ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the development of sociolinguistic studies in Japan. The chapter then, talks about the study of politeness and women's language in Japan. Japan's own tradition of sociolinguistic study is called gengo seikatsu. It has its roots in the effort to modernize the Japanese language. The National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics conducted large-scale surveys on literacy, the standardization process in rural areas, politeness and even made 24-hour-long language documentations. The legacy of language life survives in studies on 'new dialects' or 'neo-dialects', in the study of 'role language' and in its geolinguistic variant called 'dialect cosplay'. Sociologists of education initiated research into how social class was reflected in language and culture. A perceived 'confusion in national language', results as the social changes and language reforms in the post-war years, led to surveys on honorific language by the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics. Interdisciplinary critical sociolinguistics can be characterized as being radical and anti-establishment.
