This study examined the roles that questions play in conversations between amicable native speakers of Korean and Japanese. To monitor their frequency and appearance, the functions of questions in the data were divided into five categories: <inform...
This study examined the roles that questions play in conversations between amicable native speakers of Korean and Japanese. To monitor their frequency and appearance, the functions of questions in the data were divided into five categories: <information request>, <opinion request>, <confirmation request>, <agreement request>, <information provision>, and <opinion expression>.
The analysis revealed that Japanese mores speakers employed a higher frequency of questions compared to Korean mores speakers. The question expressions <confirmation request> and <information request> were frequently used in both languages, but the frequency of <opinion request> varied. Throughout the conversation, the Japanese speaker's <opinion request> kept coming up. However, for Korean speakers, it was only mentioned at the start of the conversation.
<Agreement request> was frequently used in Korean speeches. It was discovered that this was the outcome of someone attempting to influence someone else's viewpoint by expressing their own. It is believed that Japanese speakers do not use <agreement request> because they do not want to burden the other party. In Japanese speeches, it is common to engage in <expressing opinions> and <providing information> as a means of gauging the other person's reaction during the discussion. Opinions and information are typically expressed by Korean speakers through statements. This suggests that they prioritized the purpose of communication over maintaining rapport with the other person.