A Study of Up-shifts in First Encounters in Native Situations and Contact Situations between Equals

Abstract

Speech level shifts in Japanese conversations have been analyzed in many papers. However, most studies have focused on down-shifts from polite form to plain form, and little attention has been paid to up-shifts from plain form to polite form. This research focuses on up-shifts in first encounters of native situations and contact situations between equals. As a result, most up-shifts were thought to be "returning" to polite form. Although the frequency was low, four interpersonal conditions and two discourse conditions were observed in these up-shifts. The interpersonal conditions observed were "accommodating to the polite form of the interlocutor", "compensating for face threatening acts", "compensating for impolite words" and "joking", and the up-shifts which appeared in these conditions were claimed to shorten or lengthen interpersonal distance. The two discourse conditions observed were "transiting between units" and "clarifying one's opinion or conclusion", and the up-shifts which appeared in these conditions were claimed to make the discourse clear. In conclusion, it was suggested that the up-shifts analyzed here should be presented to Japanese learners along with down-shifts.