Question–answer sequences in Japanese first encounters

Abstract

The aim of this investigation is to examine the relationship between information-eliciting questions and their corresponding answers that occur in first encounters between male interlocutors in a Japanese semi-formal academic context. This topic acquires a special significance in the context of Japanese culture, where asking questions is regarded as dispreferred verbal behavior. Five types of constraints on initiating question-based conversations in a Japanese social-cultural context have been identified: (i) questions may compel the recipient to speak; (ii) questions may invade the recipient’s personal territory; (iii) questions may reveal conflict between interlocutors; (iv) questions may interrupt someone’s ongoing talk; and (v) questions may reveal the respondent’s inability to answer. The analysis points to a paradox regarding the discursive behaviour of Japanese males: they show a desire to get acquainted with each other, while at the same time they are reluctant to ask questions which might cause uncomfortable feelings.