Japanese gender language: Perception of norm breaking speech styles

Abstract: This thesis will examine the topic of gendered language in Japanese and the elements that contribute to making “feminine” and “masculine” speech what they are. This thesis will further try to distinguish the differences that can be found in women’s and men’s speech. The purpose of this thesis is to find out what perceptions exist of men and women who choose to either break or follow what are considered to be gender speech norms, as well as getting a greater understanding of how Japanese women and men view these gender breaking norms. By asking native Japanese speakers to evaluate different characters who use masculine and feminine speech styles, this study aims for a greater understanding of how norm-breaking speech styles are perceived. The results from this survey show that native Japanese speakers’ perception of women and men are different depending on what speech styles are used. The results also show that women are mostly perceived neutrally regardless of what speech style they use, while the perception of men tends to change depending on which speech style is used.