Page 44 - Makino,Tsutusi.DictionaryOfIntermediateJGrammar

SPECIAL TOPICS IN INTERMEDIATE JAPANESE GRAMMAR

3. Conversational Strategies
In order to become proficient in advanced Japanese conversation it is necessary
to be able to use conversational strategies. They include (A) Aizuchi ('back-
channel' responses), (B) Fillers, (C) Rephrasing, (D) Topic Shift and Topic
Recovery and (E) Avoidance of Decisive Expressions, among others.
A. Aizuchi ('back-channel' responses)
Aizuchi ('back-channel' responses) is an interjection to indicate that the hearer
is involved with what the speaker has said up to that point of the conversation.
The most common aizuchi expressions include Ii l/l 'yes,' 2 2 'yes,' j tv
'yeah,' it 5 'oh, yeah?', ?- 5 T f i5 'Is that so?', ". 2 'wow,' ?- 5 T f ;la
'that's right,' lZtv 2 i (1:) 'really,' +;kT 'so?', ?-;ki5b 'and then?' Exam-
ples are given below. (Aizuchi expressions are given in double parentheses.) In
Japanese the hearer uses such aizuchi now and then at phrase-final and sen-
tence-final positions. Phrase endings are often signaled by the particle 'ne.'
It&:.'.
b, t
(1) [A male superior talking to his subordinate] 6 L 9 2, %J El, ~i~l:h
Ct7Z<Li
cfC2k2,eC I; QbltvTh, ((dkbl)) Za)$GrEP;la, ((lib>)) .%l 9T'd
Td:z& LT&b>T < ;kCb>i5ho ((Iibl))
(lit. I have to fly to Hong Kong tomorrow ((yes)), so complete this
report ((yes)) by the day after tomorrow, will you?)
(2) [A male speaker talking to his male friend] %;k$ biE a)-t; El 1:eGf
I,omd*
Lljd9
la, ;5-x I- 7 11 70'~ FL-c=.&$c~T;~~, ((-2)) AEa)Xfi&v
YT, %I/~T r:tvr?, ((+ 1)
3
(lit. From the end of the year till January 7, I went to Sydney in Aus-
tralia ((wow!)) I swam under the midsummer sunshine. ((oh, yeah?)))
$05 LF
(3) [A female speaker talking to her female friend] R El k@ B 8b~T brf:
bh, ((i A)) ZLEF~J~V~~OL, +;k~, 9~~r:
60:
((Crtvk
I:))
bh, ((5 tv)) hbtvEB LT-?~E~I~~~?T~O~
bZtv2
((2-2,
i ?)I
(Yesterday when I was walking on the Ginza street ((yeah)) I saw
Mariko ((really?)) So I called her. ((Yeah)) She pretended not to
recognize me and looked the other way ((Oh, yeah?)))
(4) [A male superior to his subordinate] Z a) 6 k T 6 'K L L.l I? 6 i .
b,-tmd'