Written and oral genres in the Japanese language: Ways of interpreting information and politeness

Texts in Japanese intended for written perception are constructed significantly differently from oral ones. The complex nature of Japanese writing (Chinese characters and two alphabets: hiragana and katakana, to which the Latin alphabet has now been added) leads to the fact that written and oral genres here have significant features, which are considered in the article. Written and oral texts differ not only in the communication channel, but also in many other parameters. The use of politeness forms (keigo) in different genres is shown: for example, a scientific report in printed or handwritten form does not require the obligatory use of these forms in relation to the reader or to the scientist being cited, but if this report is presented, then they are necessary. The differences between the linear perception of oral speech and the nonlinear perception of written text are discussed: written Japanese texts are constructed so that the reader, first of all, perceives them not letter by letter, but immediately identifies the most significant hieroglyphs. Mastering Japanese writing requires additional effort, but knowledge of hieroglyphs compensates for this. In oral texts, the problem of removing homonymy is acute. In written texts, additional means of expression are possible that are impossible in oral speech.

written version of the language, oral version of the language, Japanese language, hieroglyph, katakana and hiragana, furigana, politeness (keigo)