IMPERATIV- OCH DIREKTIVUTTRYCK I JAPANSKA OCH SVENSKA. EN JÄMFÖRELSE

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide a view of the difference in the use of imperatives and directives between Japanese and Swedish. The use of imperative is quite usual in Swedish while the use of it in Japanese is very limited and Japanese tends to take other linguistic strategies to express this kind of speech. Since Japanese has keigo, the polite expressions in imperatives and directives will also have to be noted. As material, Japanese and Swedish instructional texts are analysed in this paper. Instructional texts are taken from various categories, from electronic devices to hygiene products. Since this paper doesn’t focus on analysis of the translation, the products are not the same in Swedish and Japanese instructional texts. In conclusion, in Swedish instructional texts the use of imperative is dominant while Japanese instructional texts have more stylistic varieties. The choice of style seems to depend not only on the relationship between company and user, but also on what kind of information it holds. The difference in information the instructional texts contain is also observed.