Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka
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...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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John Benjamins Publishing Company
2016
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| Online Access: | https://benjamins.com/#home http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/22629 |
| _version_ | 1848750923180933120 |
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| author | Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko |
| author_facet | Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko |
| author_sort | Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:44:32Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-22629 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:44:32Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-226292017-09-13T13:55:44Z Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko 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. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/22629 10.1075/sl.40.1.03asa https://benjamins.com/#home John Benjamins Publishing Company restricted |
| spellingShingle | Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka |
| title | Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka |
| title_full | Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka |
| title_fullStr | Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka |
| title_full_unstemmed | Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka |
| title_short | Being 'indecisive' in Japanese: Analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka |
| title_sort | being 'indecisive' in japanese: analysis of kana, darou ka and (n) janai ka |
| url | https://benjamins.com/#home http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/22629 |