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Usage-based Approaches to Japanese Grammar: Towards the understanding of human language
Edited by Kaori Kabata and Tsuyoshi Ono
[Studies in Language Companion Series 156] 2014
► pp. 37–54

On state of mind and grammatical forms 
from functional perspectives

The case for Garu and Te-iru

The basic usages of the auxiliary verbs ~garu and ~(te)iru are generally understood as expressing desire and thoughts other than those of the speaker him/herself. A proposition accompanying~garu and ~(te)iru is often used with a modal, such as mitai, rashii, etc.; therefore, it belongs to the territory of the speaker domain. However, the proposition concerns another individual’s feelings that the speaker cannot perceive directly and is not an exclusive possession of the speaker. Using real-life usages that incorporate the notion of “territory of information” proposed by Kamio (1990) and the notion of “empathy,” by Kuno (1998), it is found that issues of hierarchy and empathy are deeply intertwined in their use in authentic communication and do not necessarily follow the description of standard grammar.

Published online: 10 June 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.156.06joh
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