Comparative Study of Discourse Structures in Japanese and American Debating

本研究重新审视并提出了分析“学术辩论”--日本和美国的教育/竞争性辩论--语篇结构的试探性模式。它还包括对这些辩论进行录音/录像以及转录。这些初步模型已被应用于对这些转录辩论的分析。日本参与者在用日语和英语进行辩论时成功地收集了数据，符合最初计划的辩论次数。由于定向辩论比赛的参赛者人数意外减少，收集到的辩论演讲数量少于最初计划的美国参赛者用英语进行辩论的数量。其中一个被检查的分析框架是基于论点的逻辑结构(图尔明模型)。在对辩论发言中出现的论点要素进行编码时，决定是根据发言者的意图作出的，这些意图由目标语界(“辩论界”)的成员，包括首席调查员来判断。为了更详细地分析语篇结构，尝试将语篇分析中的语言学方法应用到辩论演讲中。对辩论演讲进行了分析，以确定辩论中具体表征语篇结构的“动作”和“行为”。这些分析涉及确定辩论演讲中话语单位的时间和等级关系。研究项目的结果将以会议论文和期刊论文的形式提交，目前正在准备中。

This research project has reexamined and proposed tentative models of analyzing discourse structures of "Academic Debate"-educational/competitive debate practiced in Japan and the United States. It also involves audio/video recording of those debates as well as transcribing them. The tentative models have been applied to the analysis of those transcribed debates.The data collection was successful in Japanese participants debating in Japanese and English in line with the originally planned number of debates. The number of collected debate speeches was smaller than the original plan for American participants debating in English due to unexpected decline in the participants in targeted debate tournaments.One of the examined frames of analysis is based on the logical structure of arguments (Toulmin's Model). In coding elements of arguments that appear in debate speeches, the decision was based on the intention of the speaker judged by members of the target speech community ("debate community") including the head investigator. A tentative comparison was conducted based on the linear time order of the elements that consist of arguments.In order to pursue more detailed analysis of discourse structures, attempts have been made to apply "Linguistic Approach" of Discourse Analysis to debate speeches. Debate speeches were analyzed in order to establish "moves" and "acts" that specifically characterize discourse structures in debate. These analyses involve determination of temporal and hierarchical relationship of the discourse units in debate speeches. They also involve their interaction (e.g., presentation of argument, proof, question, response, counterargument).Results of the research project will be submitted as conference papers and journal papers, which are currently under preparation.