Japanese Final Particles and Self-Expressions in Japanese Gay Males
Japanese Final Particles and Self-Expressions in Japanese Gay Males
Masataka Murakami
Haverford College
Swarthmore College
Abstract
Japanese final particles are a gendered, optional linguistic feature that is added to a word in a sentence or to the end of a sentence to express subtle nuances commonly in the spoken language. In terms of frequency of use, final particles such as zo, ze, and na are strongly masculine, that is, they are used most frequently by male speakers whereas wa, no, and kasira are strongly feminine, that is, they are used most frequently by female speakers. There are also neutral ones such as kana and ne, which can be used by male or female speakers equally. Final particles present complex semantic implications including the speaker’s gender, social status, personal background, levels of certainty, confidence, expectation, and doubt (Nagashima 1988, Chino 1991). These nuances vary significantly depending on the context and the intonation. However, in general, masculine final particles tend to be associated with confidence and assertion while feminine ones are likely to show mild assertion or to be used to soften the tone of a statement. Analyzing manipulations of final particle usage reveals the underlying personal relationships and social hierarchy behind verbal exchange.
This study focuses on the use of Japanese sentence-final particles by Japanese gay males. I studied four short stories, including a four-frame cartoon series, from two major Japanese gay magazines, Bády and G-men. For each story, I analyzed the relation between the nature of the characters’ personal relationships and their self-expressions primarily by examining their final particle usage, but I also needed the context and other relevant linguistic cues such as the use of first-person pronouns, which are also gendered, as I consulted my native speaker knowledge. Visual cues were also analyzed whenever illustrations were provided.
In the magazines I
Masataka Murakami
Haverford College
Swarthmore College
Abstract
Japanese final particles are a gendered, optional linguistic feature that is added to a word in a sentence or to the end of a sentence to express subtle nuances commonly in the spoken language. In terms of frequency of use, final particles such as zo, ze, and na are strongly masculine, that is, they are used most frequently by male speakers whereas wa, no, and kasira are strongly feminine, that is, they are used most frequently by female speakers. There are also neutral ones such as kana and ne, which can be used by male or female speakers equally. Final particles present complex semantic implications including the speaker’s gender, social status, personal background, levels of certainty, confidence, expectation, and doubt (Nagashima 1988, Chino 1991). These nuances vary significantly depending on the context and the intonation. However, in general, masculine final particles tend to be associated with confidence and assertion while feminine ones are likely to show mild assertion or to be used to soften the tone of a statement. Analyzing manipulations of final particle usage reveals the underlying personal relationships and social hierarchy behind verbal exchange.
This study focuses on the use of Japanese sentence-final particles by Japanese gay males. I studied four short stories, including a four-frame cartoon series, from two major Japanese gay magazines, Bády and G-men. For each story, I analyzed the relation between the nature of the characters’ personal relationships and their self-expressions primarily by examining their final particle usage, but I also needed the context and other relevant linguistic cues such as the use of first-person pronouns, which are also gendered, as I consulted my native speaker knowledge. Visual cues were also analyzed whenever illustrations were provided.
In the magazines I
Bibliography: CHINAMI, KYOKO. October 9, 2007. Manga ni miru jyendaa hyoogen no kinoo [The functions of CHINO, NAOKO. 1991. All about particles. Tokyo: Kodansha International ECKERT, PENELOPE, and SALLY MCCONNELL-GINET ECKERT, PENELOPE, and SALLY MCCONNELL-GINET. 2003. Language and gender. IDE, S. 1979. Daigakusei no hanasi kotoba ni mirareru danzyo sai [Sex differences in college student conversation] INOUE, MIYAKO. 2004. Gender, language, and modernity: Towards an effective history of “Japanese women’s language.” Japanese, Language, Gender, and Ideology, ed KAWAGUCHI, Y. 1987. Overlapped male/female languages. Gengo Seikatsu 429: 34-39. LUNSING, WIM. 2003. What masculinity?: Transgender practices among Japanese ‘men.’ Men and masculinities in contemporary Japan: Dislocating the salaryman doxa, ed MARTIN, S. 1975. A reference grammar of Japanese. New Heaven: Yale University Press. MASUOKA, T. 1991. Modaritii no bunpoo [Grammar of modality]. Tokyo: Kuroshio. MCGLOIN, NAOMI HANAOKA. 1990. Sex differences and sentence-final particles. Aspects of Japanese women’s language, ed MCVEIGH, B. 2000. Wearing identity: State, schooling and self-presentation in Japan. Oxford: Berg. MILLER, LAURA. 2003. Male beauty work in Japan. Men and masculinities in contemporary Japan: Dislocating the salaryman doxa, ed MIZUMOTO, TERUMI. 2006. Terebi dorama ni okeru onna kotoba to jyendaa firutaa [The discrepancies between the female sentence-final particle usage in TV series and in real life]. NAGASHIMA, TATSUYA. 1988. A handbook of Japanese grammar. Tokyo: Pana-Lingua Institute of Japanese Language. OGAWA, SAYURI. 2006. Hanasi kotoba no syuujyosi no danzyosa no zissai to isiki [The reality and people’s perception of gender differences in Japanese sentence-final particle usage] OISHI, TOSHIO. 1985. A description of Japanese final particles in context. Ph.D. dissertation: The University of Michigan. PENG, FRED C. C. 1981. Suuzyosi no syurui [Types of final particles]. Nihongo no danzyosa [Male/female differences in Japanese], ed SAKATA, M. 1991. The acquisition of Japanese ‘gender’ particles. Language and Communication 11-3: 117-125. TWINE, NANETTE. 1991. Language and the modern state: The reform of written Japanese. USAMI, MAYUMI. 2006. Gender and politeness. Japanese and Gender, ed. by The Society for Gender Studies in Japanese, 21-37 UYENO, YAMANAKA TAZUKO. 1971. A study of Japanese modality: A performative analysis of sentence particles VALENTINE, JAMES. 1997. Pots and pans: identification of queer Japanese in terms of discrimination YUKAWA, SUMIYUKI and MASAI SAITO. 2004. Cultural ideologies in Japanese language and gender studies WASHI, RUMI. 2004. “Japanese female speech” and language policy in the World War II era.