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    Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko
    Date
    2016
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
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    Citation
    Asano-Cavanagh, Y. 2016. Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka. Studies in Language. 40 (1): pp. 63-92.
    Source Title
    Studies in Language
    DOI
    10.1075/sl.40.1.03asa
    Additional URLs
    https://benjamins.com/#home
    ISSN
    0378-4177
    School
    School of Education
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/22629
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Japanese speakers are often characterised as ‘indecisive’. The indecision is indicated by epistemic markers being frequently added to express the doubt. The sentence-final particle kana shows an indecisive attitude and is usually translated into English as I wonder or maybe. There are other similar Japanese expressions, for example, darou ka and (n) janai ka. Both expressions represent uncertainty and are generally interpreted as I wonder or maybe. Although kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka are often treated as ‘synonyms’, they are not necessarily interchangeable. The aim of this study is to define these Japanese epistemic markers using the reductive paraphrase methodology of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach. New definitions are presented to clarify semantic differences and the invariant concept embedded in each expression. This analysis elucidates Japanese speakers’ epistemic stance when they are in doubt.

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