Nagara listening: Japanese listeners’ behavior in multi-activity settings

Abstract

This article presents an ethnography of listening behavior in Japanese interactions. In research on listeners’ behavior, academics have tended to focus on actions and gestures directly related to the ongoing conversation. In reality in everyday life, however, listeners often multitask. This study, therefore, attempts to investigate the nature of listeners’ multi-activities in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of their involvements. It particularly focuses on a type of listening behavior I refer to as “nagara listening,” whereby the listener is involved in various other actions and gestures while listening. This type of listening behavior involves tacit rules that enable the conversation to run smoothly.