‘the reason, about Ichiro, why he likes baseball.’In (40), the [NP-about-GEN] is in DP SPEC, and functions as a modifier of the noun. Given
the fact that Q14 and (40) can have the same interpretation, it is plausible to hypothesize thatin Q14, NP-GEN is in DP SPEC, functioning as a modifier of the noun.
The base-generation hypothesis, which was originally due to Bedell (1972), accounts forthe fact that most of the examples containing the multiple Nominative construction are
considered to be “not grammatical.” This is because the Genitive argument is within thesentential modifier in the computation by the subjects, and thus, it is not licensed by D.
The base-generation hypothesis also accounts for the other fact that Q12, Q14, and Q18
are not considered to be “not grammatical.” In Q12 and Q14, the Genitive argument is placedin the sentence-initial position, and in Q18, one Genitive argument, which is directly followedby another Genitive argument, is placed in the sentence-initial position. Therefore, it ispossible for the Genitive argument(s) to be base-generated in DP SPEC in the computation by
the subjects, which explains why Q12, Q14, and Q18 are not considered to be “notgrammatical.”Finally, let us comment on Q22. The base-generation hypothesis would predict that Q22
is ungrammatical, because the Genitive argument, which is not placed in the sentence-initial
position, cannot be base-generated at DP SPEC. However, there was not a statisticallysignificant difference between those who judged Q21 totally ungrammatical and those who
judged Q22 totally ungrammatical. With our present understanding, we cannot account forthis fact. However, we know that there was a statistically significant difference between those
who judged Q21 perfectly grammatical (82%) and those who judged Q22 perfectly
grammatical (36%). In order to fully understand why there was not a statistically significant
difference between those who judged Q21 totally ungrammatical and those who judged Q22
totally ungrammatical, it is necessary to collect more data. We will leave this for future
research.

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Nanzan Linguistics 3: Research Results and Activities 2005

6. Conclusion
In this study, we found that there was no statistically significant difference ingrammaticality judgments between (41a) and (41b), but there was between (42) and each of(43a-c), and between (44) and each of (45a-c).
(41) a. [NP-NOM predicate] N
b. [NP-GEN predicate] N(42) [NP-NOM NP-NOM stative predicate] N(43) a. [NP-GEN NP-NOM stative predicate] N
b. [NP-NOM NP-GEN stative predicate] N
c. [NP-GEN NP-GEN stative predicate] N(44) [adverb NP-NOM NP-NOM stative predicate] N(45) a. [adverb NP-GEN NP-NOM stative predicate] Nb. [adverb NP-NOM NP-GEN stative predicate] Nc. [adverb NP-GEN NP-GEN stative predicate] N
We argued that these findings suggest that the Nominative/Genitive alternation in multiple
Nominative constructions is only an illusion, and the NP marked with Genitive Case islicensed, when it is base-generated in DP SPEC.

References
Bedell, G. (1972) “On no,” UCLA Papers in Syntax 3: Studies in East Asian Syntax, 1-20.
Chomsky, N. (2000) “Minimalist Inquiries: the Framework,” in R. Martin, D. Michaels, and J.
Uriagereka, eds., Step By Step: Essays on Minimalism in Honor of Howard Lasnik, MIT Press,
Cambridge, Mass, 89-155.
Harada, S.-I. (1976) “Ga-No Conversion Revisited - A Reply to Shibatani -,” Gengo Kenkyu 70, 23-38.
Huang, C.-T. J. (1982) Logical Relations in Chinese and the Theory of Grammar, Ph.D. dissertation,MIT.
Maki, H. and T. Morishima (2005) “The Nominative/Genitive Alternation in Multiple Nominative
Constructions in Japanese: A Statistical Analysis,” Paper read at the 72nd Southeastern
Conference on Linguistics.
Miyagawa, S. (1993) “Case-Checking and Minimal Link Condition,” MIT Working Papers in
Linguistics 19, 213-254.
Ochi, M. (2001) “Move F and Ga/No Conversion in Japanese,” Journal of East Asian Linguistics 10,
247-286.

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