The Use of Hedges in Polite Disagreement by Japanese Advanced Learners of English

要旨

This study examines how Japanese learners of English use politeness strategies in disagreement, the context in which power relations of the interlocutors are reflected, and an addressee’s action is restricted (Locher, 2004). In particular, this study focuses on the use of hedging devices. Previous studies on the use of politeness strategies by Japanese learners of English have revealed that speakers insufficiently produced appropriate expressions in the contexts in which politeness needs to be considered (Shigemitsu, Y. Murata & Tsuda, 2006; Taguchi, 2008). Moreover, even some learners who studied abroad can leave impolite impressions of themselves on senior people such as supervisors and lecturers (Thomas, 1995, p. 161). The popular accounts of Japanese people have claimed that they tend to prefer mitigating expressions in their L1 interactions so that their speech sounds more hedged and polite, especially when they interact with senior people, people in a higher position, and people at a first encounter. They use different politeness strategies according to different variables, which affect vertical power relations among speakers, such as age, social status, and the degree of familiarity and intimacy (Niyekawa, 1991). Likewise, native speakers of English often use politeness strategies, although the degree of which is not as rigid and hierarchical as that of Japanese (Brown & Levinson, 1987, p. 25). However, there seems to be a misunderstanding among Japanese learners that native speakers of English do not use hedged expressions. In addition, Japanese learners feel uncomfortable using unhedged expressions especially in contexts where they need to disagree with senior people or people whom they have met for the first time (Shigemitsu et al., 2006). The number of studies on politeness strategies used by Japanese learners of English in their L2 disagreement is limited, and this area remains under-researched despite the fact that it is often said that learners experience awkward moments while studying abroad. In previous studies, Hill, Ide, Ikuta, Kawasaki and Ogino (1986) indicated that the politeness strategy proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987), which has been claimed as universal across cultures (Kasper, 1992; Leech, 2005), is, to some extent, applicable to Japanese. Shirato and Stapleton (2007) and Takahashi (2001), on the The Use of Hedges in Polite Disagreement by Japanese Advanced Learners of English

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