Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/90190

The present study examines Japanese noun-modifying clauses based on “internal” relations. This term means that the head noun has a syntactic relation with the predicate of the modifying clause indicated through case-marking particles in the original sentence. There are nine case-marking particles in Japanese: ga, wo, ni, e, de, to, kara, made and yori. This study claims that internal relation type noun-modifying clauses cannot be produced when the particles used are made and yori. There are also cases with the particle kara in which the original sentence cannot be converted into a noun modifying clause. 1) Gakusei-ga Kyoto-kara kita. → ♯gakusei-ga kita Kyoto “A student came from Kyoto” The conversion of an original sentence into a nounmodifying clause is likewise not possible when case-marking particles like de and to express a reference point: 2) Kare-ga class-de ichiban se-ga-takai. → *kare-ga ichibanse- ga-takai class “He is the tallest in the class” 3) Kare-ga chichi-to niteiru. → *kare-ga niteiru chichi “He resembles his father” Finally I suggest that cognitive schemas also play an important role in Japanese noun-modifying clauses based on “internal” relations.