Updated on 2024/03/29

Affiliation
Faculty of Law, School of Law
Job title
Professor
Degree
PhD ( University of Essex )
Profile
I specialise in theoretical linguistics, particularly morphology, syntax and their interface. I have been working on formalising the framework in which the paradigm-baed realisational model of morphology is incorporated into Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG). The linguistic phenomena I am interested in include case and agreement, clitics, verb inflectional morphology, modality and negation. The target languages are diverse, such as Japanese, my native language, Germanic languages (English, Icelandic etc.), Romance languages, in particular European Portuguese, and Hindi/Urdu.

As a long term research target, I am also interested in revealing the nature of the knowledge of language found in human being by using a system with psychological reality. To be more specific, I try to model the correspondences between the capacity of structuring complex concepts and that of constructing linguistic structures by postulating mathematical functions that map different types of linguistic information with each other. Further, this framework allows us to construct a robust model for language evolution, namely the transition from primitive language that has extremely transparent correspondences to conceptual structures to a highly complex symbolic system with grammatical operations.

With regard to teaching, I have a mixed role of a language instructor and a linguist in School of Law. I teach English languages classes and lectures and seminars on linguistics and cognitive sciences, which are provided as a part of minor (sub-major) on linguistics and information science. I also teach lectures on syntax and linguistic typology, both of which are open to the entire university as well as a lecture on linguistic typology at School of International Liberal Studies.

Research Experience

  • 2018.04
    -
    Now

    Waseda University   Faculty of Law   Professor

  • 2012.04
    -
    2018.03

    Faculty of Law, Waseda University   Associate Professor

  • 2009.04
    -
    2012.03

    : 早稲田大学法学学術院専任講師

  • 2009.04
    -
    2012.03

    Faculty of Law, Waseda University   Assistant Professor

  • 2006.04
    -
    2009.03

    : 福井県立大学学術教養センター専任講師

  • 2006.04
    -
    2009.03

    Center for Arts and Sciences, Fukui Prefectural University   Assistant Professor

  • 2005.08
    -
    2006.02

    : エセックス大学言語学研究科上級研究員

  • 2005.08
    -
    2006.02

    Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex   Senior Research Officer

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Education Background

  • 2002.10
    -
    2006.01

    University of Essex   Department of Language and Linguistics   PhD  

  • 2001.10
    -
    2002.09

    University of Essex   Department of Language and Linguistics   MA  

  • 1997.04
    -
    2001.03

    Osaka University   Faculty of Letter   Department of English Linguistics  

  • 2000.02
    -
    2001.01

    Australian National University   Exchange Programme  

Committee Memberships

  • 2015.04
    -
    Now

    日本英語学会  広報委員

  • 2010.12
    -
    Now

    Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation  Program Committee Co-chair

  • 2010.11
    -
    Now

    Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation  Associate Digital Archivist

  • 2010.11
    -
    Now

    Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation  Associate Digital Archivist

  • 2010.11
    -
    Now

    Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation  Program Committee Co-chair

  • 2015.07
     
     

    International Lexical Functional Grammar Conference  LFG15 Local Organizing Committee Chair

  • 2009.12
    -
    2010.11

    Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation  Program Committee Chair

  • 2009.12
    -
    2010.11

    Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation  Program Committee Chair

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Professional Memberships

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    Logico-linguistic Society of Japan

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    International Lexical Functional Grammar Association

  •  
     
     

    Kansai Linguistic Society

  •  
     
     

    THE ENGLISH LINGUISTIC SOCIETY OF JAPAN

  •  
     
     

    THE LINGUISTIC SOCIETY OF JAPAN

  •  
     
     

    JAPANESE COGNITIVE SCIENCE SOCIETY

  •  
     
     

    English Linguistic Society of Japan

  •  
     
     

    Linguistic Society of Japan

  •  
     
     

    Cognitive Science Society

  •  
     
     

    Association of Linguistic Typology

  •  
     
     

    Lexical-Functional Grammar Association

  •  
     
     

    Australian Linguistic Society

  •  
     
     

    Linguistic Society of America

  •  
     
     

