Interactive stories and specialisation

[thegooseking]

皆さん、こんにちは。

I have a very short statement of something I would want to say about myself in Japanese, but I have a few detailed questions about it.

私は大学院生です。対話式の物語について研究しています。人工知能を専門にします。

My first question is about whether 対話式 is appropriate. My particular work is computer-science-based, and my dictionary says that 対話式 means 'interactive' with regards to software, but there are other forms of interactive story that are not software-based, such as pen-and-paper or live-action role-playing, or those "choose your own adventure" books, or maybe improvisational acting. Would these things also count as 対話式 (for the participants) or not?

Secondly, I'm a bit unclear on the difference between 物語 and 話. My dictionary translates the former as 'narrative' (at least as the primary definition) and the latter as 'story'. I do have some specialist knowledge about what the difference between those two English terms is... but even among specialists, not everyone would agree with my distinction! I wonder if Japanese is the same, and different people have different ideas about the distinction between these terms, or if the distinction is more clear.

My third question is grammatical. I would like to link the last two sentences together rather than saying two separate sentences, but I'm not really sure which form to use. The て form crossed my mind, but would that imply that I specialise after I research? I really, of course, want to imply that my specialisation is part of my research, not that they are two separate things I do (whether sequentially or not).

And my final question is more about tone. I know that in English, saying that you specialise in something can either be boastful ("I'm an expert, you know") or a simple statement of fact ("I focus on this more than other things"). I was wondering how を専門にする sounds with regard to that. I don't want to appear boastful anyway, but I especially don't want to appear boastful in Japanese!

どうもありがとうございます。

小狼

[mewes6190]

小狼さん、
こんにちは。

I can't help you with all your points, but I got some thoughts about the 物語/ 話 bit. As I get it, a 物語 really is a story, a legend, something written down, something with structure etc. I did a LOT of research with the rebellions, leading to the rise of the Shogun in 1156, 1160 and of course the genpei-war in 1180. The biggest source about this time is the 平家物語, the "Story of the Heike".
Also, in the short story 藪の中 (which is an interesting read, and the story, on which the Kurosawa movie Rashomon is based on), each of the seven confessions, is a 物語.
So, you can say, a 物語 is a story, a legend, something written down, something for entertainment, something you read, to get joy out of it, something with structure, a hero or heroine.
A 話 on the other hand, might just be some tidbit, I tell you about something that happened.
So, as I understand it: If I tell you, that I met your ex in the supermarket, and we had lunch together, it's a 話.
If I tell you, how I met your ex in the supermarket, we flew to Paris, where we witnessed a murder, and singlehandedly found out, that the president was the murderer - it's a 物語.
(Actually, 物語 is often used in literature-science-context, I think, while 語 would be much more everyday-like.)

Somewhere along this lies the line, I think.

For your other questions, there are much more competent people in the forum, so I won't even guess.

Best,
くろくま

[thegooseking]

くろくまさん、

Thank you for your reply. I did wonder if that might be the case, given that 話 is also the noun form of the verb 話す, which seems to have a more "down-to-earth" flavour. When I talk technically about 'story' and 'narrative', I tend to mean that the 'story' is the sequence of events that you're relating, and the 'narrative' is the text (or whatever medium) that describes those events, so it seems the distinction is not quite the same, but I can sort of see the relationship.

ありがとう、
小狼

[community.japanese]

小狼さん、くろくまさん、
thank you very much for the kind help, くろくまさん
I'd like to add just a bit to your brilliant analysis!
As to 語, this kanji is used to the verb 語る and this verb means "to tell stories" or "talk deeply (with friends etc.)
So, it'd be interesting if you checked the kanji used too
Also, 物語 usually has story developments: typically, 起承転結.
It means 物語 at least has "beginning" and "end" of the story, while 話 can last forever if the speaker
loves chatting... 話 can be both formal or informal (chit-chats).

My first question is about whether 対話式 is appropriate. My particular work is computer-science-based, and my dictionary says that 対話式 means 'interactive' with regards to software, but there are other forms of interactive story that are not software-based, such as pen-and-paper or live-action role-playing, or those "choose your own adventure" books, or maybe improvisational acting. Would these things also count as 対話式 (for the participants) or not?

When it comes to specialised terms (or jargon), there's often no explanation. I've heard of 対話型something
in IT field, and I believe 対話式 is also used. In our daily life, 対話 of course takes two (or more) parties.
I personally think "interactive" is a bit difficult word to translate. There are some cases we should actually use
インタラクティブ

My third question is grammatical. I would like to link the last two sentences together rather than saying two separate sentences, but I'm not really sure which form to use. The て form crossed my mind, but would that imply that I specialise after I research? I really, of course, want to imply that my specialisation is part of my research, not that they are two separate things I do (whether sequentially or not).

How about:
対話式の物語について研究していて、人工知能を専門にしています。
The key here is that the first half ends with して（いて）, so the latter half should have the same pattern: して（います）
てform can express many different meanings and this usage indicates the first half and latter half are both about
yourself and "same kind of on-going statements" with proper verb conjugations.

And my final question is more about tone. I know that in English, saying that you specialise in something can either be boastful ("I'm an expert, you know") or a simple statement of fact ("I focus on this more than other things"). I was wondering how を専門にする sounds with regard to that. I don't want to appear boastful anyway, but I especially don't want to appear boastful in Japanese!

This specific expression does not show any "stuck-up" attitude, so no worries!
I appreciate your attention to this detail, because there're many expressions that are normal in English and
are boastful in Japanese. Especially in your case, you're studying it in post graduate course, which
means the level of specialty is pretty high. In other words, you must have 専門 to make sense really.

On the whole, your sentences were very sophisticatedly done and good!
In order to make sure what the best description in Japanese is, we probably need to know better
about what you're actually studying and what exactly "interactive stories" mean...
I'm rubbish in IT and computer-science, so I might not be the best person to give advice...but this is exactly
how special terms in Japanese work.

Hope this helps!

Natsuko (奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

[thegooseking]

奈津子先生、

明確化にありがとうございます！

How about:
対話式の物語について研究していて、人工知能を専門にしています。
The key here is that the first half ends with して（いて）, so the latter half should have the same pattern: して（います）
てform can express many different meanings and this usage indicates the first half and latter half are both about
yourself and "same kind of on-going statements" with proper verb conjugations.

I think I understand. If they were in the regular present tense, there would be a sense of sequence (more or less), and if they were both in the progressive tense, that sense of sequence would be diminished. I guess if you have, like I did, a progressive linked to a 'regular' present tense with the て form, that would actually indicate that the second verb is in the future? "I am doing this right now and then I will do that"?

In order to make sure what the best description in Japanese is, we probably need to know better
about what you're actually studying and what exactly "interactive stories" mean...
I'm rubbish in IT and computer-science, so I might not be the best person to give advice...but this is exactly
how special terms in Japanese work.

I actually just remembered some Japanese researchers who presented a paper on interactive stories at a conference I was at, a few years ago. Obviously, both the paper and the presentation were in English, but it might be worth me trying to find anything they've written in Japanese. Or just asking them what they call it in Japanese

Thanks again.

小狼

[community.japanese]

小狼さん、
you mean whether 専門にします means the future?
Not necessarily. If you study something as your specialty in the future, of course you can say that.
But we can also use this to say the current specialty. However, that'd be in special situations.
In your sentence, 専門にしています was the better fit

Glad I could help!

Natsuko (奈津子)
Team JapanesePod101.com