Japanese language socialization: Indexing the modes of self

要旨

From the perspective of language socialization, this article examines the use of addressee honorifics (the masu form) and their nonhonorific counterpart (the plain form) at home and in classroom interactions in elementary schools in Japan. Unlike the usual assumption that these forms are polite or nonpolite speech markers, this study finds that both at home and school the masu and plain forms are used as indexes of the modes of self, namely, “disciplined” and “spontaneous.” Children by the age of 3 understand these meanings and they continually participate in classroom activities that are regulated by the alternation of these forms. The study suggests that in this process children are socialized into the key cultural distinction in Japanese society, uchi and soto ‘inside and outside.’

主題