Thematic development in Japanese texts

This study investigates the functions and grammatical features of Theme in Japanese texts within a systemic functional framework.The qualitative analyses are conducted using authentic texts from two genres: tour guidebook and biography. For each text, after the identification of Theme is considered, the grammatical features of each Theme (such as post-positional particles) are observed and counted. Then the experiential contents of Theme and the method of development are considered and discussed in relation to the text’s genre. Finally the thematic progression is observed and the correlations between the Theme realisations, the method of development, the progression types and the genre are considered.It is observed that all the elements attached with the particle –wa are Theme, however, other Theme realisations are also observed depending on genre. Further, Theme is observed to be placed before Rheme. The method of development observed in tour guidebook texts is typically ‘relative location’, and in biography texts ‘Temporal’. The progression types observed in tour guidebook texts are ‘relative linear’ and ‘relative iteration’, and in biography texts, ‘iteration’ and ‘derived Theme’.The high correlations between the Theme realisations, the method of development, the progression types and the genre are observed.Based on the observation of the hierarchy of periodicity, it is pointed out that the thematic wave spreads not only horizontally but also vertically, and that two directions of the thematic waves function to make the text cohesive.Further, based on the findings, the functions of Theme are discussed in terms of the text’s knowledge building process. It is suggested that thematisation process involves two levels of stratification and that its semiotic process seems to reflect the two levels of thematisation process: 1) in choosing the text’s method of development; and 2) in choosing the information to be introduced in Rheme, which determines the aspectual Theme.The major conclusions reached are that the particle –wa has a textual function of marking the Theme Rheme boundary but there are genre variables in Japanese Theme realisations, and that studying thematisation processes can be an analytical tool for understanding a text’s knowledge building process