The Prevalence of Omission - About the function and frequency of particle ellipsis in Japanese

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to investigate current perceptions of what is commonly referred to as particle omission, and in order to compare these perceptions to those of native speakers of Japanese, an online survey consisting of example sentences to be graded by 49 participants between the ages of 18 and 29 was carried out. A short summary of relevant particles will be covered, followed by extensive summaries of two different perspectives on the concept of particle omission. Firstly, the concept known as Zero Particle, which portrays what is commonly referred to as exclusion of a particle as simply another type of particle. This is followed by a more conventional approach, which poses rules for using particle omission based on statistical findings from the CHJ corpus. Results from the survey are then presented in groups based on grammatical category. Through analysis and discussion conditions for the use of particle ellipsis will be confirmed or disconfirmed. Strengths and flaws of theories are pointed out. Through this thesis, it is concluded that existing theories concerning particle ellipsis are wanting, and that the subject is in need of further research.