| Throughout the 1980s, researchers held the hypothesis that all the trees of all languages in the world would correspond to four syntactic trees:SVO, SOV, VOS, OVS. Richard Kayne (1994) in his monograph, The Antisymmetry of Syntax, considers that the four hierarchical structures are equivalent to each other with respect to linear order. He suggests that hierarchical structure in natural language maps universally onto a specifier-head-complement branching order, a particular surface linearization. Phrases with different surface orders would undergo movements to reach the new linearization. In contrast, Andrea Moro (2000) proposes that the different linear orders cannot be realized by syntactic movement but by the geometry of the syntactic tree and, in the end, by the need to compress hierarchical structures into linear sequences. He developed a weak version of the theory of antisymmetry, i.e. Dynamic Antisymmetry, to support the view that the four tree diagrams are not notational variants but distinctive syntactic trees representing respective linear orders.Attempting to clarify this argument, this present thesis carries out an experiment concerning on the four syntactic structures. Twenty subjects are required to judge whether the Japanese sentences are in accordance with the corresponding Japanese syntax. These 252 sentences are divided into three groups, each comprising 84 sentences. The first group of correct sentences represents the second syntactic tree, SOV; the second group of incorrect sentences belongs to the third and fourth tree diagrams, VOS and OVS; the last group of incorrect sentences stands for the other two hierarchical structures, VSO and OSV. The sentences classification is due to the following consideration. The three components of the sentences can produce 6 syntactic trees; if there is significant difference in the reaction time and response accuracy between the third group and the other two groups, the Dynamic Antisymmetry Theory can be proved indirectly, and vice versa. E-Prime, a psychological experimental tool, is adopted to record subjects'responses and reaction times. Statistics collected are analyzed by SPSS in terms of reaction times, mean time of correct responses, and response accuracy.Apart from subject 9, all the other 19 Paired Samples Tests on reactions times among three groups are contrast with the presupposition. Additionally, comparison of mean times of correct responses among three groups illustrates that syntactic trees, VOS and OVS, are similar to another two constructions, VSO and OSV. This conclusion is also opposite to the presupposing. Detailed examination on response accuracy of three groups illustrates that only statistics of subject 3 and subject 5 in 20 defend the previous hypothesis. This deduction also fails to prove the correctness of Dynamic Antisymmetry.This thesis comprises six chapters. Chapter One briefly introduces the background of the study, the significance of this research, as well as the layout of the thesis. Chapter Two reviews some crucial theories pertaining to Dynamic Anitsymmetry, followed by the previous researches on the four syntactic trees. Chapter Three elucidate the theoretical framework of this thesis. Chapter Four implements an experiment concerning on the four tree diagrams and then analyzes statistics in aspects of reaction time and response accuracy. Chapter Five summarizes the major findings, implications, and limitations of the present study and demonstrates prospects for further exploration.
|
PDF Full Text Request