Abstract

This article investigates the grammatical aspects of nominalization and the Japanese da predicate as critical strategies for realizing the effect of what I call `rhetorical ricochet' in Japanese discourse. The study explores the expressive function of the nominal/nominalizer and da in 28 imaginary letters appearing in asahi Shimbun as well as a literary text along with its English translation. I conclude that the combination of a certain kind of nominal/nominalizer and the da predicate reinforces the topic-comment relationship, through which the rhetorical ricochet effect is realized. This article draws from theories on rhetoric and discourse functionalism, and the concept of shared perspectives, in particular.