EAST ASIAN STUDIES

HONORIFICS 

        Unlike English, many East Asian languages are differentiated according to social status, the degree of intimacy, age, gender, and level of formality. This is achieved through the use of special suffixes on the end of nouns and verbs. In English, certain verbs and nouns can be applied to any person, regardless of social standing. However, in East Asian languages, there are different forms to use depending on the level of politeness and the relationship. This is a result of Confucian ethical rules that place significant value on proper human relationships and propriety. Thus, the hierarchical Confucian society influences the highly stratified linguistic codes found in East Asian languages such as Korean. In both Korean and Japanese, there are two axis of distinction: the axis of address, which is divided into plain, polite, and honorific, and there is the axis of reference, which is divided into humble and neutral. The most deferential form of speech combines the honorific address form and the humble form. This system of honorifcs directly contrasts the English Language, which in less focused on employing certain linguistic cues to show status. In Japanese, the complicated system of speech levels makes it possible to show different degrees of respect or self-deprecation, and the choice of inappropriate levels can sound very offensive. It is even possible to be rudely over-polite. In the family, brothers and sisters are always distinguished according to whether they are older or younger, and this same model is transferred into wider relations between children. As a general principle in the house, inferior members address superior ones with a term of relationship, while superior ones may use personal names. This same system is incorporated into the grammer and syntax of the language.