Is this は replacing が or を? (& is this 悪 read as あく or わる？）


This is the "sentence":

> 暴力は悪*だと非難する| condemn violence as evil

Sounds simple? The English translation does not give a subject so I wonder are
either が or をcorrect if I modify the sentence as follows:

> 彼らは暴力 [が/を] 悪だと非難した ｜They condemned violence as evil.

I think を is consistent with the pattern in the following two sentences so I
suspect that is the natural choice and although が is also grammatically
correct it is not used.

> 彼らは彼を無能だと非難した| They blamed him for incompetence
>
> 彼は私を不注意だと批判した| He criticised me for being careless

If が is the natural choice then I anticipate this will relate to the nature of
the combinations of 暴力＆悪；彼＆無能：私＆不注意 but I'd be grateful if someone could
explain this.

All these came from プログレッシブ英和・和英辞典.

*As a secondary question is this 悪 read as あく or わる？




_(Answer based on information received in chat on 15 June 2014)_

In the examples given either を or が would be correct.

In Japanese, linguists call certain verbs (like 言う) "exceptional case marking
verbs" (ECM verbs), and these verbs allow "raising to object", where the
subject of the と-clause becomes the object of the main clause. For example:

> 花子は [ 彼が 嘘つきだ ]-と 思っている。  
>  花子は 彼を [ 嘘つきだ ]-と 思っている。 ← SUBJECT is "raised" out of the と-clause to
> OBJECT of the main clause

This is also referred to as "subject raising".

A number of theories have been put forward to explain how/when this can be
done but it remains a matter of discussion. The are summarised in the paper
"Semantic constraints on the subject-to-object raising (ECM) construction in
Japanese" (Link: <http://vsarpj.orinst.ox.ac.uk/files/horn.eals.pdf>)

(Re: わる vs あく； see link in 3rd comment below question from Snailboat.)




_(Answer based on information received in chat on 15 June 2014)_

In the examples given either を or が would be correct.

In Japanese, linguists call certain verbs (like 言う) "exceptional case marking
verbs" (ECM verbs), and these verbs allow "raising to object", where the
subject of the と-clause becomes the object of the main clause. For example:

> 花子は [ 彼が 嘘つきだ ]-と 思っている。  
>  花子は 彼を [ 嘘つきだ ]-と 思っている。 ← SUBJECT is "raised" out of the と-clause to
> OBJECT of the main clause

This is also referred to as "subject raising".

A number of theories have been put forward to explain how/when this can be
done but it remains a matter of discussion. The are summarised in the paper
"Semantic constraints on the subject-to-object raising (ECM) construction in
Japanese" (Link: <http://vsarpj.orinst.ox.ac.uk/files/horn.eals.pdf>)

(Re: わる vs あく； see link in 3rd comment below question from Snailboat.)

