Mixed categories in Japanese

The purpose of this dissertation is to explain the syntax and morphology associated with mixed categories in which both verbal and nominal projections are apparently headed by a single word. Though the mixed categories seem incompatible with a linguistic generalization about categorial identity between heads and projections (i.e., X-bar theory), I claim that the linguistic generalization is tenable at the level of constituent structure. Rather, following head sharing analysis (Bresnan 1997), I argue that the mixture of verbal and nominal properties arises as a consequence of mapping a constituent structure of a head and that of its sister to the same functional structure, within a framework of Lexical Functional Grammar. This dissertation focuses on mixed categories in Japanese. In this language, mixed categories involve mixed case marking in which both a nominal case (i.e., genitive) and a verbal case (e.g., nominative or accusative) are assigned to arguments of a single predicate. They are problematic regarding a generalization such that the nominal case is licensed only within a nominal projection, while the verbal case is licensed only within a verbal projection. I argue that the mixed case marking is allowed only in a verbal projection. Assuming a phrase structure rule, which enables a sister of a predicate to bear a nominal case even in a verbal projection, I show that a head sharing analysis fits well with Japanese mixed categories. This dissertation also discusses morphology in Japanese mixed categories. I carefully examine lexical integrity of head elements in mixed category constructions from both a viii phonological and morphological viewpoint. The result suggests that the head of Japanese mixed categories is a single verb, which is derived from the concatenation of an argument-taking noun and a verbalizing suffix. I chiefly deal with Temporal Morpheme Constructions in which a Temporal Morpheme such as tyuu ‘during’ is combined by a preceding argument-taking noun to form a single predicate. I also extend my analysis to other mixed categories such as Purpose Expressions and Nominalized Adjective Constructions, which involve control structures. In addition, I reexamine the so-called post-syntactic compounds, regarding them as a variant of mixed categories.