Japanese Questions Discourse Context And Language

Questions and interrogatives in Japanese discourse have attracted considerable interest from grammarians, but the communicative aspect has received little attention. This book fills this gap. Through detailed analyses of formal and informal interactions, this book demonstrates that the inherent multi-functional and polysemous aspect of language can also be observed in the use of questions. What emerges is a sense of the considerable variety of question forms and also an understanding of how questions are used to perform a wide range of social actions. The importance of context is stressed throughout the book; both in guiding the speakers' choices of question types and in helping to create the particular stance that characterizes those interactions. The data used in this book shows that speakers prefer questions that are not canonical. When speakers do use canonical questions, these are overwhelmingly accompanied by some mollifiers. This phenomenon suggests that in Japanese communication the illocutionary force of canonical questions is too strong. To soften the interaction, speakers tend to use other types of interrogative forms such as statements with rising intonation or, at least, to leave questions grammatically unfinished. The findings in this book contribute to the understanding of how Japanese speakers use questions in different communicative interactions and provide new evidence of the gap between prescriptive grammar and actual communication.

Questions and interrogatives in Japanese discourse have attracted considerable interest from grammarians, but the communicative aspect has received little attention. This book fills this gap. Through detailed analyses of formal and informal interactions, this book demonstrates that the inherent multi-functional and polysemous aspect of language can also be observed in the use of questions. What emerges is a sense of the considerable variety of question forms and also an understanding of how questions are used to perform a wide range of social actions. The importance of context is stressed throughout the book; both in guiding the speakers' choices of question types and in helping to create the particular stance that characterizes those interactions. The data used in this book shows that speakers prefer questions that are not canonical. When speakers do use canonical questions, these are overwhelmingly accompanied by some mollifiers. This phenomenon suggests that in Japanese communication the illocutionary force of canonical questions is too strong. To soften the interaction, speakers tend to use other types of interrogative forms such as statements with rising intonation or, at least, to leave questions grammatically unfinished. The findings in this book contribute to the understanding of how Japanese speakers use questions in different communicative interactions and provide new evidence of the gap between prescriptive grammar and actual communication.

In an accessible and original study of the Japanese language in relation to Japanese society and culture, Senko Maynard characterizes the ways of communicating in Japanese and explores Japanese language-associated modes of thinking and feeling. Japanese Communication: Language and Thought in Context opens with a comparison of basic American and Japanese values via cultural icons--the cowboy and the samurai--before leading the reader to the key concept in her study: rationality. Writing for those who have a basic knowledge of Japanese language and culture, Maynard examines topics such as masculine and feminine speech, swearing, expressions of ridicule and conflict, adverbs of emotional attitude and the eloquence of silence. Maynard provides a refreshing and entertaining perspective for interpreting contemporary Japan, sometimes in contrast to the United States.

This book focuses on the historical construction of language norms and its relationship to actual language use in contemporary Japan.

This innovative advanced level course in Japanese teaches appropriate language use in real life situations. With an emphasis on listening and speaking skills, the course takes a descriptive approach, demonstrating the variations that exist among Japanese speakers. Authentic sample dialogues demonstrate a range of generally preferred language uses, giving the student the tools to communicate in an effective and culturally appropriate manner. Organized according to frequently used functions of speech, such as requesting, apologizing, refusing and thanking and complimenting, Advanced Japanese presents commonly-used expressions and typical speech routines, providing the learner with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with their usage within the social context. Advanced Japanese: Communication in Context not only introduces commonly-used formulaic expressions, but also teaches learners how Japanese speakers assess crucial contextual factors such as relative social status, level of familiarity, and content of speech as they interpret a message and use language to convey their intentions. Key features of the textbook include: exercises throughout, including ‘core’ and ‘optional’ activities self-assessment section in each chapter unit summaries, grammar notes and role-play activities a separate Teacher’s Guide which fully supports the textbook featuring extensive notes and guidance also available through the companion website. Key features of the companion website include: complete audio files to accompany all dialogues within the textbook optional extra activities for students wishing to progress beyond the textbook teacher's guide – downloadable in both Japanese and English. Advanced Japanese: Communication in Context is the ideal resource for all intermediate to advanced learners of Japanese. The course is also an invaluable tool for anyone involved in the teaching of Japanese language. Noriko Ishihara is Associate Professor of EFL/TESOL at Hosei University, Japan. Magara Maeda teaches Japanese at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, USA.

Introduces pragmatics, discourse, language, and culture in the Japanese context. It covers: Language in context; Japanese in conversation; Honorifics and politeness; Language and gender; and Young people's language.

本書は、日本語および英語における修辞疑問文の発話解釈の仕組みを、関連性理論の枠組で探究するものである。従来の修辞疑問文研究の中で典型的に扱われてきた反語タイプの発話例のみならず、非反語タイプの発話例や、さらには弱いレベルで修辞性が伝達され情報要請との境界線があいまいな例、皮肉などの話者態度を伴うことで修辞性が暗に示される例等の非典型例も分析対象とし、包括的な修辞性の認知メカニズムを解明する。 【英語による内容紹介】 Traditional accounts of rhetorical questions have focused on polarity reversal: rhetorical questions conveying assertions opposite in polarity to the propositional content. However, non-polarity-reversed and rhetorically ambiguous interrogatives are also common. In this book, Risa Goto seeks a theoretical approach that can explain this pragmatic ambiguity with respect to rhetoricity. The relevance theoretic view of interrogative and ironical utterances assumes no clear-cut borderline between information-seeking and rhetorical use of interrogative utterances. The cognitive model of irony suggests that recognition of ironicalness necessarily leads to a rhetorical reading. Goto combines these two theoretical frameworks into an entirely new cognitive-pragmatic model of interrogatives, discussing the causal interrelation between rhetoricity and ironicalness and showing that ironical aspects in interrogative utterances can lead to rhetorical readings.

The emotional aspects of language have so far not received the attention they deserve. This study focuses on nonpropositional, i.e. expressive and interactional meanings of Japanese signs, with special emphasis on understanding their cognitive, psychological and social meanings. It shows how the Japanese language is richly endowed to express personal voice and emotive nuances, and confronts the theoretical issues related to this. The author proposes a new theoretical framework for Discourse Modality, a primary concern for Japanese speakers, to analyze the 'expressiveness' of language.