日本語における「マイナス待遇表現のプラス待遇化」 -発話機能を中心に-

Abstract

The present study examined and analyzed the usage of ‘positivizing of the expression of negative treatment’, focusing mainly on its articulation functions. In this study, ‘positivizing of the expression of negative treatment’ means indirect action articulation to express positive treatment using ‘expression of negative treatment’ when a speaker (subject of expression) articulates something to a listener (subject of understanding). The analysis on dialogue scenarios demonstrated that a speaker’s intent of expression has impact on the contents and forms of expression. The functions of indirectaction articul ationincluded ‘intimacy’ ‘anxiety’‘complement’ and‘gratitude’. It was observed that such articulating behaviors were usually expressed when ‘relative level’ was -1 and were not much affected by ‘place level’. (The expressions made in the relationship of high intimacy were ones related to a person as a whole, especially to age or sex, or personality or emotions). The reasons why the subject of expression (a speaker) use such ‘expression of negative treatment’ were 1) that the close relatIon ship between the subject of expression and the subject of understanding implicitly concedes the use of these expressions, 2) that such linguistic behaviors more solidifies the relationship between the subject of express ion and the subject of understanding, 3) that those linguistic behaviors conveys one’s intent of expression clearly and strongly so the articulation can be highly effective, and 4) that it is hard to reveal one’s candid emotion though both the subject of expression and the subject of understanding are in close relationship. Like the factor 1), 2) and 3), it was found that ‘positivizing of the expression of negative treatment’ was often used to stress the intent of expression.