The Japanese scalar particle hitotsu ‘even’: Variations of EVEN items

Abstract

The Japanese classifier tsu is used for counting separable inanimate entities, and when combined with the numeral hito ‘one’, as in hito-tsu, it indicates that the number of entities is one. However, hitotsu can also function as a scalar particle, where hitotsu itself is interpreted as ‘even’. In this paper, I analyze the meaning and use of hitotsu as a scalar particle by comparing it with ordinary scalar particles, such as sae ‘even’, and show that the scalar particle hitotsu imposes a semantic restriction that the noun it attaches to must be non-specific and interpreted as the theme of an event. I argue that the scalar particle hitotsu is sensitive to event kinds and creates contrasts among events typically denoted by a VP. It will be shown that the meaning and distribution pattern of the scalar particle hitotsu can be explained based on the idea of pseudo-incorporation (e.g., Carlson 2003; Gehrke 2019). In studies on the semantics of EVEN, various approaches have been proposed– such as scope theory (e.g., Karttunen & Peters 1979), lexical ambiguity theory (e.g., Rooth 1985), and degree-based theory (e.g., Greenberg 2018). These approaches generally assume that EVEN functions as a propositional operator. This paper demonstrates that, unlike ordinary scalar particles, the scalar particle hitotsu ‘even’ is not a propositional operator. Instead, it represents a new type of EVEN, which is sensitive to thematic roles and event kinds.