2018 Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages 52-63
Many Japanese-speaking Chinese language learners and Chinese-speaking Japanese language learners experience culture shock when they hear expressions of propositional modality used by native speakers, and misunderstand the implication the speaker intends to convey. The purpose of this paper is to find and theoretically explain the reasons why such misunderstandings occur. In this paper, first, I investigate the practical use of propositional modality in these two languages and clarify the differences in the use of modality between them by proposing a Critical Point Differential Hypothesis. Next, I describe the mechanism of occurrence of various kinds of misunderstanding between Japanese and Chinese in intercultural communication by applying Grice’s Cooperative Principle to the use of propositional modalities in the two languages. Finally, I conclude by explaining how this research can contribute to deepen mutual understanding between Japanese and Chinese people.
