Meta-quotation

Abstract

This paper explores the thematic and interactional significance of the quotative marker tte in Japanese comics. The quotative expressions examined are 'meta-quotations', their main function being to self-qualify the quoter's speaking act. Although a similar use is observed in the standard quotation marker to followed by the verbs of saying and thinking, this study primarily focuses on tte that appears independently in casual speech as depicted in comics targeted at adolescent girls. Extending beyond the concept of speech act qualification, I argue that meta-quotation offers a device in Japanese discourse to qualify and manipulate multiple discourse organizational and interactional meanings, including theme presentation, 'pseudo-quotation', and quotation across Speakers* Through tte's function as a metalinguistic device, this study illustrates that language not only describes events and states but also reflexively qualifies the speaker's voice that describes these events and states.