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.

• ContentsPreface: Some characteristics of this bookOn a theory of politenessAcknowledgementsNote on transcriptionsI. POLITENESS BEGINS1. The Definition of Politeness: Review1.0. Introduction1.1. The etymology of ‘politeness’1.2. Politeness as part of speech acts: A set of rules1.3. Face-saving view: Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory1.4. Discursive politenessEndnote 1: Brown and Levinson’s positive and negative strategiesEndnote 2: Collectivism and individualism – Are they real?2. The Underlying Meaning of Politeness: How it begins and evolves2.1. The recent development of politeness studies: What ‘politeness’constitutes2.2. The underlying meaning of politeness: A diachronic approach2.2.1. Involvement and independence as basic human needs/wants2.2.2. Evaluations as the basis of politeness2.3. Identity and role in Symbolic Interactionism2.3.1. Symbolic Interactionism2.3.2. Subcategories of Role-Identity and politenessEndnote: ‘face’ ≠ ‘involvement & independence’3. Politeness as a Social norm, and its Contingency and Discursiveness3.1. The term ‘social norm’ in sociology3.2. Politeness as a social norm and its contingencies The summary of Part III. HONORIFICS The Term ‘Polite’ in English and Japanese: Their conceptual differences4.1. The etymology of term ‘polite’ in Japanese: Reigi tadashii and teineina4.2. The sociological significance of ‘polite’ in English and Japanese4.3. Keigo, keii hyoogen and politeness The Origin of Honorifics: Distance begins5.1. The origin of honorifics as taboo?5.2. Norito as the origin of honorifics5.2.1. The nature of norito5.2.2. Honorifics in norito: A language for gods and goddesses5.3. 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 todayEndnote 1: Uchi as the extension of the speaker’s viewpoint to differentiate honorific stylesEndnote 2: The uchi/soto distinction as Japanese mentality?Endnote 3: The functions of the formula yoroshiku onegaishimasu7. Variations and Derivations of Honorific Use7.0. Introduction7.1. Norms and contingencies: Bicchieri’s (2006) "grammar of society"7.2. Speech level shifts: The case of plus-level shifts7.2.1. Distance as a psychological barrier: Irony, sarcasm and conflict7.2.2. The origin of honorifics: Gratitude, attentiveness, carefulness7.2.3. Mock stage performance7.2.4. Norms of honorifics, honorifics used in plus-level shifts and the origin of honorifics: A pragmatic parallel7.3. Other derivations of honorific use7.3.1. Task-based role shifts7.3.2. Women’s language7.3.3. Personal styles7.3.4. Absolute honorifics and self-exaltingEndnote: Examples of minus-level shiftsThe summary of Part IIIII. 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 IIIIV. 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 outReferencesIndex