Approaches to Systemic Functional Grammar - Convergence and Divergence - Gordon Tucker
10. Quantifying Things: The ‘Quantifying Modifier’ and its Raising Construction in Japanese
Approaches to Systemic Functional Grammar - Convergence and Divergence - Gordon Tucker
Hiroshi Funamoto [+]
Hokuriku University
Hiroshi Funamoto is associate professor in the Faculty of Economics and Management at Hokuriku University, Japan. His current research interests include the linguistic analysis of Japanese texts and developing a Systemic Functional Grammar of Japanese based on the Cardiff Model of language and its use. He is a contributor to the co-authored book, Language is Living: An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics, the first compilation of original writings by Japanese scholars in SFL. He is responsible for the Japanese translation of Robin Fawcett’s Invitation to Systemic Functional Linguistics through the Cardiff Grammar, 3rd edition, which will be published by Kaitakusha (in press).
Description
Funamoto’s chapter explores the phenomenon of quantifying modifiers (qtm) in Japanese, elements specifying the quantity of things which function as modifiers inside the nominal group. They may also occur outside the nominal group in a ‘raised qtm construction’, where the qtm is ‘raised’ to a place where it appears to function as the element of the clause. Funamoto concludes that the functional syntax of this construction is motivated by two factors: (a) the choices of conditioning features from the transitivity network; and (b) the operation of placing the qtm in the focal region where it receives tonic prominence.