Social Comfort
Why is it important to be polite? Perhaps because we seek comfort or try to avoid social embarrassment. In normal situations humans seek to maintain mutually comfortable feelings. In America, such a comfortable level is achieved by providing a relaxed atmosphere -- by being friendly, by creating the impression that people are on equal terms, by showing interest in others, and so on. One of the most obvious strategies Americans use is calling each other by first names, which conveys that they are (or want to be) friends. People overtly make use of this practice by saying, for example, "Call me Bill." When a person's name is unfamiliar (as happens with foreign names), Americans specifically ask how he or she would like to be called. Even when there is a noted difference in social hierarchy between the persons involved, Americans feel more comfortable minimizing that difference. Of course, the social hierarchy does not disappear simply when one calls a superior by his or her first name. But being on a first-name basis gives that impression and provides a comfortable feeling that a kind of social equality has been mutually constructed.

In Japan, the management of social comfort includes the recognition and expression of situational and social differences among speakers. Japanese people normally try to achieve a comfortable level of interaction by physically and emotionally accommodating others, by giving gifts, by repeatedly expressing gratitude, by making others feel important and appreciated, by humbling and often blaming themselves in order not to upset others, and so on. Using polite expressions is one strategy for expressing feelings of respect and admiration. When Japanese speakers wish to achieve greater intimacy with a person to whom they should show social deference, they avoid overuse of politeness expressions or mix the polite style with other expressions of endearment. Still, even in fairly close social relationships, social deference is expected to be acknowledged.

Wakimae: What Society Expects
If the motivation for politeness is seeking for comfort, the general framework associated with politeness strategies is wakimae. Wakimae 'discernment' was introduced by Beverly Hill et al. (1986) and explicated by Sachiko Ide (1992). Wakimae refers to sets of social norms of appropriate behavior people must observe to be considered polite in society. The manipulation of politeness strategies is a concrete method for meeting the social rules of wakimae. Both American and Japanese speakers must behave according to the wakimae code. We can think of wakimae on at least a micro and a macro level. According to Ide, on the micro level, wakimae involves "sense of place in relation to situational context" (1992, 300), and on the macro level, it refers to "sense of place in relation to society" (1992, 301). Although both Japanese and American speakers wish to make their interactions comfortable by meeting wakimae standards, how they arrive at their comfort zones differs. While Americans make an effort to diminish social deference, Japanese make an effort to recognize deference and follow the wakimae conventions by choosing differentiating expressions.

Another aspect associated with wakimae is that Japanese society assigns stereotypical speech styles to certain occupations and social statuses. For example, university professors are expected to make liberal use of expressions with honorifics at formal conferences. Department store salesclerks are expected to use correct polite expressions to all customers, since the consumer has power over them. Salespeople at a mom-and-pop fish store, however, are expected to use a casual, energetic, and often informal speech style mixed with politeness. The seemingly rowdy speech heard in the produce market helps create a friendly atmosphere.

Checklist for Stylistic Choice
The list below gives categories for which Japanese speakers make stylistic decisions. Under normal circumstances, the type of person who is first in each pair claims higher status and expects polite expressions from the second type of person. Regarding the situation and topic of conversation, the first in each pair requires relatively politer style from the second.

1. Demographic factors
male/female
old/young

2. Social status and relationship
more prestigious occupation/less prestigious occupation
high ranking/low ranking (within an organization)
senpai/kouhai

3. Social and personal relationship
soto/uchi
past history (intimate past history nullifies social deference; a person who has performed a favor ranks higher to the person receiving the favor)
senpai/kouhai

4. Situation
formal/informal
in front of large audience/dyadic
indirect communication/direct communication

5. Topic of conversation
technical/personal
official/personal
traditional/new, foreign

Expressions of Politeness
One of the most common ways for expressing politeness in the Japanese language is to use formal verb endings, the desu/masu style. This is the style people normally use in formal, institutional, and official stiuations.

An informal, casual style is used among social equals. Extremely casual style is reserved for close friends. The levels of politeness expected from speakers representing different social levels are not reciprocal. Friendly informal speech from a social superior does not properly evoke a response in the same style. Among speakers of different social statuses, however, if the speech situation is personal and informal, as durig casual talk wile drinking sake, the style is likely to be informal. Choosing the appropriate style in different social encounters obviously requires experience, and even native speakers sometimes find it difficult.

Beyond verbal strategies, politeness in Japanese often requires a prescribed set of behavior as well as certain avoidance behaviors. For example, when making a request, the Japanese tend to apologize repeatedly. Adding apologetic phrases to one's request is an integral part of the politeness strategy. Tone of voice, level of hesitancy expressed, even facial expressions -- such as smiling apologetically when asking a favor -- make a decisive difference in persuading another to comply.

Honorifics
Beyond the formal/informal stylistic choice of verb forms to express politeness, Japanese honorifics generate another set of strategies. Honorifics are a group of linguistic expressions marking social deference, and in Japanese use of honorifics involves two separate strategies. Besides formal and informal forms, the verb has the further dimensions of respect and humility. Respectful forms are used when addressing or talking about someone whose social status is relatively higher than the speaker's. In the same situation, humble verb forms may be used in reference to the speaker's own action and state of mind. By humbling one's action, social differentiation is achieved.

Although the speaker's choice of honorific forms and formal/informal endings depends on a combination of sometimes conflicting values assigned to various social, psychological, personal, and situational variables.

Japanese speakers tend to mark linguistically where they stand in social settings in order to reduce social uncertainty. In strictly formal situations, Japanese honorific and formal forms are socially obligatory. However candid or intimate they wish to be, Japanese speakers must mark deference linguistically, if only minimally, in certain situations. It is the expected code for carrying on appropriate conversational interaction. Being obligatorily polite in Japanese under the right circumstances does not imply a lack of candor, friendliness, or intimacy. The proper politeness can actually enhance these sentiments.

For Japanese, using appropriate politeness strategies does not necessarily presuppose subordination to another's power or acquiescence in a rigid code of inequality. Above all, Japanese are concerned with making the encounter comfortable. To them, expressing deference through honorifics and formal expressions puts everyone at ease and makes people feel comfortable with each other. The user of these social conventions finds comfort in knowing that he or she is socially educated and follows wakimae rules. The receiver of polite expressions also feels comfortable because the deserved respect and deference Japanese society has taught Japanese to expect are reinforced through their continual usage.

Learning to use Japanese honorifics correctly does not come easily. Honorifics are learned at home and at school, but the real training is often offered at the job site. Employers provide special training for this purpose. Books on how to handle social situations requiring honorifics also tend to proliferate. Knowing how to use correct honorific forms is a sign of being well educated. The fact that a person, especially a woman, can use honorific forms with ease, even in casual situations, indicates good breeding and enhances social status. For example, a woman may incorporate honorific and formal expressions when talking to her neighbor, not necessarily to mark social deference, but to show off somewhat indirectly that she has mastered a difficult and elaborate task and therefore comes from a high social class. Language graced with honorifics and presented with politeness, unless egregiously excessive, is considered beautiful and elegant. Expressions used for their aesthetic effect are called beautification honorifics. They bear little relevance to social deference.

Violation and Avoidance of Honorifics and Politeness
What happens when a Japanese person violates the rules of politeness? In general, noncompliance with the rules of linguistic politeness creates a negative impression. The violator is thought to be childish, unsophisticated, and lacking in common sense. Anyone who defies the social contract for speech pays a steep price, and will be, as a rule, a person not to be treated seriously. It is also important to understand, however, that no Japanese person gains unlimited respect simply by using honorific and formal expressions correctly.

(Maynard, 1997, 56-63)