In this paper, I will discuss two case studies in which the morphemes are changing their categorical status in the grammar of Japanese and grammaticizing to clause final pragmatic morphemes. These case studies illustrate curious phenomena in Japanese in which lexical items start to function as pragmatic morphemes at the end of a clause, indicating various speaker stances, regardless of their original parts of speech. It contributes to our understanding of the dynamic nature of language. Analytic negative questions function as normal yes no questions, and are used to confirm whether a negative assumption is true or not, i.e., whether or not a positive assumption is excluded from the context at the speech time. Sigoto mo owat ta si, biiru-demo nomi ni ikoo ka.
Work is over.
Warui kedo, kyoo wa korede. Well, today I'll pass. These analyses fail to account for uses of desyoo in a broader discourse context. Building on Kinsui and Hasunuma's analyses, I analyze the function of desyoo in the larger discourse context in relation to participant goals and roles in the co production of conversational stages. In discourse, where a possible conflict exists, such as a potential refusal or a disagreement, speakers present relatively obvious information in the desyoo construction before going on to make their point.