UNIT 2

Sentence-final endings
~㰖㣪, ~ῆ㣪, ~⍺㣪

Typical sentence-final endings are speech level endings, such as the defer-
ential, polite, intimate, and plain endings. However, sentence-final endings
also include various sentence-final suffixes, such as 㰖, ῆ, and ⍺. These
suffixes, combined with 㣪 “the politeness marker” can serve as sentence-
final endings that convey the speaker’s various psychological states or
attitudes. This unit introduces three sentence-final endings, ~㰖㣪, ~ῆ㣪,
and ~⍺㣪.

㰖㣪
The sentence-final ending ~㰖㣪

The sentence-final ending ~㰖㣪 is a one-form ending that indicates one

of the following four mental states or attitudes of the speaker: (i) seeking
agreement, (ii) asking a question with a belief that the hearer has the
answer, (iii) assuring information, and (iv) suggesting. The speaker’s
intonation (e.g., falling or rising) as well as contextual factors involved
(e.g., referential and situational contexts) determine which among the four
moods or attitudes the ending indicates.

(1) Seeking agreement (with a rising intonation)

Consider the following two examples:

䙊㧊Gⰺ㧒G㫆ₛ㦚G䟊㣪? “Does Paul jog everyday?”

䙊㧊Gⰺ㧒G㫆ₛ㦚G䞮㰖㣪? “Paul jogs everyday, right?”

Notice that the ending ~㠊/㞚㣪 in the first sentence simply asks the mes-
sage in a straightforward manner. On the other hand, the ending ~㰖㣪 in
the second sentence indicates that the speaker seeks agreement while
asking the same question. Here are more examples:

㡺⓮G 㩖⎗G ]㔲㠦G Ⱒ⋮㰖㣪? “(They) meet at 6 o’clock this evening,

right?” 11
㠊㩲G䞯ᾦ㠦G㢪㰖㣪? “(You) came to school yesterday, right?”