Navigating Language in Parliamentary Practice: Between Courtesy and Conflict in Japan

Tanaka explores the language used in Japanese parliamentary interactions to shed light on the use of language as a tool by politicians to convince, negotiate, persuade, as well as deliver aggression and criticism. By looking at the speech of politicians in the parliament of Japan, Tanaka demonstrates the unbreakable link between language and politics.

Despite the association of Japan as a society in which linguistic politeness is paramount, Tanaka highlights the many examples of impoliteness...