2025 Volume 22 Pages 17-32
Listening behavior in Japanese conversations is called aizuchi, which includes verbal and nonverbal formats. Verbal aizuchi refers to utterances such as un “yeah” and hai “yes”; nonverbal aizuchi consists of nodding, which occurs more frequently than other forms. Using aizuchi indicates that listeners understand or at least are listening to the speakers’ utterances (Komiya, 1986; Maynard, 1986 and others). In addition, the higher the degree of intimacy that exists between the participants, the more frequently the listeners use nonverbal aizuchi (Miyazaki, 2007). However, it is unclear under which situations listeners use verbal or nonverbal aizuchi depending on the degree of intimacy between the participants. This study investigates verbal and nonverbal aizuchi used when addressing speakers with both high and low degrees of intimacy, focusing on whether a given proposition is completed. The analysis demonstrates that when the participants are intimate, listeners employ verbal aizuchi more than nonverbal ones, regardless of propositional completion. This shows that participants collaboratively create a series of actions leading to propositional completion. However, when they are not intimate, the listeners employ nonverbal aizuchi more. Furthermore, participants use verbal aizuchi when a proposition is completed and nonverbal aizuchi when it is not. This indicates that listeners use different forms of aizuchi to differentiate their understanding of propositions from their active participation in the conversation. These results suggest that the degree of intimacy influences verbal and nonverbal aizuchi use. Furthermore, using different forms of aizuchi is considered other-oriented behavior.
