日本語児による束縛変項の解釈：
動詞句削除文の点から

This study experimentally investigates how young Japanese-speaking children interpret null pronouns and the reflexive zibun in VP-ellipsis structures. Specifically examined is whether Japanese children can access bound variable (BV) interpretations of null pronouns and zibun when both have referential and quantificational NP antecedents. The major findings are: 1) Japanese children know that null pronouns can be interpreted as BVs as well as referential pronouns; 2) When zibun has a referential antecedent, they can correctly interpret zibun only as a BV. However, the same was not true for quantificational antecedents like dono NP-mo. I argue that problems Japanese children have in their BV interpretation lie in failing to relate BVs to quantificational antecedents, not in distributivity itself.