HSC Japanese Extension flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Monologue markers

Features identifying a single speaker: repeated first-person pronouns with no interlocutor, self-posed and self-answered questions, and sustained topic without turn-taking cues.

です・ます register

Polite form used when the monologue addresses a public or socially distant audience; contrasts with plain form, which signals inner thought or intimacy.

Sentence-final particle よ

Particle asserting information the speaker believes the listener does not yet hold; adds emphasis and forward drive to a monologue.

Sentence-final particle ね

Particle inviting agreement or confirmation from the audience; softens assertion and creates shared stance in spoken Japanese.

Quotative と with 思う

Construction framing reported thought or speech; ～と思っていた specifically marks a belief held earlier and often revised later.

Contrastive connector ところが

Conjunction introducing an unexpected reversal; stronger surprise than でも and typically signals a turning point in the speaker's position.

尊敬語 and 謙譲語

Respectful verbs raise the other party (いらっしゃる, おっしゃる); humble verbs lower the speaker (伺う, 申し上げる). Shifts index changing social distance.

Monologue summary essentials

A faithful Japanese summary retains speaker, situation, main claim, supporting reason, and final stance, while dropping fillers, false starts, and repetition.

Text type identification

Recognising 随筆, 物語, 記事, 広告, or 手紙 from layout and language signals determines expected author purpose and reader relationship.

Opinion versus fact

Opinions are marked by modality such as べきだ, と思う, だろう; facts by dates, numbers, and attributed sources like ～によると.

体言止め

Ending a sentence or clause on a noun for emphasis and rhythm; common in advertising and essay openings, and a named rhetorical device.

指示語 reference chains

Demonstratives これ, それ, あれ, この, その point backward or forward; resolving each to its antecedent is a core comprehension step.

序論・本論・結論

Standard essay structure: introduction framing the issue, body developing claims with examples, conclusion restating the position with implication.

Author stance signals

Evaluative adjectives, modality, and selection or omission of detail reveal the writer's attitude more reliably than explicit statements alone.

だ・である体

Plain formal style used for analytical writing in Japanese; consistent use avoids mixing conversational です・ます within an academic response.

Reporting verbs in analysis

～と述べている and ～と指摘している attribute claims to the author, separating what the text says from your own evaluation.

対比 structure

Deliberate contrast between two positions or images, often marked by 一方, に対して, or 逆に; naming it strengthens textual analysis.

Five-part essay structure

Introduction restating the issue, thesis, two or three supported arguments, counterargument with rebuttal, and conclusion stating consequence.

Concession and rebuttal

Pattern 確かに～という意見もある。しかし、～という点で不十分だ。Acknowledges an opposing view before defeating it, required for top-band argument.

Nominalisation for register

Converting clauses to nouns (～すること, ～という点, ～可能性) raises formality and precision in Japanese academic prose.

Cohesive connectors by function

追加: さらに, その上. 対比: 一方, 逆に. 例示: 例えば, 具体的には. 結論: 以上の点から, 結論として.

Evidence linking phrase

したがって and このことから explicitly connect a cited example or statistic back to the claim it supports.

Defining contested terms

Terms such as 多様性, 伝統, 個人 carry shifting meanings; defining them once in your own words prevents equivocation.

Length allocation

Roughly ten percent introduction, seventy percent body with two developed arguments, twenty percent conclusion and implication.

Stating a position

Use ～と考える or ～べきだ in the opening paragraph so the examiner identifies your stance without inference.

Thesis placement in English

Place the thesis in the opening paragraph and answer the exact question in the conclusion rather than merely summarising points.

Glossing Japanese terms

On first use, give the Japanese term with an English gloss, for example uchi (in-group), then use the English consistently.

Attribution versus inference

Distinguish 'the author argues' from 'this suggests'; conflating source claims with your own interpretation weakens the analysis.

Avoiding cultural essentialism

Describe cultural patterns as context-dependent tendencies rather than fixed national traits; qualify claims with situation and generation.

Translating honorific effect

English lacks grammatical keigo, so render the social effect, such as deference or hierarchy, rather than the literal verb form.

Evaluation over description

Marking rewards judgement; every descriptive sentence about the Japanese source should serve an argued point in the English response.

Short integrated quotation

Quote briefly and accurately from the source, embedding it in your own syntax, and paraphrase the remainder to demonstrate comprehension.