ABSTRACT
If invited to speak at a formal gathering such as a graduation or wedding ceremony, both Japanese men and women use polite and HONORIFIC/ HUMBLE expressions, minimizing the gender differences. However, in casual contexts, gender differences can be quite pronounced, to the extent that writers take advantage of the contrasts to signify who is speaking, without clearly identifying the speaker. For instance, if the following conversation is taking place at a couple’s home, you are supposed to assume that speaker A is the husband and speaker B the wife, even though there is no explicit identification.
