Case Particle Errors in Japanese: Is the Nominative ga a Default Case Marker in Sentence Production?

Abstract

This study examines experimentally induced case particle errors in Japanese. It was found that the nominative ga was the preferred particle for sentence-initial NPs and was the most frequently overused particle for argument NPs, providing some support to the claim that ga is a default marker. The study also shows that case particle error occurrence depends on verb type, suggesting the importance in future studies of experimentally controlling or manipulating the number of opportunities for speakers to produce NPs occurring with specific verb types.