Through a reexamination of the relationship between politeness and femininity in Japanese, this study considers some of the major theoretical issues concerning linguistic politeness in general. While politeness has been regarded as a central feature of Japanese women's speech, recent research has shown that politeness is a speech norm for women,…

This paper examines socialization of honorifics in Japanese. Drawing upon audiovisual recordings of interaction in households and a preschool, the paper details ways caregivers use honorifics with children and ways children use honorifics with caregivers and peers. The analysis shows ways caregivers use referent and addressee honorifics within…