Language and an expression of identities: Japanese sentence-final particles ne and na.

Highlights: [•] It sheds light on some aspects of the interface between language and identity. [•] It provides a new account for unexplored usages of na in Japanese. [•] Na shares the ‘incorporative’ function with ne. [•] Na has a special property to convey a tone of ‘camaraderie’, whereas ne does not. [•] The use of na is related to Japanese cultural values on gender and formality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]