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The Flexibility of Causative Alternation and Syntactic Structure

  • The Japanese Language Association of Korea
  • Abbr : JLAK
  • 2025, (84), pp.141~160
  • DOI : 10.14817/jlak.2025.84.141
  • Publisher : The Japanese Language Association Of Korea
  • Research Area : Humanities > Japanese Language and Literature
  • Received : March 29, 2025
  • Accepted : May 20, 2025
  • Published : June 20, 2025

Kuang, Jingming 1,  Nishina, Yoko 1

1広島大学大学院　人間社会科学研究科

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study examines the different mechanisms of causative alternation in Japanese and Chinese. Japanese relies heavily on the lexical distinction between intransitive and transitive verbs, whereas Chinese facilitates productive causative alternation by creating compound verbs that combine action verbs with result-state verbs. Using Haspelmath's (1993) typological framework, we empirically analyze how these cross-linguistic differences in causative alternation influence verb productivity (for example, Japanese intransitive–transitive verb pairs versus Chinese compound verbs that can function in both intransitive and transitive contexts) and constructional preferences (such as passive versus active voice). Our findings indicate that Japanese speakers primarily use morphological strategies, often employing passive verb forms to compensate for limitations in vocabulary—specifically, the lack of spontaneously intransitive verbs. In contrast, Chinese speakers predominantly utilize syntactic strategies; the high productivity of compound verbs and the flexibility of decausativization create a strong preference for the active voice. These results help explain the differences in passive usage between the two languages: in Chinese, using a passive construction in contexts where an active voice would suffice often carries an adversative connotation. Conversely, passives can be used in Japanese even without an adversative meaning, primarily serving to address vocabulary limitations. This study shows that causative alternation is not just about morphological or semantic derivation; it also significantly affects syntactic preferences. Additionally, it illustrates how the lexical background of each language is reflected in its surface structures. By clarifying these patterns, the study enhances our understanding of causative alternation from a typological perspective. It also opens up opportunities for further comparative research on cross-linguistic variation in verbal systems.

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