| Course | LING 412 / JAPAN 442 — Japanese Syntax and Semantics (Autumn 2026) |
|---|---|
| Meetings | TTh 10:30 AM–12:20 PM, RAI 121 |
| Instructor | Toshiyuki Ogihara, Professor of Linguistics |
| ogihara AT uw.edu (replace AT with @) | |
| Office | GUG 415J; Phone: 685-4282 (direct), 543-2046 (Department of Linguistics) |
| Office Hours | T 3:30–4:30 PM (in person, GUG 415J) F 10:30-11:30 AM (via Zoom) |
Course portal Canvas Poll Everywhere Friday office-hours Zoom
This course introduces students to essential issues in Japanese syntax and semantics. No previous course in formal semantics is required. The approach is that of generative syntax and semantics.
An introductory linguistics course (LING 200 or equivalent). Further coursework in linguistics, especially LING 461 or a comparable syntax course, is recommended but not required. A previous semantics course (LING 478) is also very helpful but not required. Knowledge of Japanese is strongly recommended (at least two years of Japanese instruction).
Natsuko Tsujimura, Introduction to Japanese Linguistics, 3rd edition. The book is available electronically through the UW Libraries. Used copies may also be available from online booksellers.
The class period is divided into two parts (approximately 50 minutes each and a five-minute break in the middle). Each 50-minute part will normally consist of a lecture portion followed by time to work on and discuss exercises.
Eighteen quizzes, due before class periods #2 through #19 and completed through the course website. The quiz with the lowest score will be dropped.
Midterm 1 — 20%
Midterm 2 — 22.5%
Final — 27.5%
Poll Everywhere — 7.5%
Participating in Poll Everywhere surveys during each class period.
In-class participation — 7.5%
Working on in-class exercises, asking questions, and/or commenting on them.
Your course grades will be based on the following scale.
| ≥95 = 4.0 | 88 = 3.3 | 81 = 2.6 | 74 = 1.9 | 67 = 1.2 |
| 94 = 3.9 | 87 = 3.2 | 80 = 2.5 | 73 = 1.8 | 66 = 1.1 |
| 93 = 3.8 | 86 = 3.1 | 79 = 2.4 | 72 = 1.7 | 65 = 1.0 |
| 92 = 3.7 | 85 = 3.0 | 78 = 2.3 | 71 = 1.6 | 64 = .9 |
| 91 = 3.6 | 84 = 2.9 | 77 = 2.2 | 70 = 1.5 | 63 = .8 |
| 90 = 3.5 | 83 = 2.8 | 76 = 2.1 | 69 = 1.4 | 62 = .7 |
| 89 = 3.4 | 82 = 2.7 | 75 = 2.0 | 68 = 1.3 | <62 = 0 |
No rounding up is implied here. For example, if your percentile score is 92.9, then your course grade will be 3.7.
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Faculty Syllabus Guidelines and Resources. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.
If you have a letter from DSS indicating that you have a disability that requires special academic accommodations, please present the letter to your instructor as soon as possible so the proper accommodations can be discussed and met. For help with accommodations, contact Disabled Student Services: 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924, UW DRS.
The schedule is subject to change.
| Week | Class # | Date | Topics to be covered | Required Reading | Optional Reading / Due dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction (Chapter 1) Morphology (Chapter 4) | |||||
| 1 | 1 | 10/1 Th | Introduction and morphology 1 | Ch 4 Sec 1–2 | |
| 2 | 2 | 10/6 T | Morphology 2 | Ch 4 Sec 3 | Ch 4 Sec 4–6 |
| Japanese Syntax (Chapter 5) | |||||
| 2 | 3 | 10/8 Th | Syntactic structures | Ch 5 Sec 1 | |
| 3 | 4 | 10/13 T | Word order and scrambling | Ch 5 Sec 2 | |
| 5 | 10/15 Th | Reflexive and non-reflexive pronouns | Ch 5 Sec 3 | ||
| 4 | 6 | 10/20 T | Passives (1) | Ch 5 Sec 4 | |
| 7 | 10/22 Th | Passives 2 and review for Midterm 1 | Ch 5 Sec 4 | ||
| 5 | 8 | 10/27 T | Causatives | Ch 5 Sec 5 | Midterm 1 due 10/26 |
| 9 | 10/29 Th | Relative clauses | Ch 5 Sec 6 | ||
| 6 | 10 | 11/3 T | The light-verb construction | Ch 5 Sec 7 | |
| Japanese Semantics (Chapter 6) | |||||
| 6 | 11 | 11/5 Th | Basic semantic concepts, metaphors, and idioms | Ch 6 Sec 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 | |
| 7 | 12 | 11/10 T | Deixis, mimetics | Ch 6 Sec 1.4, 1.5 | |
| 13 | 11/12 Th | Modality and evidentiality; review for Midterm 2 | My own slides (to be provided) | Midterm 2 due 11/13 | |
| 8 | 14 | 11/17 T | Tense | Ch 6 Sec 2.1 | |
| 15 | 11/19 Th | Aspect 1 | Ch 6 Sec 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 | ||
| 9 | 16 | 11/24 T | Aspect 2 | Ch 6 Sec 2.2.3 | |
| No class | 11/26 Th | Thanksgiving Day | |||
| 10 | 17 | 12/1 T | Pragmatics 1 (Grice’s maxims) | Ch 6 Sec 4.1 | |
| 18 | 12/3 Th | Pragmatics 2 (wa vs. ga) | Ch 6 Sec 4.2, 4.3 | ||
| 11 | 19 | 12/8 T | Dialectal variations, socio-semantics, review for Final | Ch 7 Sec 1, 2, 3 and my own slides (to be provided) | |
| No class | 12/10 Th | Instructor away | |||
| 12 | 12/14–15 | Final Exam (online) | |||