Japanese n deshita in Discourse: Past Form of n desu
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4312/ala.7.1.41-56Keywords:
Japanese, discourse analyses, past tense, n desu, n deshita, n dattaAbstract
N deshita/datta, which is the past-tense form of n desu/da, has not been explored in depth in studies of Japanese Linguistics. The present study examines a large corpus, and explores the cases of n deshita/datta used for past events and situations. The findings of the present study show that out of the 167 cases of n deshita/datta used for past events and situations in the corpus, 63 cases (37.7%) co-occurred with grammatical elements that require past-tense connections for the preceding item such as the sentential ending particle kke, the tara structure, and the tari structure. For the cases of n deshita/datta that co-occurred with kke, tara, or tari, it was concluded that the grammatical restrictions arising from these elements triggered the occurrences of n deshita/datta. On the other hand, 104 cases (62.3%) occurred without any grammatical elements that require past-tense connections. These cases of n deshita/datta in the corpus were used to express the speaker’s recollection of previously held knowledge, or as part of confirmation seeking utterances for previously held knowledge.
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References
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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.
Hayashi, M. (2012). Claiming uncertainty in recollection: A study of kke-marked utterances in Japanese conversation. Discourse Processes, 49(5), 391-425.
Ijima, M. (2010). Noda bun no kinō to kōzō. Nihongogaku Ronshū, 6, 75-117.
Izuhara, E. (1993). Shūjoshi “yo” “yone” “ne” no sōgōteki kōsatsu: “Yone” no komyunikēshon kinō no kōsatsu o jiku ni. Nagoya Daigaku Nihongo, Nihon Bunka Ronshū, 1, 21-34.
Izuhara, E. (2001). “Ne” to “yo” sai saikō. Aichi Gakuin Daigaku Kyōyōbu Kiyō, 49(1), 35-49.
Izuhara, E. (2003). Shūjoshi “yo” “yone” “ne” saikō. Aichi Gakuin Daigaku Kyōyōbu Kiyō, 51(2), 1-15.
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.
Kosaka, K. (2004). “Ke” bun no imi kōzō. Kotoba no Kagaku, 47, 139-158.
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.
Martin. S. E. (1975). A reference grammar of Japanese. New Haven/London: Yale University Press.
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 bunshō ni okeru no desu no kinō. Gengo, 13(1), 254-260.
McGloin, N. H. (1989). A student's guide to Japanese grammar. Tokyo: Taishūkan.
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 kinō. 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: Kuroshio Publishers.
Sadanobu, T. (2004). Mūdo no “ta” no kakosē. Kokusai Bungaku Kenkyū: Kōbe Daigaku Kokusai Bunka Gakubu Kiyō, 21, 1-68.
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 bunpō: Noda no imi to yōhō 1. Tokyo: Izumi Shoin.
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Published
28.06.2017
How to Cite
NISHI, H. (2017). Japanese n deshita in Discourse: Past Form of n desu. Acta Linguistica Asiatica, 7(1), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.4312/ala.7.1.41-56
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