The choice between te morau and te kureru in discourse : the influence of degree of intimacy

Ikeya, Tomoko (author)

This study examines the distinction between the Japanese benefactive auxiliary constructions te kureru and te morau in discourse. Previous research has attributed their differences mainly to politeness and speaker initiative, but these do not fully explain variation in actual conversations. We argue that hearer group membership (in-group vs. out-group) is a key factor in the choice of expression. Fifty-six Japanese female university students completed a questionnaire in which they selected expressions they would use in hypothetical benefit situations. The results showed a strong preference for te kureru with in-group hearers and te morau with out-group hearers, even in identical situations. These findings suggest that psychological alignment shapes the choice of benefactive expression and that te morau is perceived as more polite because it maintains interpersonal distance.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Japanese linguistics, benefactive constructions, in-group/out-group relations, speaker–hearer relationship, politeness
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 29-43
• Numbering: Vol. 16, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-190486
• ISSN on article: 2232-3317
• DOI: 10.4312/ala.16.2.29-43
• Publication date in RUL: 04.11.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Acta linguistica asiatica
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-3317
• COBISS.SI-ID: 255902464

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Glagolski obliki te morau in te kureru v diskurzu : vloga medosebne bližine

Abstract

Raziskava obravnava razlikovanje med japonskima benefaktivnima pomožnima glagolskima konstrukcijama te kureru in te morau v diskurzu. Dosedanje raziskave so njune razlike pojasnjevale predvsem z vljudnostjo in pobudo govorca, vendar ti dejavniki ne pojasnijo v celoti variabilnosti v dejanskih pogovorih. V prispevku zagovarjamo stališče, da je pripadnost naslovnika govorčevi notranji ali zunanji skupini (in-group oziroma out-group) ključni dejavnik pri izbiri izraza. Šestinpetdeset japonskih študentk je izpolnilo vprašalnik, v katerem so izbirale izraze, ki bi jih uporabile v hipotetičnih situacijah prejemanja koristi. Rezultati so pokazali izrazito prednost rabe te kureru pri naslovnikih iz notranje skupine in te morau pri naslovnikih iz zunanje skupine, tudi kadar je bila opisana situacija enaka. Ugotovitve kažejo, da psihološka bližina oziroma poravnava z naslovnikom pomembno vpliva na izbiro izraza ter da se te morau dojema kot vljudnejši, ker ohranja medosebno distanco.

• Keywords: japonsko jezikoslovje, benefaktivne konstrukcije, odnos med notranjo ali zunanjo skupino, odnos med govorcem in sogovornikom, vljudnost