Introduction to Japanese Study - 日本語学習入門

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Neither "you" or "I" are mentioned in Japanese, but the sentences make sense. However, in (1) and (2), although the subject of (1) is most probably "you" and (2) is "I", there are other possibilities theoretically. If you use honorifics as follows, it is clear that the subjects of each sentence are "you" and "I". "Irasshaimasu" (in dictionary form, "irassharu") in (3) is the honorific of "go". There are several types of honorifics, and "irassharu" is the type called subject honorification, which is most often used with a second-person subject. On the other hand, "mairimasu" (dictionary form "mairu") in (4) is also the honorific of "go" in a honorific, a type called humble expression, which usually takes the first-person subject. This is why in (3) and (4) the subjects are understood without mentioning them. "You" could be "your husband" and "I" could be "my husband" in some situations, but in that case, there should be some context, so without any specific context, the subject of (3) should be "you" and (4) should be "I". As you can see, honorifics suggest unstated subjects. They work as a kind of personal affix, and that is why it is important in Japanese which often omits subjects and other nouns. Of course, it is not exactly the same as personal inflections or affixes in other languages, but there are very similar aspects, so why not study honorifics in such a context? 23 Honorifics as alternative to subject Some of you may be disappointed, but honorifics are very effective to learn. It gives the answer to the earlier question "Is it possible to communicate without misunderstanding without using a subject?". With honorifics, you can omit the subject and avoid misunderstanding at the same time. Do you remember the following example that showed how the "understood noun can be omitted"? (cf. "What are the characteristics of Japanese?") (1) Itsu taishikan e ikimasuka. (When will you go to the embassy?) (2) Ashita ikimasu. (I'll go tomorrow.) (3) Itsu taishikan e irasshaimasuka. (When will you go to the embassy?) (4) Ashita mairimasu. (I'll go tomorrow.)