"Although Japanese language is one of the most quoted examples in politeness research, extant publications focus on particular areas of politeness, and very few of them enquire into varied aspects of Japanese politeness. In this book, Yasuko Obana provides an integrated account of what signifies Japanese politeness. She also carves out politeness strategies in Japanese, which have not adequately been explored to date in spite of their distinctive nature that they often reflect social indexicality just as honorifics."-- Provided by publisher.

Part 1: politeness begins --Definition of politeness -- The underlying meaning of politeness: how it begins and evolves -- Politeness as a social norm, its contingency, and discursiveness -- Honorifics -- The term 'polite' in English and Japanese: conceptual differences -- The origin of honorifics: distance begins -- Understanding honorifics -- Variations and derivations of honorific use: strategic honorifics -- Politeness strategies -- Strategies as the implementation of one's role-identity -- Honorific strategies -- Concluding remarks.