A pragmatic study of Japanese language learners’ expressions of impoliteness

Associate Professor Tsutomu Makihara, from the Global Initiative Centre at Gunma University, is exploring how native Japanese speakers interpret Japanese spoken by foreign Japanese learners, with a focus on the perception of politeness in language. As some common ground is typically missing in conversations between native and non-native speakers, even grammatically correct sentences can be interpreted differently from how they were intended and considered impolite. Makihara believes that interference with the strategies of the mother tongue in operating the second language is at the root of this. He is taking a contrastive linguistic perspective to investigate this, which considers how pragmatic strategies differ between languages. He is working to shed light on native Japanese speakers’ politeness strategies and demonstrate how non-native speakers of Japanese do or do not understand them. In doing so, he hopes to highlight the importance of teaching politeness strategies in language learning. Politeness is key to smooth communications and human relationships and therefore should be on the agenda in language learning, alongside accuracy in grammar and phonics. Makihara and his collaborators have published a number of books covering politeness and considerate expressions since 2010 and, with his current project, wants to generate the knowledge and content for additional books as well as training materials for academics and language learners. Interestingly, politeness can be regulated by manipulating grammar, in Japanese and other languages too. Politeness involves voice, tense, aspect and modality.