The different of the in-group modesty between Japanese and Taiwanese
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Daidohji, Shingo
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate difference of the behavioral norms of modesty between Japanese and Taiwanese. Study 1 focused on relative / absolute honorific expressions featuring the comparative linguistics of East Asian countries, and inferred that: when a person describes his in-group members to an out-group target, there is not only linguistic, but also behavioral and psychological differences between customs of Japan and Taiwan. Results of Study 1 indicated that, in Japanese culture, speaker’s in-group modesty is promoted when the relationship between speaker and target who belongs to out-group was intimate. Vice versa, it is restrained when it was not intimate. In contrast with Japan, this factor does not influence the in-group modesty in Taiwanese culture. In order to explain this difference, Study 2 studied model of traditional social-structure in Japan and Confucian thoughts in Taiwan. Results of Study 2 indicated that, if there exist “upper public” above one self (in-group) and target (out-group) in Japanese culture, in-group modesty is restrained. However, this factor does not influence the in-group modesty in Taiwanese culture. It was inferred through these studies that Japanese judge in-/out-group according to each family’s relation to the nested structure of public. But Taiwanese make the judgement according to one’s relation with each “independent family”.
Subjects
modesty
relative honorific expression
in-/out-group
public
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