On state of mind and grammatical forms from functional perspectives
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Yuki Johnson
Abstract
The basic usages of the auxiliary verbs ~garu and ~(te)iru are generally understood as expressing desire and thoughts other than those of the speaker him/herself. A proposition accompanying~garu and ~(te)iru is often used with a modal, such as mitai, rashii, etc.; therefore, it belongs to the territory of the speaker domain. However, the proposition concerns another individual’s feelings that the speaker cannot perceive directly and is not an exclusive possession of the speaker. Using real-life usages that incorporate the notion of “territory of information” proposed by Kamio (1990) and the notion of “empathy,” by Kuno (1998), it is found that issues of hierarchy and empathy are deeply intertwined in their use in authentic communication and do not necessarily follow the description of standard grammar.
Abstract
The basic usages of the auxiliary verbs ~garu and ~(te)iru are generally understood as expressing desire and thoughts other than those of the speaker him/herself. A proposition accompanying~garu and ~(te)iru is often used with a modal, such as mitai, rashii, etc.; therefore, it belongs to the territory of the speaker domain. However, the proposition concerns another individual’s feelings that the speaker cannot perceive directly and is not an exclusive possession of the speaker. Using real-life usages that incorporate the notion of “territory of information” proposed by Kamio (1990) and the notion of “empathy,” by Kuno (1998), it is found that issues of hierarchy and empathy are deeply intertwined in their use in authentic communication and do not necessarily follow the description of standard grammar.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgement vii
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction: Situating usage-based (Japanese) linguistics 1
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Part 1. Cognition and language use
- Subordination and information status 13
- On state of mind and grammatical forms from functional perspectives 37
- Grammar of the internal expressive sentences in Japanese 55
- Subjectivity, intersubjectivity and Japanese grammar 85
- What typology reveals about modality in Japanese 109
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Part 2. Frequency, interaction and language use
- If rendaku isn’t a rule, what in the world is it? 137
- The semantic basis of grammatical development 153
- Interchangeability of so-called interchangeable particles 171
- The re-examination of so-called ‘clefts’ 193
- Activity, participation, and joint turn construction 223
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Part 3. Language change and variation
- Context in constructions 261
- The use and interpretation of “regional” and “standard” variants in Japanese conversation 279
- Index 305
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgement vii
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction: Situating usage-based (Japanese) linguistics 1
-
Part 1. Cognition and language use
- Subordination and information status 13
- On state of mind and grammatical forms from functional perspectives 37
- Grammar of the internal expressive sentences in Japanese 55
- Subjectivity, intersubjectivity and Japanese grammar 85
- What typology reveals about modality in Japanese 109
-
Part 2. Frequency, interaction and language use
- If rendaku isn’t a rule, what in the world is it? 137
- The semantic basis of grammatical development 153
- Interchangeability of so-called interchangeable particles 171
- The re-examination of so-called ‘clefts’ 193
- Activity, participation, and joint turn construction 223
-
Part 3. Language change and variation
- Context in constructions 261
- The use and interpretation of “regional” and “standard” variants in Japanese conversation 279
- Index 305