    Linguistics Association of Great Britain

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Research Areas

  • English linguistics / Linguistics

Research Interests

  • Lexical-Functional Grammar

  • constraint-based grammar

  • linguistic typology

  • syntax

  • morphology

Awards

  • イギリス政府Overseas Research Students Awards

    2003  

  • British Government Overseas Research Students Awards

    2003  

 

Papers

  • Variations in Agreement Controller and Information Structure

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the Kansai Linguistic Society (KLS 37)     241 - 251  2017  [Refereed]

  • [Review] Lexical Relatedness: A Paradigm-based Approach

    OTOGURO Ryo

    English Linguistics   33 ( 1 ) 202 - 212  2016  [Refereed]

  • Syntactic, Semantic and Information Structures of Floating Quantifiers

    OTOGURO Ryo, SNIJDERS Liselotte

    Proceedings of the Joint 2016 Conference on Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar and Lexical Functional Grammar     478 - 498  2016  [Refereed]

  • GENERALISING FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES IN LFG

    Ryo Otoguro

    PROCEEDINGS OF LFG15     250 - 269  2015  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    This papers aims to present a lexicalist analysis of verb placement variation found in Germanic and Romance languages. Unlike derivational approaches to syntax, Lexical Functional Grammar accounts for different phrase structure positions of finite verbs by base-generating them in functional heads. The present study proposes a framework that allows us to formulate the conditions that license finite verbs to bear a functional category status. Crucial in the analysis is the encoding patterns of person features in lexical entries and their paradigmatic organisation of the lexicon. I will further show that the current proposal can be supported by dialectal variation and diachronic change of verb placement.

  • Morphosyntax of Modals and Quasi-modals

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Humanitas   49   113 - 140  2010

  • Surface-oriented Morphological Network

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Humanitas   48   219 - 240  2009

  • Agreement and Path Specification in Icelandic

    OTOGURO Ryo

    CLS   41   385 - 399  2008  [Refereed]

  • Formal Aspects of Morphosyntax in LFG

    OTOGURO Ryo

    English Linguistics   24 ( 1 ) 256 - 278  2007  [Refereed]  [Invited]

  • Paradigm Gaps and Periphrases in the Japanese Conjugation System

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Proceedings of WECOL   18   160 - 172  2007  [Refereed]

  • Morphosyntax of Case: A Theoretical Investigation of the Concept (PhD Thesis)

    OTOGURO Ryo

       2006.01  [Refereed]

  • Mismatch Phenomena from an LFG Perspective

    Ana R. Luís, Ryo Otoguro

    Essex Research Report in Linguistics   48   31 - 45  2006  [Invited]

  • Dissociation between Phrase Structure and Functions: A Lexical-Functional Analysis of English Negator not

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Osaka University Papers in English Linguistics   11   85 - 109  2006  [Invited]

  • Morphological and Syntactic Well-formedness: The Case of European Portuguese Proclitics

    Ana R. Luís, Ryo Otoguro

    Proceedings of the LFG05 Conference     253 - 270  2005  [Refereed]

  • Proclitic Contexts in European Portuguese

    Ana R. Luís, Ryo Otoguro

    Proceedings of the LFG04 Conference     334 - 353  2004  [Refereed]

  • Case, Adpositions and Functional Categories in LFG

    OTOGURO Ryo

    York Papers in Linguistics Series 2   2   57 - 78  2004  [Invited]

  • Focus Clitics and Discourse Structure in LFG and PFM

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Proceedings of CamLing 1     140 - 146  2003  [Refereed]

  • Focus Clitics and Discourse Information Spreading

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Proceedings of the LFG03 Conference     367 - 386  2003  [Refereed]

  • Word Formation in Syntax: Japanese Verb-Verb Compounding and Grammatical Information Spreading (MA Dissertation)

    OTOGURO Ryo

       2002.09  [Refereed]

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Books and Other Publications

  • Morphology and Its Interfaces

    Ana R. Luís, Ryo Otoguro( Part: Contributor, Inflectional Morphology and Syntax in Correspondence: Evidence from European Portuguese)

