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An analysis of the particle WA in Japanese narrative discourse

Shelton, Abigail Leigh
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1407512818

Abstract Details

2007, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, East Asian Languages and Literatures.
My informal observations of American students of Japanese have revealed that students have great difficulty accurately using the particle wa in their output. The problem is twofold: American speakers of subject-based English have difficulty with the concept of a topic-based language like Japanese, and while there are many well-written Japanese textbooks available, they do not adequately equip students with the skills needed to use wa in narrative discourse. Linguists such as Hinds (1987) have proposed pragmatic solutions to the usage of wa, but other answers exist. A synthesis of current analyses was created, and the tools of the Centering Theory were used to analyze wa-marking patterns in Japanese narrative discourse and how familiar information is coded in Japanese. This synthesis underwent a pedagogical application, which resulted in an algorithm that students can use to check the accuracy of their output using wa in narrative Japanese discourse, as well as in a series of exercises, drills, and lessons that can be used both in and out of the classroom to hopefully improve student performance. In the future, the algorithm developed can perhaps one day be implemented in the form of a computer program which students could use outside of the classroom, at their own pace.
Etsuyo Yuasa (Advisor)
Charles J. Quinn (Committee Member)
55 p.
Asian Literature; Asian Studies; Language Arts

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Shelton, A. L. (2007). An analysis of the particle WA in Japanese narrative discourse [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1407512818

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shelton, Abigail. An analysis of the particle WA in Japanese narrative discourse. 2007. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1407512818.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shelton, Abigail. "An analysis of the particle WA in Japanese narrative discourse." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1407512818

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1407512818
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© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.