Marriott (1995) and Siegal (1995) both studied the acquisition of
Japanese L2, and particularly the acquisition of politeness forms.
Marriott’s study was quantitative and Siegal’s qualitative. Marriott studied
Australian secondary students who participated in exchange programs
in Japan. Politeness forms constitute a crucial area of sociolinguistic competence
in Japanese. This includes a knowledge of the honorific system
and involves both linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge. Knowledge of
this area is also crucial in the perception of learners by native speakers.
Marriott, in relation to the acquisition of norms of politeness, asked the
following research questions:
— which aspects of politeness do the learners acquire?
— how does previous level of proficiency affect the acquisition of politeness?
— which factors contribute to the acquisition of politeness?