Go no Bunpo e no Izanai (An Invitation to the Grammar of Words)

Why can we say “outdoor eating,” while “outdoor devouring” sounds weird? Or why does “to butter the bread” imply putting butter on the bread, whereas “weeding the flowerbed” never means putting weeds on the flowerbed? As we delve into questions such as these concerning the use of everyday language, we begin to see the world of “words.” This book is an invitation to the microcosm of “the grammar of words.”
 
In general, grammar is understood as a mechanism for constructing sentences using multiple words. Words, however, as well as sentences, can be composed of multiple constituents (called morphemes) and have a mechanism for combining these elements, which this book calls “the grammar of words.” For example, in expressing negation, if we say “it is not realistic,” we use the element “not” as a sentence-level mechanism; however, if we say “unrealistic,” we use the element “un-” (called a prefix) as a word-level mechanism. In linguistics, the domain that deals with the former (grammar of sentences) is called syntax, whereas the field that deals with the latter (grammar of words) is called morphology. A major controversy has arisen on whether these two follow the same principles. This book focuses on various aspects of word grammar that are often overlooked when solely examining the similarities between the two. We hope that this book successfully provides various examples that invite readers to reflect on the similarities and differences between the grammar of words and the grammar of sentences, and those between Japanese and English in the grammar of words.
 
The book comprises Parts 1 and 2, and as the linguistic background and tools used in the actual analyses are introduced in a reader-friendly manner in Part 1, basic knowledge of linguistics is sufficient preparation for reading the book. We hope that you will enjoy examining the fascinating data observed in the small unit of “word” and that the book will be a starting point for you to become interested in the grammar of words.
 

(Written by ITO Takane, Project Professor and Professor emeritus, Center for Coproduction of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity / 2025)