    John Benjamins  2011 ISBN: 9789027255617

  • Proceedings of the 24th Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation

    OTOGURO Ryo( Part: Joint editor)

    Institute for Digital Enhancement of Cognitive Development, Waseda University  2010 ISBN: 9784905166009

  • Competition and Variation in Natural Languages: The Case for Case

    Andrew Spencer, Ryo Otoguro( Part: Contributor, Limits to Case---A Critical Survey of the Notion)

    Elsevier  2005 ISBN: 9780080446516

Presentations

  • Object Agreement in Icelandic: Person Feature Prominency and Information Structure

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 22nd South of England LFG Meeting 

    Presentation date: 2017.02

  • Continuity and Discontinuity between Morphology and Syntax: A Case of Periphrasis

    OTOGURO Ryo  [Invited]

    Morphology and Lexicon Forum 

    Presentation date: 2016.09

  • Syntactic, Semantic and Information Structures of Floating Quantifiers

    OTOGURO Ryo, SNIJDERS Liselotte

    Joint 2016 Conference on Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar and Lexical Functional Grammar 

    Presentation date: 2016.07

  • Variations in Agreement Controller and Information Structure

    OTOGURO Ryo  [Invited]

    The 41st Annual Meeting of the Kansai Linguistic Society 

    Presentation date: 2016.06

  • Morphological Properties of Predicates and Syntactic Structure of Periphery

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Workshop in the 33rd Annual Meeting of the English Linguistic Society of Japan 

    Presentation date: 2015.11

  • Relative Clauses and Verb-adjective Transposition in Japanese

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Workshop on Relative Clauses: Relatives in East Asia and Beyond 

    Presentation date: 2015.11

  • Tense Morphology and Argument Structure Alternations: An Analysis of Prenominal Modifiers in Japanese

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The Annual Meeting of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain 

    Presentation date: 2015.09

  • Generalising Functional Categories in LFG

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 20th International Lexical Functional Grammar Conference 

    Presentation date: 2015.07

  • Lexical Functional Grammar: Constraint-based Grammar and Psychological Reality

    OTOGURO Ryo  [Invited]

    Institute of Cultural Science, Chuo University 

    Presentation date: 2014.02

  • Distinctiveness of Morphological Features and Syntactic Positions

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The Annual Meeting of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain 

    Presentation date: 2013.08

  • Inflectional Morphology and Verb Positions

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 14th Korea-Japan Workshop on Linguistics and Language Processing 

    Presentation date: 2013.03

  • A Paradigm-based Analysis of Japanese Verb Morphology and Periphrastic Inflection

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 145th Meeting of the Linguistic Society of Japan 

    Presentation date: 2012.11

  • Non-isomorphism and Microvariation: A Comparative Analysis of Pronominal Clitics in European and Brazilian Portuguese

    LUÍS Ana R, OTOGURO Ryo

    Clitics and Beyond 

    Presentation date: 2012.05

  • Constructional Paradigm in Constraint-based Lexicalism: The Case of Japanese Verb Inflection

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 12th Korea-Japan Workshop on Linguistics and Language Processing 

    Presentation date: 2012.03

  • Constructional Paradigm in Constraint-based Morphosyntax

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 38th Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistic Society 

    Presentation date: 2012.02

  • Word-based Inflectional System in Japanese

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The Annual Meeting of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain 

    Presentation date: 2010.09

  • Multiple Paradigmatic Structure and Lexemic Relations

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 5th York-Essex Morphology Meeting 

    Presentation date: 2008.02

  • Paradigm Gaps and Periphrases in the Japanese Conjugation System

    OTOGURO Ryo

    Western Conference on Linguistics (WECOL) 

    Presentation date: 2007.12

  • Structural and Lexical Case in Monostratal Grammar

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The Annual Meeting of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain 

    Presentation date: 2005.09

  • Agreement Path in Icelandic

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 10th International Lexical-Functional Grammar Conference 

    Presentation date: 2005.07

  • Morphological and Syntactic Well-formedness: A Case of European Portuguese Proclitics

