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Article published In:
Pragmatics
Vol. 33:2 (2023) ► pp.260–284

Japanese no datta and no de atta in written discourse

Past forms of no da and no de aru

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The present study examines no datta and no de atta, which are the past-tense forms of no da and no de aru in written Japanese. The analysis demonstrates that the choice between the present-tense no da/no de aru and the past-tense no datta/no de atta does not affect the temporal interpretation when they follow past-tense morphemes. However, a close examination has also revealed that the past-tense no datta/no de atta cannot follow a past-tense morpheme when the ongoing mode of discourse is non-narrative, while no da/no de aru and no datta/no de atta are both available options when the discourse is in the mode of narrative. The present study also suggests that when no datta/no de atta is used in narrative, it indicates that the stated information is less impactful, less dramatic, and more temporally distant, compared to the cases where no da/no de aru is used.

Keywords: Japanese, pragmatics, discourse analysis, n(o) da , no de aru , no datta , no de atta
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1 N(o) da and no de aru in Japanese
    • 1.2 No datta and no de atta: Past-tense forms of no da and no de aru
  • 2.The present study
  • 3.Data analysis
    • 3.1Present-tense morpheme + no datta/no de atta
    • 3.2Past-tense morpheme + no datta/no de atta
  • 4.Mode of discourse and the past-tense no datta/no de atta
  • 5. No da/no de aru no vs. no datta/no de atta in narrative discourse
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 24 November 2022
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https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.20079.nis
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