2020 Volume 17 Pages 35-51
This study investigates the cause and changing process of displeasure in request conversations of Japanese native speakers from the perspectives of conversational features and the mental states of those involved. Conversation data collected by role-play as well as questionnaires and follow-up interviews on displeasure during conversations are both analyzed in the study. Correlation between conversational features and the displeasure of the interactants was statistically analyzed, while interviews were coded and analyzed with reference to Grounded Theory Approach to clarify the process in the occurrence of displeasure. The quantitative part of the study revealed that conversational features, such accepting requests, apologizing or employing pre-requests does not necessarily correlate with preventing displeasure in requests. Analysis of the interview data showed that the mental state of a speaker from receiving an utterance from the other interlocutor, to taking his/her own turn, change as follows: understanding and interpreting the utterance, evaluating the utterance, and subsequently adjusting the evaluation. While this process takes place in a cyclic way throughout the conversation, displeasure occurs only if the speaker evaluates an utterance of the other interlocutor negatively without adjusting the evaluation in a positive way afterwards. Furthermore, the analysis elucidated that perceiving knowledge of the other interlocutor’s current situation such as being busy, having a considerate personality, being well acquainted with the other party or showing empathy in his/her utterances may mitigate the risk of displeasure occurring.
