Japanese Counterfactual Conditionals

• Main Authors: Tsai Chi-Ju, 蔡季汝
• Other Authors: Lai Jin-Que
• Format: Others
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/29316457204101797973

博士 === 東吳大學 === 日本語文學系 === 102 === 　By focusing on the predicate forms and the recognition of speakers, this thesis discusses elements that make up Japanese counterfactual conditionals. The earlier studies regarding Japanese counterfactual conditionals are divided into two main categories. One goes to a small number of academic thesis that examine counterfactual conditionals. The other goes to a great number of studies about 「ta」,「teiru」and「teita」 forms that frequently appear as predicates in counterfactual conditionals with descriptions during discussion processes. However, the latter category remains two issues to be resolved. First, they fail to have an organized description about counterfactual performances in past, present and future states of situations. Second, they fail to have an organized description about different forms of predicates such as 「ta」,「teiru」and「teita」forms. To resolve problems, this thesis introduces theories from psychology, philosophy, cognitivism and communication to go beyond the theory of sentence and language and further examines the theory of dynamic tenses and the idea of “realization” in an imaginary world. Meanwhile, this thesis attempts to clarify that what closely relates to the counterfactual events is not the “states” of situations described in the previous studies, but the “realization” of the statements. Within such framework, the features of counterfactual conditions will be examined in this thesis as well. Consequently, after examination, this thesis not only points out the “realization” conditions of the statements through predicate verbs in counterfactuals such as「ru」,「ta」,「teiru」and「teita」 forms, it also implies hidden messages within counterfactuals, such as “the subjective emotions that speakers intend to deliver”, “the delightfulness or the discontent of speakers” and the relationship among statements of “confirmation, conjecture, possibility, signs, evidence and etc.”. In addition, with the concept of “completeness” and “continuation”, the adjectives as stative predicates correspond to active predicates and frequently appear in conclusive main clauses in counterfactual conditionals.