Communicative interaction in terms of ba theory: Towards an innovative approach to language practice

This paper proposes an innovative approach to pragmatics that breaks away from the notion of individual as starting point in order to understand interactive context as a single integrated whole. This break is made by introducing the Japanese philosophical concept of ba and basho. The conceptualization of basho was initiated by Nishida Kitaro and his fellow philosophers at the Kyoto School in the first half of the twentieth century, and the ba principle, a theory of the emergence of information in dynamical systems, has been theorized by Shimizu. A ba and basho approach is a way of rethinking context that lies at the heart of pragmatics. A ba and basho approach presupposes ‘primary ba,’ ‘secondary ba’ and ‘ba theory.’ The uniqueness of this approach is the level of ‘primary ba,’ which is basically an ontology of mutual dependence, impermanence and ultimately non-separation. Nishida referred to this level of ba as ‘Basho of Absolute Nothingness.’ By applying ba theory to language practices, we analyze and present new interpretations of interactive discourse. •We propose an innovative approach to pragmatics that breaks away from the individual as the focus.•Our means of making this break is the philosophical approach known as ba and basho.•Ba theory conceives of interactive context as an integrated whole.•Ba theory is a way of rethinking context which lies at the heart of pragmatics.•Two excerpts of interactive discourse are analyzed and interpreted from ba theory.