Contextual Characteristic of the Conjunctive Particle monodakara Expressing Cause/Reason

Focusing on the Connection with Another Event

Abstract

In Japanese language teaching and previous studies, the meaning and usage of the conjunctive particle monodakara is described by focusing on the character of the event, or the function that P monodakara Q expresses. This paper reveals a characteristic of the context in which monodakara is used by focusing on the connection with another event expressed in the context. This characteristic is that P monodakara Q is used in a context in which an ordinary event and an unusual event are contrasted, and to assert that the unusual event Q is due to an unusual cause P.

This paper also demonstrates that this characteristic of the context in which monodakara is used leads to the condition that monodakara is used when speakers consider that what happened is not an ordinary event, but an unusual event, and that this usage condition in turn leads to its usage in making an excuse for unexpected and unfavorable events.