A Comprehensive Study on the Historical Change and Geographical Distribution of Greeting Expressions Based on Ideation

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02740
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese linguistics
• Research Institution: Meiji University
• Principal Investigator: TAJIMA Masaru 明治大学, 法学部, 専任教授 (80207034)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 感謝表現 / 発想法 / 歴史的変遷 / 地理的分布 / 困惑 / 評価 / 配慮

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I have considered greeting expressions, especially expressions of gratitude, from both historical and geographical perspective, and have discussed the relationship between two.
In the history of linguistic ideation, the idea of feeling embarrassed prevailed until the end of Middle Ages, and a typical expression was katajikenai. Since the early modern period, the conception of expressions became increasingly based on the idea of evaluation. The representative form of this is arigatai. This major shift in ideation occurred because the verbal behavior of gratitude became bidirectional by including the top-to-bottom(superior-to-inferior) direction in addition to the preexisting bottom-to-top direction. Notably, from the later part of the early modern period, the shifted toward that of consideration, that is, concern for the other person. Typical expressions of this period were kinodoku and sumimasen. The history of ideation also appears in the form of geographical distribution.

Free Research Field

日本語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

感謝表現の歴史的な変化を辿ることにより、日本人の感謝に対する発想の変化を見ることができる。カタジケナイによる困惑の時代、アリガタイによる評価の時代、スミマセンによる相手への配慮の時代へと変化してきた。この変化は、それぞれの時代の社会構造や状況と大きく関わっているのである。困惑の時代は、身分差が大きく、感謝の行為は下からであった。評価の時代は、感謝の行為が双方向になり、下から上の行為を評価する必要が生じた。配慮の時代は、社会的に余裕ができ、相手を思い遣るようになった。現代は配慮の時代である。
方言に見られる様々な表現も、これのいずれかに属しており、決して特殊なものではないのである。