Principles of Japanese Discourse : A Handbook

This book presents, in thirty entries, clear explication of Japanese discourse organisation and detailed analysis of the rhetorical strategies. Also included are practice readings from contemporary Japanese discourse. A helpful self-study guide, it is also an excellent reference source for students and instructors of Japanese.

Principles of Japanese Discourse offers the first detailed description in English of the structure and rhetorical effects observed in various genres of Japanese discourse. Drawing on Japanese bunshooron and incorporating results of Western discourse studies, the book covers principles of overall rhetorical organisation including ki-shoo-ten-ketsu, topic structure, danraku, and sentence chaining, and presents a variety of rhetorical strategies frequently used in contemporary Japanese texts. After presenting these principles in thirty compact entries, Professor Maynard invites the reader to apply the knowledge gained to the comprehension of contemporary authentic Japanese text. Seven selected readings are presented with vocabulary lists, discourse notes, and other tasks. Translations are provided in the appendix. In this book Professor Maynard has created a new category in the area of Japanese language learning and provided an excellent reference source not only for students but for instructors of the Japanese language worldwide.