Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Consecutive n desu Structures in Japanese: Communicative Effects Resulting from n ja nai n desu in Discourse
Abstract
The n desu structure is recognized as one of the most frequently used sentence final expressions in Japanese. Various linguistic studies have examined the structure’s communicative properties in interactional situations, however; most of these studies focus solely on sentence-final expressions that include a single case of the n desu structure, and consecutive occurrences of the n desu structure such as taberu n ja nai n desu ‘(it is that it is not that) I am going to eat’ have not been explored in depth. By using a linguistic corpus as a database, the present study has explored the usage of consecutive n desu structures, and examined in which kinds of contextual situations consecutive n desu is likely to be used. The findings of the present study suggest that there are two main types of usages of consecutive n desu. The two types are consecutive n desu used when the speaker denies a generally held idea that is expected to be true, and consecutive n desu used in assertive rhetorical questions formulated based on an idea that is generally expected to be true.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Alfonso, A. (1966). Japanese language patterns: A structural approach (Vol. 2). Sophia University LL Center of Applied Linguistics.
Aoki, H. (1986). Evidentials in Japanese. In W. Chafe & J. Nichols (Eds.), Evidentiality: The linguistic coding of epistemology (pp. 223-238), Norwood: Ablex.
Banno, E., Ikeda, Y., Ohno, Y., Shinagawa, C., & Tokashiki, K. (2011). Genki I: An integrated course in elementary Japanese. Tokyo: The Japan Times.
Hatasa, Y., Hatasa, K., & Makino, S. (2015). Nakama 1, introductory Japanese: Communication, culture, context. Stamford: Cengage Learning.
Hayashi, M. (2010). An overview of the question–response system in Japanese. Journal of Pragmatics, 42(10), 2685-2702.
Horn, L. R. (1989). A natural history of negation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Ijima, M. (2010). Noda bun no kinoo to koozoo. Nihongogaku Ronshuu, 6, 75-117.
Jorden, E. H. (1963). Beginning Japanese. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Jorden, E. H., & Noda, M. (1987). Japanese: the spoken language. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Kikuchi, Y. (2000). “Noda (n desu)” no honshitsu. Tookyoo Daigaku Ryuugakusee Sentaa Kiyoo, 10, 25-51.
Kuno, S. (1973). The structure of the Japanese language. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Lammers, W. P. (2005). Japanese the manga way: An illustrated guide to grammar & structure. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press.
Maekawa, K. (2008). Balanced corpus of contemporary written Japanese. IJCNLP 2008, 101.
Maynard, S. K. (1992). Cognitive and pragmatic messages of a syntactic choice: The case of the Japanese commentary predicate n(o) da. Text-Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Discourse, 12(4), 563-614.
Maynard, S. K. (2005). Expressive Japanese: A reference guide to sharing emotion and empathy. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
McGloin, N. H. (1980). Some observations concerning no desu expressions. The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese, 15(2), 117-149.
McGloin, N. H. (1981). Discourse functions of no desu. Papers from the Middlebury Symposium on Japanese Discourse Analysis, 151-177.
McGloin, N. H. (1984). Danwa bunshoo ni okeru no desu no kinoo. Gengo, 13(1), 254-260.
McGloin, N. H. (1989). A student's guide to Japanese grammar. Tokyo: Taishukan.
McGloin, N. H. (2002). Markers of epistemic vs. affective stances: Desyoo vs. zyanai. Japanese/Korean Linguistics, 10, 137-149.
McGloin, N. H., Hudson, M. E., Nazikian, F, & Kakegawa, T. (2013). Modern Japanese grammar: A practical guide. London/New York: Routledge.
Miura, A., & McGloin, N. H. (2008). An integrated approach to intermediate Japanese. Tokyo: Japan Times.
Noda, H. (1997). No da no kinoo. Tokyo: Kuroshio.
Oka, M., Tsutsui, M, Kondo, J., Emori, S., Hanai, Y., & Ishikawa, S. (2009). Tobira: Gateway to advanced Japanese: Learning through content and multimedia. Tokyo: Kurosio Publishers.
Takatsu, T. (1991). A unified semantic analysis of the NO DA construction in Japanese. The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese, 25(2), 167-176.
Tanomura, T. (1990). Gendai nihongo bunpoo: Noda no imi to yoohoo 1. Tokyo: Izumi Shoin.
Yamane, C. (2013). Kenkusha’s dictionary of Japanese colloquial expressions. Tokyo: Kenkyusha.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.3p.18
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2010-2023 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD.
Advances in Language and Literary Studies
You may require to add the 'aiac.org.au' domain to your e-mail 'safe list’ If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox'. Otherwise, you may check your 'Spam mail' or 'junk mail' folders.