Systemic Functional Perspectives of Japanese - Descriptions and Applications - Elizabeth A. Thomson

Systemic Functional Perspectives of Japanese - Descriptions and Applications - Elizabeth A. Thomson

Nominalisation and nouniness as meaning strategies in Japanese political manifestos

Systemic Functional Perspectives of Japanese - Descriptions and Applications - Elizabeth A. Thomson

Kinuko Suto [+-]
Tohoku University
Kinuko Sato (Suto) is formerly of Tohoku University, Japan. She now lives in Germany, raising her child while she researches English and Japanese persuasive texts, including political manifestos, academic texts, newspaper editorials, magazine ads, and narratives. Among her publications is Suto, K. (2004) Technocratic Discourse: Deploying Lexicogrammatical Resources for Technical Knowledge as Political Strategies. JASFL Occasional Papers Vol. 3: 105–156.
Christopher Barnard [+-]
Teikyo University
Christopher Barnard is a Professor in the Department of English, Teikyo University, Japan. His interests include Japanese linguistics and Japanese/ English lexicography. Among his publications is Barnard, C. (2003) Language, Ideology, and Japanese History Textbooks London: RoutledgeCurzon.

Description

In this paper, we attempt to develop the traditional notion of nominalisation by constructing a cline of nominalisation. This cline comprises a range of expressions with various degrees of ‘nouniness’, showing that nominalisation arises when meanings are reconstrued by more nounlike or ‘nounier’ expressions. This cline is particularly useful when we analyse degrees of specificity or negotiability of information presented in texts. We will demonstrate the way to use this cline by analysing the Japanese general election manifestos of 2003 of the then incumbent party (the Liberal Democratic Party; Jimin-too) and the largest opposition party (the Democratic Party of Japan; Minshu-too). We will demonstrate that in these political manifestos a shift towards ‘nounier’ elements and nominalisation are used to construe the opponents’ past/ongoing political failures in contrast with their own party’s future political successes as having low negotiability and given information, as a strategy to implicitly persuade readers of the superiority of the party over other rival parties.

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Citation

Suto, Kinuko; Barnard, Christopher. Nominalisation and nouniness as meaning strategies in Japanese political manifestos. Systemic Functional Perspectives of Japanese - Descriptions and Applications. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 173 - 209 Apr 2013. ISBN 9781845530532. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=18647. Date accessed: 04 Oct 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.18647. Apr 2013

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