Animating functions of quotative particles to and tte in spoken Japanese
Chad Nilep, Junko Fujimoto · 2017
Presented at The 5th Annual Conference of the Japan Society for Language Science, 5 July 2003.This paper identifies functions of the quotative markers to and tte in spoken Japanese and examines the distinct distribution of each particle. The paper recognizes three related functions: marking direct or indirect quotation, marking evidentiality, and hedging. These uses are grouped together under the heading animating functions. In addition, the paper shows that to and tte display discrete distribution. Contrary to prior understanding, the particles are not identical in function. More than eighty-five percent to tokens are followed by a verb that indicates thought, while a similar proportion of tte tokens are followed by verbs indicating verbal communication.