Abstract
This paper deals with respect terms used by the Makioka sisters in Sasameyuki. The Makioka sisters are the key figures in Sasameyuki. They use respect terms of the Kansai district dialect and of standard Japanese. First, the respect suffix haru is used by the Makioka sisters many times. With godan-doshi (consonant-stem verbs) Sachiko, the second sister, often uses the a-haru type and Taeko, the youngest sister, often uses the ya-haru type (a sound contraction type). With ichidan-doshi (vowel-stem verbs) we find a common usage among the sisters. On verbs with a one-syllabled stem, such as deru or miru, they use the ya-haru type and on verbs with a two-syllabled stem, such as dekiru or miseru, they use the i-haru or the e-haru types. Second, the Makioka sisters use the respect suffix nasaru, which is used in Semba-kotoba (the speech of Semba). When nasaru is a supplementary verb, it is a respect term in Semba-kotoba. When nasaru is a main verb, it is a term of respect in standard Japanese. Lastly, as far as standard Japanese is concerned, the Makioka sisters use various respectful terms: -reru, -rareru, o-ninaru, o-, go-, -irassharu, and individual lexical respect words. Especially, I found that Sachiko use the -reru and -rareru types when referring to unspecified people, a field of usage which has usually been the domain of haru-keigo.
