| The purpose of this study is to determine how the communication styles of English learners of Japanese differ from those of native speakers after a twenty-two months' residence in Japan. In contrast to previous studies of discourse analysis that analyzed the discourse of persons who speak their native language, this comparative discourse analysis is applied to discourse in the Japanese language performed by English learners and native speakers. This unique aspect of this study makes it possible to explain the social and cultural aspects of communication style using role-plays that control fixed variables, such as the addressee, circumstances, and conversational purposes (becoming acquainted with an unknown person, conversing to let the person make a commitment, and conversing to solve problems, and following up on the commitment if necessary). Participants are twenty American returned missionaries and twenty native returned missionaries who were accustomed to performing out these conversational purposes in Japan as missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.{09}The following conversational communication styles were found through this study. Americans tend to give priority to expressing what they have on their minds by stating what they think in the most straightforward manner. Japanese tend to give priority to developing their relationship with listeners by communicating their opinions gradually while expressing appreciation and empathy. Integral to conversing in Japanese is the ability to express empathy and thoughtful consideration to the other.{09}These findings are supported by two methods of analysis: analysis of the function of each sentence or phrase used in the discourse and analysis of other conversational characteristics of native Japanese speakers such as aizuchi, inserting stories, repetition, changing a topic, and final particles ‘ne’,‘yo,’ and ‘yo ne.’*; *This dissertation includes a CD that is compound (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation). The CD requires the following application: Microsoft Office. |
