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Part of
(Non)referentiality in Conversation
Edited by Michael C. Ewing and Ritva Laury
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 344] 2024
► pp. 141–166

Chapter 8
Manipulating referentiality and creating phaticness

Repeated use of novel ad hoc NPs in Japanese conversation

| Keio University

The focus of this study is the creation of novel ad hoc expressions from the perspective of referentiality. Through the close analysis of three cases from video-recorded conversations in Japanese, we find that speakers create novel NPs by manipulating referentiality and embodiment, and achieve social bonding by humorously and intensely repeating those expressions. Even an onomatopoeic adverbial can be turned into a novel ad hoc NP. After creating and reinforcing those novel NPs with exaggerated delivery, speakers drop the exaggerated delivery, pronouncing the novel NPs as if they are regular NPs.

Keywords: novel expression, onomatopoeia, (de-)embodiment, NP, bonding, phaticness
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Data and method
  • 3.The process of creating ad hoc NPs involving referentiality
    • 3.1Turning an onomatopoeia into a topic NP referring to a concrete object: Baki
    • 3.2Turning individual items in a list into a unified topic NP: Aisu aisu
    • 3.3Creating a novel NP through reanalysis: Den
  • 4.Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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