Analyzing Factors Affecting the Use of kara and node with the Corpus of Everyday Japanese Conversation

Abstract

This study investigates the factors affecting the choice between the Japanese causal connectives kara and node, using the Corpus of Everyday Japanese Conversation (CEJC). The analysis demonstrates that the proportion of node increases as the level of formality rises, from casual conversation to meetings, and that node is more likely to occur in speech styles employing polite verb endings. Furthermore, while kara is overwhelmingly dominant in conversations with family members, node tends to be favored in interactions with colleagues, business partners, and customers, where considerations of politeness and social distance are more salient. These findings suggest that the choice between kara and node is systematically conditioned by social and situational factors such as the degree of formality and the nature of interlocutor relationships, and that node is especially preferred in contexts requiring interpersonal consideration.