Regional Differences in Announcements on Buses without Conductors

Abstract

This paper reports on the results of a survey regarding announcements on 'driver-only buses', i.e. buses without conductors, in the form of audio tapes or synthesized voice recordings, based on questionnaires distributed to bus operators on fixed routes throughout Japan. Regional variations were observed and mapped onto distribution charts. The differences included type of expressions, the names for certain bus facilities, and the frequency of honorific expressions.