Satoshi Oku

Country

Japan

Position

Professor

Research Keywords

Theoretical linguistics, comparative syntax, East Asian languages, ellipsis

Qualifications

Ph.D. in linguistics (University of Connecticut)

Message

My research interest centers around Japanese scrambling, east Asian ellipsis phenomena, relation between ellipsis and information structure, comparative syntax, in the framework of generative linguistics. Language or ability to acquire and use language is a fascinating biological endowment unique to human beings.

Hence, trying to understand the nature of human language (especially, from the biolinguistic perspective) means trying to understand what human beings are. Research is a human activity attempting to reveal some truth of the world we live in. I hope every student finds their way to contribute such an intellectual challenge in their field of study.

Selected Publications

  • ‘Interpretive Economy: A Note on Markedness and Computation’. Formal Approaches to Japanese Linguistics 5, 207-216. (2011)
  • ‘Minimalism and Information Structure: A Case of Ellipsis in Japanese’. Workshop on Altaic Formal Linguistics 5, 257-269. (2009)