Strategies for Using Mitigating Language (緩和表現) in Apology and Refusal Contexts in Japanese Business Documents by Fourth-Year Japanese Major Students

Abstract

     Business communication in Japanese places strong emphasis on the use of language that is appropriate to social context, cultural norms, and the power relationships between interlocutors. This is particularly crucial in interactionally sensitive situations such as apologies and refusals, which constitute face-threatening acts which can significantly affect business cooperation. If speakers fail to select appropriate mitigating expressions, negative consequences for long-term business relationships may arise. This study aims to: 1. analyze the strategies for using mitigating expressions (緩和表現) in contexts of apologies and refusals in Japanese business documents written by fourth-year university students, and 2. evaluate the sociocultural appropriateness of these mitigating expressions. Data were collected from 40 Japanese business documents produced across four issues: 1) ten letters of apology for delayed delivery, 2) ten letters of apology for incorrect product delivery, 3) ten letters refusing a request for a discount, and 4) ten letters refusing a request for an extension of the payment period. The data were analyzed based on Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness and Face-Threatening Act Framework, together with Ide’s (1989) Concept of Wakimae.

     The findings revealed that: 1. the students were capable in maintaining appropriate business formats and employed polite expressions in accordance with honorific language (敬語), particularly in expressing apologies and providing reasons. However, they often lacked strategies for proposing remedial actions and maintaining long-term business relationships, and 2. in some cases, students were unable to appropriately adjusted language levels according to the interlocutor’s status and degree of social distance, reflecting a gap between formal linguistic knowledge and the ability to use language in real communicative contexts. This issue reflects that the effectiveness of Japanese business document is not be evaluated by the highest degree of politeness alone, but rather by the appropriateness of language use in relation to business relationships. Therefore, guiding learners beyond grammatical politeness toward interactional politeness, by designing learning activities that foster an understanding of relationship maintenance in business contexts is deemed necessary. Such an approach can enhance learners’ pragmatic competence and prepare them for effective language use in diverse real-world situations.