Some Cases against the Ellipsis Analysis of the Null Argument

Abstract

This paper critically reviews Takahashi’s (2008) and Saito’s (2007) arguments in favor of the ellipsis analysis of the null argument in Korean (and Japanese). We show that their arguments are not convincing enough for the ellipsis analysis, and that the properties of the null argument Takahashi and Saito use for their arguments can also follow from the pro analysis of it. In fact, we try to establish that the null argument in Korean (and Japanese) is a replacement of NP, not of DP. Second, the null argument is either [+anaphoric] or [+pronominal]. Third, the null argument is a referentially dependent anaphoric expression, which has to be distinguished from a referentially independent nominal (projection).