現代日本語における「ソレハ」の非指示用法について

Abstract

This paper examines the non-referential usage of the Japanese expression "sore wa" in contemporary Japanese, which functions not as a demonstrative but as an adverb or interjection. The findings are summarized as follows: (1) The non-referential usage of "sore wa" can be divided into two types: <adverbial usage> and <interjectional usage>. Based on its grammatical meaning and function, the former can be further categorized into <degree adverbial usage> and <stance adverbial usage>. In <degree adverbial usage>, forms such as "sore wa," "sorya," and "sore wa sore wa" are used. These typically occur before a predicate that expresses a degree and function to indicate the intensity of that degree. However, this is not merely an emphasis on degree; it also reflects the speaker’s evaluation based on experience. (2) In < stance adverbial usage>, forms like "sore wa," "sorya," "sore wa mou," and "sore wa maa" are used. These are primarily found in spoken conversation, with variations such as "soryaa" or "sore wa..." reflecting phonetic characteristics. It is difficult to pinpoint a specific predicate that corresponds to "sore wa" in these constructions, and its syntactic position is relatively free, often occurring at the end of the sentence. This usage is mainly related to the declarative aspect of a sentence, reflecting the speaker's assumption that the situation presented is self-evident. When directed at the interlocutor, this attitude expresses a strong affirmation, which is thought to lead to the <interjectional usage> of responding affirmatively to the interlocutor’s statements.