‘Aboutness’ Relation in Japanese Topicalization: An Analysis of the NP1 wa NP2 da Construction

Authors

Megumi Yoshida, Toyo UniversityFollow

Keywords

Japanese topicalization, topic marker wa, aboutness relation, experimental pragmatics

Received Date

9-30-2022

Revised Date

10-17-2022

Accepted Date

11-9-2022

Publication Date

3-31-2023

Abstract

This study investigates the comprehension of a Japanese topicalized construction with the structure NP₁ wa (topic) NP₂ da (copula) by native speakers of Japanese. The meaning of this kind of sentence can be extremely ambiguous when NP₁ and NP₂ do not refer to an identical referent. However, it is usually not considered ambiguous when used in a particular context since the context indicates how it is meant to be understood. This study examines the uses of this construction in experimentally controlled contexts. The results indicate the significant effects of the syntactic or semantic relation with the particular verb in the context and the NP₂ or information about a particular place presented by a locative frame. These results facilitate a new understanding of the ‘aboutness’ relation, which is established through the process of interpreting an NP₁ wa NP₂ da sentence in the context.

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Recommended Citation

Yoshida, Megumi (2023) "‘Aboutness’ Relation in Japanese Topicalization: An Analysis of the NP1 wa NP2 da Construction," Japanese Society and Culture: Vol. 5, Article 6.
Available at: https://gensoken.toyo.ac.jp/japanese-society-and-culture/vol5/iss1/6