On the variability of negative scope in Japanese

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<jats:p>This article shows how the Japanese negative expression<jats:italic>nai</jats:italic>‘not’ changes its scope depending on whether it is overtly head-raised to T or not. In Japanese, overt Neg-head raising takes place when a negative head acts as a functional predicate, devoid of its lexical (i.e. adjectival) properties in an analogous way to the aspectual verbs<jats:italic>have</jats:italic>and<jats:italic>be</jats:italic>in English. When the negative head<jats:italic>nai</jats:italic>undergoes overt head raising, it takes scope over TP. In some cases, however, the scope of negation becomes narrower due to the absence of overt Neg-head raising. The data provide us with empirical evidence showing that overt head raising – the kind of functional predicate raising observed in English and elsewhere in Japanese – is instantiated at the level of syntax, rather than at PF.</jats:p>

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