The Discourse Functions of the Modal Auxiliaries Wake Da and No Da in Japanese

Research output: Book/Research ReportAuthored Book

Abstract

This study investigates the discourse functions of two common modal auxillaries in Japanese - wake da and no da in written discourse, and the essential differences between them. Although previous studies provide a wealth of information on the uses and meanings of these two expressions, they have shown serious limitations and problems. The majority of previous works are carried out at the level of the sentence or paragraph, and rely on the scholars' own interpretations of the meanings, or their subjective judgments regarding whether or not one expression can be replaced by the other. They focus on descriptions of the similarities and interchangeabilities between the two expressions, rather than their distinctive characteristics and functions. Many research characterize the functions of both of the two expressions as 'asking or giving explanations' or 'conveying explanatory modality'.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationGermany
PublisherLincom Europa
Number of pages260
ISBN (Print)9783895862960
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Keywords

  • Japanese language
  • modality
  • auxiliary verbs
  • grammar

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