An empirical study of changes of honorific behavior in Sapporo and Tokyo

2003年至2004年，东京都大学和其他一些大学的学生组成的团队在东京文京区的Nezu和Nishikata地区进行了实地调查。在2003年和2004年的调查中，举报人数分别为262人和186人。实地调查旨在比较目标地区居民的敬语行为现状和1981年同一地区居民的敬语行为。对这些数据的分析揭示了以下几点：(1)在这22年中，男性和女性之间的差异以及Nezu和Nishikata之间的差异没有改变。(2)在这22年中，年龄组的差异(年轻人对待年轻和不熟悉的听众的倾向)保持不变。(3)年龄组的另一个差异(年轻人对待熟悉的听众的水平很低的趋势)正在蔓延对于其他年龄段的人和最近的中年人来说，他们的行为变得像以前的年轻人一样。(4)当我们观察到对邻居的敬语行为时，人们有一种倾向，他们会根据对邻居的熟悉程度来使用敬语。

A team of the students of Tokyo Metropolitan University and some other universities conducted field surveys at Nezu and Nishikata area in Bunkyo ward in Tokyo from 2003 to 2004. Numbers of informants in 2003 and 2004 surveys were 262 and 186 respectively. The field surveys were planned to compare the current status of honorific behavior of the residents of the target area and the same behavior of the same area in 1981.The analysis of those data revealed the following points:(1) Differences between men and women and differences between Nezu and Nishikata were not changed through these 22 years.(2) A difference in age-groups (a tendency that younger people treat younger and unfamiliar hearers in fairly low level) was maintained during these 22 years.(3) Another difference in age-groups (a tendency that younger people treat familiar hearers in very low level) was spread to other age-groups and recently middle-aged people became to behave like previous younger people.(4) When we observe honorific behaviors to the neighbors, people have a tendency that they use honorific expressions according to their level of familiarity to the neighbors.