A Description of Japanese Final Particles in Context.

Abstract

This study is an exploration of uses of final particles in Japanese based on a description of these uses in a particular conversation. Final particles in Japanese have been studied within the traditional, the generative and the functional framework. Although underst and ing the uses of final particles is underst and ing the particular contexts of these uses, none of the studies in the traditional approach has particularly shown the consideration of these uses in relation to context. The studies within the generative and the functional framework have worked on the problem in the traditional framework gradually. However, they still have two fundamental problems: (1) the data that they are based on are sentences in isolation; (2) these studies are generalization across cases. The present study provides a solution to these problems. It studies final particle uses (1) based on the study of discourse; and (2) looking at every particular aspect of these uses in discourse. The study of discourse is made through descriptions and steps of an appropriation (Ricoeur:1981) of a particular conversation as a text. This study is made as an incorporation of: (1) study of specific language uses in this text, (2) descriptions of this text, and (3) appropriation of this text as the application of the linguistics of particularity to a particular text. This study shows: (1) final particles function as a means of a topic stage advancement and as a focus shifter. (2) pragmatic judgment (Givon:1982a) in uses of final particles is conducted under constraints from ahead of the current stage of an utterance and those from behind which are crucially determined by speaker's observation of hearer's preceding reaction to the speaker.