THE GRAMMATICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PRIVATE EXPRESSION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE THREE-TIER MODEL OF LANGUAGE USE

Abstract

One of the foundational assumptions of the three-tier model of language use is the distinction between private and public expression. Focusing on the notion of private expression, which is a direct linguistic correlate of the situation construal tier of the three-tier model, I argue that the category of private expression actually enjoys an independent grammatical status both in Japanese and English. Although each of the arguments presented may be exceptional in light of the general grammatical properties of the two languages, this strongly suggests the significance of private expression in the sense that the category is distinguished even in phenomena located at the grammatical periphery.