The structural change of Japanese society and the simplification of honorific language. Including coverage of the university exchange programme and teaching of Japanese to foreign students

要旨

When learning a foreign language, it can prove difficult to become completely familiar with the intricacies of meaning and politeness as these elements have their roots in social and cultural contexts. In Japan, honour and politeness are of particular importance and, indeed, there exist honorific forms of the language. In the Department of Japanese Literature, Japan Women's University, Dr Kazuko Tanabe is working to improve the provision of language education for international students, which involves imparting understanding of Japanese society's honorifics. In her work, Tanabe is exploring the simplification of Japanese honorifics, looking at how far the language has transformed and the parallels with social changes. She is keen to shed light on the relationship between shifts in attitudinal expressions and social changes and is using a variety of analytical methods combining quantitative and qualitative research. In addition to analysing data, Tanabe constantly re-evaluates research methods and is not afraid to make changes. It is her belief that creating new research methods leads to new research fields. In order to advance the field, Tanabe is interested in collaborating with other researchers, particularly those involved in attitudinal expressions in foreign languages.

主題