The Evolution of Dozo : The History of Politeness in Japanese from the Perspective of Adverbs(<Special Issue>Current Topics and Prospects in the Study of Modern Japanese)

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  • 副詞「どうぞ」の史的変遷 : 副詞からみた配慮表現の歴史,行為指示表現の歴史(<特集>近代語研究の今とこれから)
  • 副詞「どうぞ」の史的変遷 : 副詞からみた配慮表現の歴史,行為指示表現の歴史
  • フクシ 「 ドウゾ 」 ノ シテキ ヘンセン : フクシ カラ ミタ ハイリョ ヒョウゲン ノ レキシ,コウイ シジ ヒョウゲン ノ レキシ

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Abstract

This paper describes the historical development of the Japanese adverb dozo, including the influence of doka, which is a synonym of dozo. From the Edo period to the Meiji period, dozo first changed to an adverb that was used in directive expressions and subsequently came to be used to mark an utterance as request, which is a directive that benefits the speaker. After the Meiji period, doka began to be used to mark an utterance as request too. As a result, dozo began to be used to mark an utterance as advice, which is a directive that benefits the hearer. Dozo, however, is also used to mark an utterance as request in some situations and styles, for example in greetings and letters. According to the present view, two factors are responsible for the development of dozo. First, introductory expressions, such as sumimasenga (excuse me, but) and yoroshikattara (if you want) in present-day Japanese, also developed in the course of the history of politeness in Japanese. Second, the marking of beneficiary became important in the usage of directive expressions after the Meiji period. This investigation indicates that a study focusing on adverbs can effectively describe the history of politeness such as the history of directive expressions.

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