Linguistic Emotivity: Centrality Of Place, The Topic-comment Dynamic, And An Ideology Of <i>pathos</i> In Japanese Discourse (pragmatics & Beyond New Series)

Linguistic Emotivity explores expressive and emotive meanings in Japanese from the perspective of the Place of Negotiation theory. The Place of Negotiation theory provides a framework for understanding how linguistic signs function in the place of communication (in cognitive, emotive, and interactional places). The theory finds the indexicality of a sign fundamental and views meanings as being negotiated among interactants who share not only information but, more significantly, feelings. Using analytical tools recognized in conversation and discourse analyses, the book analyzes emotive topics (vocatives, emotive nominals, quotative topics, etc.) and emotive comments ( da and ja-nai , interrogatives, stylistic shifts, etc.) in contemporary Japanese discourse. It argues for the importance of emotivity in Japanese, in the context of the Japanese culture of pathos . Linguistic Emotivity challenges the traditional view of language that privileges logos , form, information, and abstraction, and instead, it proposes a philosophical shift toward pathos , expression, emotion, and linguistic event/action. Preface And Acknowledgments -- Pt. 1. Preliminaries -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Background -- Pt. 2. Theory -- 3. The Place Of Negotiation Theory -- 4. The (re-)turn To Place -- 5. Locating And Interpreting Emotive Meanings -- 6. Topic-comment, Futaku, And The Rhetoric Of Pathos -- Pt. 3. Emotive Topics -- 7. Vocatives And Topics -- 8. Emotive Nominals -- 9. Quotative Topics -- 10. Emotive Nan(i) 'what' -- Pt. 4. Emotive Comments -- 11. Da And Ja-nai As Commentary Strategies -- 12. Interrogatives As Emotive Comments -- 13. Commenting Through Stylistic Shifts -- Pt. 5. Pathos In Japanese Discourse -- 14. Analyzing Expressions Of Pathos In Oda Nobunaga -- 15. Rhetoric Of Pathos In Mini-jihyoo Newspaper Articles -- 16. Playing With Pathos -- Pt. 6. Reflections -- 17. Linguistic Emotivity And The Culture Of Pathos -- 18. Language, Linguistic Theory, And Ideology -- App.: Information On Select Data -- Notes -- References -- Data References -- Author Index -- Subject Index. Senko K. Maynard. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [435]-459) And Indexes. In this text on emotives in the Japanese language, Senko examines linguistic signs and strategies on varied levels, for example lexicon, syntax and text, including those signs that have not been traditionally identified as emotives. He takes the position that although some linguistic signs and strategies may seem to carry the propositonal meaning alone, they always express, in varying degrees, emotive meanings as well. By concentrating on seemingly emotionless signs, a stronger case is made that emotivity is pervasive in all aspects of language. Senko identifies and analyses a number of emotives in contemporary Japanese discourse to illustrate how rich and critical linguistic emotivity is in language and its use.