A Study on Plural Form of Japanese Terms for Self and Address Terms

In this study, the plural form of Japanese terms for self and address terms was examined from the perspective of pragmatics, focusing on the speaker's intention to choose. The analysis data were utterances about groups of differences in positions or hostility between groups in order to clearly define how the speaker distinguishes and expresses oneself and the listener group in plural form. As a result, it was confirmed that the use of the high–level or formal plural form did not lead to high deference for the listener. In other words, it could be defined that the speaker tends to use the high–formality plural form as a psychological distance from the listener group or as a motive to show one’s demeanor in the speech in which confrontation between groups appeared. In Japanese, there are various types of terms for self, address terms and plural suffixes, and each expressions has different restrictions on use and differences in deference, so the plural form of terms for self and address terms can be said to show delicate adjustments and choices according to the speaker's attributes and usage restrictions, in addition to the speaker's intentions.