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
