Topic development in Japanese casual conversations by intermediate Japanese learners

Abstract

This paper investigates how appropriate expressions are used for topic development in casual conversations by intermediate Japanese learners, on the basis of a survey of the Japanese instructors. The results show that conversations by intermediate Japanese learners have the following inappropriate expressions: 1) the markers of starting a new topic, 2) those of continuing a topic, and 3) those of closing a topic. The reactions of a listener are contained in these expressions. Intermediate learners, therefore, need to be instructed about which expressions develop the topics and how.