Reviewed by Picus S. Ding, University of Potsdam
Focusing on the use of ga as a conjunction, Tatsuya Fukushima uses a multidimensional approach to ‘identif[y] all five functions of ga unilaterally’ (153). This monograph contains five chapters, which are preceded by an introduction and followed by a conclusion as well as detailed references for the data sources and a general index.
In Ch. 1 (6–23), F briefly presents the historical development of ga from exclusively functioning as a case marker in Old Japanese, to its emergence as a conjunction in the Insei-ki Era (i.e. 1086–1192). Additionally, F examines the six functions of the conjunction ga in Medieval Japanese. Ch. 2 (24–47) reviews work on the conjunction ga in Modern Japanese, incorporating prescriptive, descriptive, and pedagogical accounts. Previous studies suggest five functions of the conjunction ga in Modern Japanese: conflictive/contrastive, referential, insertive, implicative, and continuative. Ch. 3 (48–57) offers a pragmatic analysis of the conjunction ga used in a multi-interlocutor setting from Japanese live televised talk shows. The data from spontaneous spoken Japanese contain all five functions of ga. While the conflictive/contrastive function occurs with the highest frequency, the continuative function is the most infrequent.
Ch. 4 (58–122) widens the analysis to include data from Asahi Shinbun editorials, on-line Asahi Shinbun breaking news stories, press conferences with Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, television interviews with Japan Communist Party chairman Tetsuzo Fuwa, and Yahoo! Japan message boards. Only the texts from the Yahoo! Japan message boards show all five functions of ga; the implicative function is absent from the other genres. Moreover, only the conflictive/contrastive function is observed in the Asahi Shinbun editorials. Ch. 5 (123–49) presents a comparison of the speech of Japanese prime ministers Ryutaro Hashimoto, Keizo Obuchi, and Jun’ichiro Koizumi at domestic and international press conferences. F also discusses the general personality profiles of these prime ministers in relation to their use of ga.
F’s methodology is exemplary for discourse analysis. His findings have undoubtedly increased our understanding of the functions of ga outside noun phrases in spoken Japanese and in computer-mediated communication. However, one variable that F did not explore is the difference in style between genders. Since Japanese is well known for gender-based differences in speech, female speakers may show interesting patterns of the conjunction ga.