The Existence of Empty Relative Operators in Japanese
YAMASHITA Hiroshi
Abstract
It has widely been claimed in the literature, especially in the field of Japanese linguistics, that Japaneseshares with other major languages in that it possesses relative constructions, but unlike English and manyother languages, it lacks relative pronouns. However, I will claim in this work that Japanese also has arelative pronoun, the one we also find in English, i.e., an empty non-lexical operator.
Key words: relative construction, relative pronoun, operator, non-lexical

1 Introduction

constructions but does not make use of relative

Many researchers studying Japanese believe thatpronouns. Thus, the structure for such sentences as

although Japanese has relative constructions, itin ⑴ above is thought to be as in ⑵ .

lacks relative pronouns. Thus, they believe relative
sentences like ⑴ below have the structure as in ⑵ .

⑴ Kore-ga kabeni shoutotsushita kurunma desu.
This is the car that hit the wall.

⑴ Kore-ga kabe-ni shoutotsushita kurunma desu.
⑵ Kore-ga [kabe-ni shoutotsushita] kurunma desu.

This is the car that hit the wall.

This⑵ Kore-ga [kabe-ni shoutotsushita] kurunma desu.
Thiswallhit

carwall

hit

car

is

This is the car that hit the wall.

isThis is the car that hit the wall.

But, as you may have noticed, this structure
seems to be a little bit strange as it lacks a subject inHowever, I will claim in this paper that there is

the relative clause marked with [ ] in ⑵ . At leastalso a relative pronoun in Japanese but it is always

in a tensed clause, a subject is always required, andnon-lexical. Thus, in my view, the structure for ⑴this is an essential part of the Extended Projection

will rather be as in ⑶ .

Principle of Chomsky(1982). The structure in ⑵,therefore, seems to be problematic as the structure⑶ Kore-ga [OP kabe-ni shoutotsushita] kurunma desu.
Thiswallhit

carfor ⑴ .

isThis is the car that hit the wall.

3 pro-drop Languages•OP = a non-lexical empty relative pronoun

Japanese is a language that can delete subjects
and objects if certain conditions are met. Thus, in

2 Relative Sentences in JapaneseJapanese the sentences in ⑷ and ⑸ are as good as

It is often claimed that Japanese does have relative

those in ⑹ and ⑺ with an overt subject or object.

山梨県立大学 国際政策学部 国際コミュニケーション学科
Department of International Studies and Communications, Faculty of Glocal Policy Management and Communications,
Yamanashi Prefectural University− 71 −

山梨国際研究山梨県立大学国際政策部紀要

No. 6（2011）⑷ Soko-ni iku deshou. (without an overt subject)

In this short section, we have seen that Japanese

There-to go willis one of the languages that allow non-lexical

I will go there.

subjects and objects。

⑸ Answer to the question; Did he buy the car there?

3 The Existence of Empty Relative Operators

Kare-ha soko-de kattayo.(without an overt object)

In the previous section, we have seen that

He

Japanese can make use of non-lexical subjects andthere-at boughtobjects(=pro). If this is true, we might think that

He bought it there.

⑼ would be the structure for such sentences as⑹ Watashi-ha soko-ni iku deshou. (with an overt subject)I⑴ , repeated here solely for the convenience of thereaders.

there-to go will

I will go there.
⑴ Kore-ga kabeni shoutotsushita kurunma desu.
⑺ Answer to the question; Did he buy the car there?

This is the car that hit the wall.

Kare-ha soko-de sore-wo kattayo. (with an overt⑼ Kore-ga [pro kabe-ni shoutotsushita] kurunma desu.

object)He

there-at itThisbought

wall

hit

caris

This is the car that hit the wall.

He bought it there.
What needs to be re-emphasized here is that not

Although ⑼ seems to be the right structure for ⑴ ,only ⑷ and ⑸, without an overt subject or object,

it is still too early to make a final decision. Thatbut also ⑹ and ⑺ , with an overt subject or object,

is because we also need to take into account theare acceptable in Japanese.

fact that in pro-drop languages, sentences with andIn order to produce such sentences as ⑷ and ⑸without a lexical subject/object are interchangeable.

in Japanese and some other languages without

In other words, as we have seen above, all theviolating the Extended Projection Principle, it has

sentences in ⑷ through ⑺ are equally acceptable inbeen proposed that in such languages, often referredthese languages.

to as pro-drop languages, empty subjects andobjects(=pro) can be present instead of overt ones.

⑷ Soko-niiku

If this proposal is on the right track, the sentences

There-to goin ⑷ and ⑸ would rather have the structures in ⑻,I will go there.

deshou..
will

where pro shows this empty subject/object. ;⑸ Answer to the question; Did he buy the car there?
⑻ a. pro soko-ni iku deshou. ＝ ⑷there-to go

Kare-ha soko-de kattayo.
Hewillthere-at bought

He bought it there.

I will go there.
b. Answer to the question; Did he buy the car there?

⑹ Watashi-ha soko-ni

Kare-ha soko-de pro kattayo. ＝ ⑸IHe

I will go there.

there-atboughtHe bought it there.

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there-toiku deshou.
gowillThe Existence of Empty Relative Operators in Japanese⑺ Answer to the question; Did he buy the car there?

These sentences are supposed to have theKare-hasoko-de sore-wo kattayo.

structures in ⒀, where empty relative operators areHe

there-at it

involved.

boughtHe bought it there.
⒀ a. This is the book
If a relative clause involved pro as in ⑼, weOP he wrote t.

would naturally expect that a relative clause withb. This is the housean overt subject should also be equally acceptable,

OP I live in t.

which is not the case as you can see from thec. This is the park

ungrammaticality of ⑽ below.

OP I met him first t.
The writer believes the same type of operator is⑽ *Kore-ga [kuruma-ga kabe-ni shoutotsushita]

involved in ⑾ .

kurunma desu.
Thiscarcar

iswall

4 Conclusion

hit

Up until now, it has widely been assumed thatJapanese does not have a relative pronoun, butThis is the car that hit the wall.

in this paper I have presented evidence to prove
If the subject of the relative clause were to be pro,that this is not the right thing to say. I have here

we would wrongly expect that an overt version of

proposed instead that an empty relative operator

this subject as in ⑽ would also be acceptable.

is at work in Japanese relative sentences, just as

Here I will propose that ⑴ actually has thein sentences without an overt relative pronoun/

structure in ⑾, where OP is an nonlexical relative

adverbial in English. This means English andpronoun

Japanese are common in that both use the same typeof a relative pronoun, i.e., an empty relative operator⑾ Korega [OP kabe-ni shoutotsushita] kurunma-desu.
Thiswallhitcar(OP), although relative pronouns can also be overt inEnglish but not in Japanese.

isThis is the car that hit the wall.
In ⑾ , the subject position of the relative clause isReferences

already filled by an empty relative pronoun OP. As

Chomsky, Noam(1981) Lectures on Government and Binding,the subject position is occupied, it can never be filled

Foris.

by another item as in ⑽ above.
Such non-lexical empty relative operators areChomsky, Noam(1982) Some Concepts and Consequences of theTheory of Government and Binding, MIT Press.

widely found in English as well. Consider thefollowing sentences in ⑿ .

Rizzi, Luigi(1986) “Null objects in Italian and the theory ofpro,” LI. 17, 501-57.

⑿ a. This is the book which he wrote.
b. This is the house I live in.
c. This is the park I met him first.

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