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SEMINAR B(2)
| Lecturer(s) | YAMADA, AKITAKA |
|---|---|
| Credit(s) | 2 |
| Academic Year/Semester | 2025 Fall |
| Day/Period | Fri.5 |
| Campus | SFC |
| Class Format | Face-to-face classes (conducted mainly in-person) |
| Registration Number | 48094 |
| Faculty/Graduate School | POLICY MANAGEMENT / ENVIRONMENT AND INFORMATION STUDIES |
| Year Level | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Field | RESEARCH SEMINARS SEMINARS |
| Grade Type | This item will appear when you log in (Keio ID required). |
| Prerequisites(Recommended) | ・「理論言語学(ことばの構造の分析)」（今学期開講される） |
| Related Classes | C2056 語彙意味論/LEXICAL SEMANTICS AND MENTAL DICTIONARIES C2057 認知言語論/ISSUES IN COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS |
| Recommended Knowledge | もう一つの研究会Bを並行して取っていると望ましい |
| Lesson URL | This item will appear when you log in (Keio ID required). |
| Location | SFC |
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| K-Number | FPE-CO-05003-211-88 |
| Course Administrator | Faculty/Graduate School | FPE | POLICY MANAGEMENT / ENVIRONMENT AND INFORMATION STUDIES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department/Major | CO | ||
| Main Course Number | Level | 0 | Faculty-wide |
| Major Classification | 5 | Research Seminars | |
| Minor Classification | 00 | Seminar | |
| Subject Type | 3 | Elective subject | |
| Supplemental Course Information | Class Classification | 2 | Lecture |
| Class Format | 1 | Face-to-face classes (conducted mainly in-person) | |
| Language of Instruction | 1 | Japanese | |
| Academic Discipline | 88 | Comprehensive / Integrated Areas (Interdisciplinary Studies) | |
Course Summary
In this seminar, "Practices in Theoretical Linguistics," we will learn various frameworks of linguistics each semester, analyze linguistic data, and enhance our analytical skills in theoretical linguistics.
Course Description/Objectives/Teaching Method/Intended Learning Outcome
In the Fall semester of 2025, this seminar will focus on "verbs," which have played a central role in the development of linguistic theory.
Let’s begin by looking at the following two sentences:
(1) The boy broke the vase.
(2) The vase broke.
In the transitive sentence (1), "the vase" appears as the object. In the intransitive version (2), however, it surfaces as the subject.
But does this kind of correspondence always hold? Let’s look at the next pair. (* indicates the sentence is ungrammatical.)
(3) The boy broke the school regulation.
(4) *The school regulation broke.
Why does such a contrast exist? Is English being “weird”?
Actually, it doesn’t seem to be just English. Japanese shows a similar pattern. Consider the following:
(5) 男の子が 障子を 破った。
(otokonoko-ga syoozi-o yabut-ta).
(6) 障子が 破れた。
(syoozi-ga yabure-ta).
Just like in (1)/(2), when the verb becomes intransitive, the object appears in subject position (marked by が). It’s quite surprising that Japanese and English—languages that are so different—exhibit such similar behavior. Curious, isn’t it?
Now take a look at (7) and (8). When we replace “障子” (shoji 'paper door') with “校則” (school regulation), only the transitive form is acceptable, just like in English examples (3)/(4).
(7) 男の子が 校則を 破った。
(otokonoko-ga koosoku-o yabut-ta).
(8) *校則が 破れた。
(koosoku-ga yabure-ta).
Why do such unexpected similarities occur across unrelated languages like English and Japanese?
Linguists take such data seriously. These aren’t likely to be mere coincidences. It makes more sense to assume that there are common features underlying individual languages—properties that stem from our shared human capacity for language.
By comparing English and Japanese, we can explore the general properties of human language. Doesn’t that sound fascinating?
In this seminar, we will investigate these patterns through the lens of verbs, comparing English and Japanese to explore what such structures reveal about human language. If this kind of topic intrigues you, we warmly encourage you to enroll.
Let’s begin by looking at the following two sentences:
(1) The boy broke the vase.
(2) The vase broke.
In the transitive sentence (1), "the vase" appears as the object. In the intransitive version (2), however, it surfaces as the subject.
But does this kind of correspondence always hold? Let’s look at the next pair. (* indicates the sentence is ungrammatical.)
(3) The boy broke the school regulation.
(4) *The school regulation broke.
Why does such a contrast exist? Is English being “weird”?
Actually, it doesn’t seem to be just English. Japanese shows a similar pattern. Consider the following:
(5) 男の子が 障子を 破った。
(otokonoko-ga syoozi-o yabut-ta).
(6) 障子が 破れた。
(syoozi-ga yabure-ta).
Just like in (1)/(2), when the verb becomes intransitive, the object appears in subject position (marked by が). It’s quite surprising that Japanese and English—languages that are so different—exhibit such similar behavior. Curious, isn’t it?
Now take a look at (7) and (8). When we replace “障子” (shoji 'paper door') with “校則” (school regulation), only the transitive form is acceptable, just like in English examples (3)/(4).
(7) 男の子が 校則を 破った。
(otokonoko-ga koosoku-o yabut-ta).
(8) *校則が 破れた。
(koosoku-ga yabure-ta).
Why do such unexpected similarities occur across unrelated languages like English and Japanese?
Linguists take such data seriously. These aren’t likely to be mere coincidences. It makes more sense to assume that there are common features underlying individual languages—properties that stem from our shared human capacity for language.
By comparing English and Japanese, we can explore the general properties of human language. Doesn’t that sound fascinating?
In this seminar, we will investigate these patterns through the lens of verbs, comparing English and Japanese to explore what such structures reveal about human language. If this kind of topic intrigues you, we warmly encourage you to enroll.
Research Seminar Theme
Practices in Theoretical Linguistics
Project Theme (next semester)
TBA
Active Learning MethodsDescription
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Preparatory Study
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Course Plan
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Method of Evaluation
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Textbooks
Kageyama, T (ed). (2001). Dooshi no imi to koobun. Taishukan Publishers
Reference Books
TBA (I will let you know in our first meeting)
Lecturer's Comments to Students
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Remarks
This seminar will be offered for the first time in the 2025 academic year (as the instructor was appointed in the spring of 2025). Please be aware that, since this is the inaugural year, the schedule is subject to significant changes based on student requests and other factors.