Mihoko Oba: Researching the Japanese Language

2024/09/04

When asked about my profession and I reply, "I research the Japanese language," I am often met with a puzzled look. It may be difficult to imagine specifically what it means to research one's native language. Therefore, I would like to give some examples of what I usually think about.

Recently, I often hear the phrase "go-josha suru" (to board) in station announcements. It is used in ways such as, "The train will be departing shortly, so please board and wait (go-josha shite omachi kudasai)." Every time I hear this, I feel a slight sense of unease, but judging by the reactions of those around me, many people do not seem to find it particularly strange.

Or, there is this example. In a line from a recent TV drama, someone said, "Around what time did you meet (o-ai shita) Professor XX?" This was a scene where a detective was asking a person about Professor XX's alibi. The expression "(Did you) meet (o-ai shita) Professor XX" is also quite jarring to me, but considering it was used in a drama script, it must be a normal expression at least for the people producing the show.

Honorifics like "go-josha suru" and "o-ai suru" are so-called humble language (kenjogo), and the traditional rule is that they are not used in sentences where the listener (i.e., "you") is the subject. The previous two examples violate this rule and would, for the time being, be considered misuses. However, in reality, errors that occur commonly among many people are often better viewed as signs of language change rather than simple misuses. At the very least, there must be a reason why such errors have come to be accepted... When you research your native language, these things become very intriguing.

Language is a system made of rules far more orderly than we imagine; therefore, even when violations of those rules occur, if multiple people make the same error, it is better to think that some strong motivation exists behind it.

So, how should we think about the above examples? Well, I would very much like to explain this point, but unfortunately, I seem to have run out of space. I shall save that story for another occasion.