Speech Accommodation and Japanese Emperor Hirohito

Abstract

The present study examines the speech style of the late Japanese Emperor Hirohito during chihoo jyunkoo—`visits to countryside'—which were conducted to encourage war-defeated Japanese during 1946-54. Speech accommodation theory claims that speakers will attempt to converge linguistically toward the speech patterns of the addressee when they desire social approval from the addressee, given that the perceived costs of so acting are proportionally lower than the rewards anticipated. Documented speeches of the Emperor show that he converged his speech style (often to excess) to that of listeners who were lower in social status. The Japanese people reacted enthusiastically to the way the Emperor spoke and treasured it, although it is unusual for Japanese to treasure lower class speech from upper class people. The analysis of the Emperor's speech style supports the claim of the speech accommodation theory and further suggests that the attribution of the meaning of the message is determined by the listener's evaluation of its appropriateness.