    Ana R. Luís, Ryo Otoguro

    The 10th International Lexical-Functional Grammar Conference 

    Presentation date: 2005.07

  • Agreement and Path Specification in Icelandic

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 41st Annual Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society (CLS41) 

    Presentation date: 2005.04

  • Morphological Tokens and Phrase Structure: Towards a Treatment of Phrasal Affixes

    Ana R. Luís, Ryo Otoguro

    The 2nd York-Essex Morphology Meeting 

    Presentation date: 2004.11

  • The Contexts Triggering Proclisis in European Portuguese and Their Effects on Clitic Placement

    Ana R. Luís, Ryo Otoguro

    The 9th International Lexical Functional Grammar Conference 

    Presentation date: 2004.07

  • Case, Adpositions and Functional Categories in LFG

    OTOGURO Ryo

    York-Essex Morphology Meeting 

    Presentation date: 2003.11

  • Focus Clitics and Discourse Information Spreading

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The 8th International Lexical Functional Grammar Conference 

    Presentation date: 2003.07

  • Nominal Clitics Ordering and Recursive Rule Blocks

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The Linguistics Association of Great Britain Spring Meeting 

    Presentation date: 2003.04

  • Focus Clitics and Discourse Structure in LFG and PFM

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The University of Cambridge First Postgraduate Conference 

    Presentation date: 2003.04

  • Japanese Verb-Verb Compounds and Grammatical Information Spreading

    OTOGURO Ryo

    The Linguistics Association of Great Britain Autumn Meeting 

    Presentation date: 2002.10

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Research Projects

  • Interface between Information Structure and Morphology/Syntax/Semantics: Agreement and Related Phenomena

    Japan Society for Promotion of Science  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

    Project Year :

    2017.04
    -
    2020.03
     

    OTOGURO Ryo

  • Verb Inflectional Morphology and Syntactic Positions: Diachronic and Synchronic Perspectives

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research

    Project Year :

    2014.04
    -
    2017.03
     

    OTOGURO Ryo

  • Morphosyntax of Modality and Related Phenomena in Constraint-based Frameworks

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

    Project Year :

    2011
    -
    2013
     

    OTOGURO Ryo

     View Summary

    This research project is an attempt to uncover the structural properties of modal expressions, which can be exemplified by English modal auxiliaries 'may' and 'can'. The analysis formulated within the mathematical linguistic framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar, in which distinct types of linguistic information are encoded in parallel structures. The project successfully account for the common and different characteristics of modal expressions across different languages such as English, other Germanic languages and Japanese.

  • Formalisation of Agreement in Natural Language

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

    Project Year :

    2006
    -
    2008
     

    OTOGURO Ryo

 

Syllabus

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Teaching Experience

  • 言語学(形態論)

    早稲田大学グローバルエデュケーションセンター  

  • Introduction to the Study of Language and Information

    School of Law, Waseda University  

  • English: Advanced

    School of Law, Waseda University  

  • English: Theme

    School of Law, Waseda University  

  • English: Bridge

    School of Law, Waseda University  

  • Seminar: Studies of Language and Information

    School of Law, Waseda University  

  • Linguistics I

    School of Law, Waseda University  

  • Linguistics: Linguistic Typology

    Open Education Center, Waseda University  

  • Linguistics: Introduction to Syntax

    Open Education Center, Waseda University  

  • Linguistic Typology

    School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University  

  • Linguistic Typology

    早稲田大学国際教養学部  

  • 総合講座「言語情報研究入門」

    早稲田大学法学部  

  • English Advanced

    早稲田大学法学部  

  • English Theme

    早稲田大学法学部  

  • English Gate

    早稲田大学法学部  

  • English Bridge

    早稲田大学法学部  

  • 教養演習(言語情報)

    早稲田大学法学部  

  • 言語学 I

    早稲田大学法学部  

  • 言語学(言語類型論)

    早稲田大学グローバルエデュケーションセンター  

  • 言語学(統語論・入門)

