A Comparative Study of Characteristics,Similarities and Differences in Honorifics between China and Japan
Honorifics in Chinese and Japanese have their own features in terms of classification,expression modes and ranges of application,whose main differences lie in the fact that Japanese honorifics not only have their fixed expression modes and grammatical system but also undergo complex changes in their expression modes in line with the relationship between the speaker and the hearer;whereas it is not the case in Chinese honorifics.In the Chinese language,honorifics are mainly expressed by adding honorific prefixes to nouns and by preceding the predicate with please,as is evident in the wide use of such courteous expression modes as words of thanks,words of apology and phatic words.