Japanese Communication: Language and Thought in Context

Part 2 Japanese Language in Context

2 Japanese Language in Context 47 Notes on Japanese Data and Presentation Although I have tried to keep Japanese-language samples to a minimum , in some cases they are necessary to the discussion. When they appear, word-by-word translations are given immediately beneath the Japanese transcription. English translations are also provided. Some extended texts whose linguistic aspects are not essential to our discussion are presented in English translation only. Japanese transcriptions of these examples in romanization are presented in the appendix. For grammatical items, note the following abbreviations: BE (various forms of the verb ‘be’), COM (command form), COND (conditional expression), HBL (humble form), IO (indirect object), IP (interactional particle), LK (particle linking nominals), NEG (negative marker), NOM (nominalizer), O (direct object), PASS (passive marker), Q (question marker), QT (quotative marker), S (subject marker), T (theme marker), VOL (volitional form). The following notations are also used. 1. A recognizable pause is marked by /. 2. Listener response is given in parentheses. Listener response occurring immediately following the previous turn is expressed by a connecting latch mark. 3. Simultaneous utterances are marked by a large square bracket connecting their starting points. 4. H represents head nod (vertical movement); S represents head shake (horizontal movement). 48 Japanese Language in Context 5. Identification numbers for the authentic sample are given in parentheses; identification numbers for fabricated and/or manipulated sample appear in square brackets. 6. An asterisk (*) placed at the beginning of a sentence means ungrammatical and/or inappropriate expression. 7. Triple hyphens (= = =) indicate deletion of phrases or sentences. The Japanese conversational data presented in this book were collected in Tokyo in May 1985. All the subjects were university students studying in Tokyo. Proper nouns appearing in the sample are altered to protect the privacy of those involved. Each conversation was performed by two speakers of similar age (between nineteen and twenty-three) and the same sex. Twenty pairs (ten male and ten female), for a total of forty speakers, participated. All conversations were video- and audiotaped in a controlled situation. No outsider was present, and there was minimal guidance. The statistical information presented is based on sixty minutes of conversation —three minutes taken from each conversation. The American English conversational data presented were collected earlier in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in February 1985. Each conversation was performed by two speakers of similar age (eighteen to twenty-two, with the exception of one thirty-two-yearold speaker) and the same sex. Twenty pairs (ten male and ten female) participated. The video- and audiotaping conditions were similar to those in Japan, and statistical information is again based on three minutes from each conversation. (For those interested in more detailed information, see Maynard 1989.) Sources for other samples presented in this book are given with the samples. Written materials from which some samples are drawn are listed in the references. ...