The Form and Function of Aizuchi and Aizuchi Behavior in Japanese Conversation

This paper aims to be of help in teaching conversation, which is one of the most important teaching items in Japanese language education. In Japanese conversation, not only does the speaker speak unilaterally, but the listener also actively participates in the conversation as a listener, by making backchanneling (from this point, the Japanese term “aizuchi” will be used). Currently, Japanese language education does not provide learners with an opportunity to acquire natural aizuchi. To provide a guideline for future aizuchi instruction for learners, it will be necessary to first observe the aizuchi of native Japanese speakers.
As a first step, this paper reviews existing research on aizuchi and establishes a framework for future instruction on this topic, observing the progress of a typical casual conversation between two native Japanese speakers, focusing on the form and function of aizuchi. When an individual starts talking about a certain topic, that person temporarily becomes the speaker and the other the listener. The procedure conducted was as follows: (1) Japanese native speakers paired up and conducted a conversation, with the data recorded and used; (2) the parts in which one speaker was the narrator were extracted as topics; and (3) the listener was observed along the flow of the conversation to see what kind of aizuchi they used to support the speaker’s narration. By focusing on the changes in the aizuchi used, it was found that aizuchi in Japanese conversation have four functions (Basic, Understanding, Evaluation, and Involvement), and that these have roughly fixed forms. It was observed that native speakers used different aizuchi to fulfill different functions, and that this allowed the speaker to develop his/ her talk.
In conclusion, the study examined native speakers’ use of aizuchi. It suggests that teaching learners simple strategies like aizuchi and turntaking can improve communication.