Japanese Politeness

Yasuko Obana is a Professor in the School of Science, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan, teaching English to science students. She has published a number of articles in the fi eld of pragmatics, including politeness and anaphora in text processing. When she was teaching Japanese to university students in Australia, she was analysing learners’ errors in Japanese, which led her to publish Understanding Japanese: A Handbook for Learners and Teachers (Kurosio Publishers, Japan, 2000 ). She is now writing a co- authored book on Japanese pragmatics.

Contents

Preface: Some characteristics of this book

On a theory of politeness

Acknowledgements

Note on transcriptions

I. POLITENESS BEGINS

1. The Definition of Politeness: Review

1.0. Introduction

1.1. The etymology of ‘politeness’

1.2. Politeness as part of speech acts: A set of rules

1.3. Face-saving view: Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory

1.4. Discursive politeness

Endnote 1: Brown and Levinson’s positive and negative strategies

Endnote 2: Collectivism and individualism – Are they real?

2. The Underlying Meaning of Politeness: How it begins and evolves

2.1. The recent development of politeness studies: What ‘politeness’

constitutes

2.2. The underlying meaning of politeness: A diachronic approach

2.2.1. Involvement and independence as basic human needs/wants

2.2.2. Evaluations as the basis of politeness

2.3. Identity and role in Symbolic Interactionism

2.3.1. Symbolic Interactionism

2.3.2. Subcategories of Role-Identity and politeness

Endnote: ‘face’ ≠ ‘involvement & independence’

3. Politeness as a Social norm, and its Contingency and Discursiveness

3.1. The term ‘social norm’ in sociology

3.2. Politeness as a social norm and its contingencies

The summary of Part I

II. HONORIFICS






The Term ‘Polite’ in English and Japanese: Their conceptual differences
4.1. The etymology of term ‘polite’ in Japanese: Reigi tadashii and teineina

4.2. The sociological significance of ‘polite’ in English and Japanese

4.3. Keigo, keii hyoogen and politeness




The Origin of Honorifics: Distance begins
5.1. The origin of honorifics as taboo?

5.2. Norito as the origin of honorifics

5.2.1. The nature of norito

5.2.2. Honorifics in norito: A language for gods and goddesses

5.3. Characteristics of honorific use in norito




Understanding Honorifics








The classification of honorific styles



The status of honorifics in pragmatic principles





Honorifics as wakimae?



Honorifics as a positive or negative strategy?



Honorifics as ritual?



Honorifics as a social index and the linguistic evidence of a

social relationship




Socio-pragmatic functions of honorifics: Ideology, image and reality



6.3.1. From hierarchical to democratic ‘honorifics’?

6.3.2. How Japanese people in general perceive honorifics today

Endnote 1: Uchi as the extension of the speaker’s viewpoint to

differentiate honorific styles

Endnote 2: The uchi/soto distinction as Japanese mentality?

Endnote 3: The functions of the formula yoroshiku onegaishimasu

7. Variations and Derivations of Honorific Use

7.0. Introduction

7.1. Norms and contingencies: Bicchieri’s (2006) "grammar of society"

7.2. Speech level shifts: The case of plus-level shifts

7.2.1. Distance as a psychological barrier: Irony, sarcasm and conflict

7.2.2. The origin of honorifics: Gratitude, attentiveness, carefulness

7.2.3. Mock stage performance

7.2.4. Norms of honorifics, honorifics used in plus-level shifts and

the origin of honorifics: A pragmatic parallel

7.3. Other derivations of honorific use

7.3.1. Task-based role shifts

7.3.2. Women’s language

7.3.3. Personal styles

7.3.4. Absolute honorifics and self-exalting

Endnote: Examples of minus-level shifts

The summary of Part II

III. POLITENESS STRATEGIES






Strategies as the Implementation of One’s Role-Identity








The concept of Role-Identity



Role shifts and changes in politeness strategies





Direct and indirect requests: Role shifts



Repetition as assimilating with the other’s role: It takes two to complete it



Pretending to be a different person: Dissociative roles




Summary








Honorific Strategies





Pragmatic transfer as a source for distinguishing Japanese from English



Fundamental differences in strategic planning in English and Japanese: FTA based vs. Role-Identity based



Praising, recognition and checking: Evaluative statements are
condescending




Direct enquiries of the senior’s wants are intruding: The case of offer



Direct request: One’s entitlement prior to FTA consideration



The summary of Part III

IV. CONCLUDING REMARKS






What this book has offered





What constitutes politeness



Contingencies and discursiveness of politeness



Role-Identity as a process to determine polite behaviour




What this book has left out

References

Index