Abstract:
The aim of this study is to clarify some of the syntactic formalisms involved in Setsuzoku-shi and Setsuzoku-joshi. Japanese conjunctions are not clearly classified and also they are treated in the parts of speech under different classes by different grammarians. We will treat the basis for the recognition of these two groups as distinct parts of speech showing the classifications of former grammarians, and dealing with the characteristics of each class. We will postulate the deep structure of the conjoined sentences and examine the relationship between certain members of the two classes and show how these relations may be accounted for in a grammar of Japanese. In the last part of this study, we will try to see whether Setsuzoku-shi and Setsuzoku-joshi can be treated like conjunctive adverbs and subordinating conjunctions as they are in English, particularly following Lester's treatment. And also we will see whether or not the previous works by two Japanese scholars concerning subordinating and coordinating conjunctions are adequate manifestations of treatment of Japanese Setsuzoku-shi and Setsuzoku-joshi.