    早稲田大学グローバルエデュケーションセンター  

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Sub-affiliation

  • Affiliated organization   Global Education Center

Internal Special Research Projects

  • 文構造の階層性に関する研究:形態統語論と言語類型論の視点から

    2010  

     View Summary

    文構造の階層性に関する研究の中でも,本年度の研究課題ではモダリティの内部構造について,形態論,統語論の観点から言語横断的にデータを観察し,その一部について分析を試みた.文構造,とりわけモダリティ表現が示す階層性に関しては,これまでの先行研究で主に意味論的な考察に基づくものが多く見られるが,形態的・統語的側面を詳細にまとめ,形式的に分析されたものはあまり存在しない.よって,比較的詳細な文法記述が利用できるゲルマン諸語の英語,ドイツ語,ノルウェー語やロマンス諸語のフランス語,イタリア語,スペイン語,および近年モダリティ研究が盛んに行われている日本語に関して,文献や先行研究にあたり,モダリティ表現の形態統語的側面についてまとめた.その上で研究初期の試みとして制約に基づく文法理論の1つである語彙機能文法(Lexical-Functional Grammar)での分析を行った.とりわけ日本語,英語に見られる真性モーダルと擬似モーダルの違いに焦点をあて,詳細に分析したものを論文として発表した.具体的には,句構造のレベルでは両者ともに動詞句を補部に取る助動詞要素として現れる一方,文法関係や素性を表す機能構造においては,前者はMOODの素性を指定する要素であるのに対し,後者はそれ自体が述部(PRED)として機能することを経験的データに基づき主張した.今後この理論的提案のさらなる検証を,これまでにまとめたその他の言語のデータに基づき行い,適宜修正を加えていくこととなる.また,さらに研究の対象を類型論的に多様な言語へと広げ,それらの言語に見られるモダリティ表現の詳細な記述と理論的分析を試みることで,言語類型論,文法理論へのさらなる貢献が期待できる.本研究課題はそれらより広範な研究への第一歩の基礎的研究として位置づけられると考えている.

  • 日本語動詞活用の包括的モデルの構築

    2009  

     View Summary

    本研究課題は,日本語動詞の包括的な活用モデルを構築することを目的とし,とりわけモダリティ表現の形態・統語的特性の解明,有限状態トランスデューサーによる形態解析に応用可能な形での形式化を具体的な目標として設定した.形態論的な研究としては,Moodの活用素性を[+cond, +conj, +desid, +hort,...]のように設定し,その他の活用素性と並列的に扱う提案を行った.さらに近年Word-and-Paradigmモデルで新たな展開を見せている活用形の推論的関係をアナロジーを基本として記述することを試みた.この形式化は目標として挙げた有限状態トランスデューサーでの形態解析との親和性が高く,今後の研究課題として解析モデルの構築を行う予定である.またアナロジーによる推論的関係は表層的な語形によって定義されるものであり,その点においてJoan Bybeeの提唱する表層的な語形に基づく活用形のモデルを応用して,語形間の関係をネットワークとして関連付けることができることを示した.これらの論点を研究会などを通して他の研究者からの意見も参考にをまとめたものを論文として発表した(業績を参照).ネットワークモデルは各語形のネットワーク内での関連性の強さを表すことができ,コーパスに基づく統計的なデータを利用することで,より心理的実在性の高いレキシコンのモデルを提供することができる.今後この研究を発展させ,より完成度の高い研究成果を公表するよう試みたい.またモダリティの統語論的な研究として,近年「文構造の階層性」という観点から生成文法,機能文法,Role and Reference Grammarなどの理論的枠組で盛んに進められている.本研究課題ではこれらの先行研究をまとめ,上述の形態論的研究をベースにとりわけ所謂真性モーダルと擬似モーダルの統語的特性の違いについて語彙機能文法の枠組みでの考察を試みた.この研究はまだ現在進行中であるが,その途中段階において,日本語のみならず広範な言語を研究対象に含め類型論的な視点からも議論を展開していく目標を設定し,科学研究費補助金への申請を行った.類型論的にも理論的にも意義のある研究であり,複数年の計画で今後も進めていきたい.