Japanese 1 Semester 1
Japanese 1 Semester 1

Dimensions of politeness in Japanese
Dimensions of politeness in Japanese

... Formal style is generally marked by: (a) Copula in des- form (b) Verb suffix -mas- (conjugates as irregular verb: -mas-u, -masi-ta, -mas-eN NEG, -mas-yoo) (c) Adjectives: Inflection as usual (tense, negation) followed by copula desu (always in nonpast affirmative form) ...
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... speeches. The polite form is the appropriate speech register among adult speakers who are getting to know each other. On the other hand, plain form is used when speakers address very familiar people on the same social level, such as close friends. It is also used in diaries and in newspaper articles ...

Classical Japanese language

The Classical Japanese language (文語, bungo) is the literary form of the Japanese language that was the standard until the early Shōwa period (1926–89). It is based on Early Middle Japanese, the language as spoken during the Heian era (794–1185), but exhibits some later influences. Its use started to decline during the late Meiji period (1868–1912) when novelists started writing their works in the spoken form. Eventually, the spoken style came into widespread use, including in major newspapers, but many official documents were still written in the old style. After World War II, most documents switched to the spoken style, although the classical style continues to be used in traditional genres, such as haiku. Old laws are also left in the classical style unless fully revised.