明治期の人称代名詞の表記と待遇価値との相関関係の考察‒家庭小説『女夫波』を中心に‒

Abstract

The Meiji period is when not only has a new form of Chinese characters been massively produced through translation of foreign languages in, and substantially ushered into, Japan since its opening to outside worlds. It is also historically perceived by many as a transitional period in the overall language system in Japan.In this sense, the change in“expression of courtesy/treatment” is one of the exemplary elements that have emerged in this transitional period, during which diverse forms of Chinese characters-based expression unprecedented in modern Japanese language system have also been on the surface. Of various ways of linguistic expression that have emerged in the Meiji period, this research has particularly explored correlations between spelling of Chinese characters and that of furigana, centering upon their respective manners of expressing courtesy/treatment. Furthermore, it has scrutinized more in-depth the diversity in spelling of Chinese characters that is widely perceived as an important factor helping better understand the overall system of spelling languages in the Meiji period. This research has paid its particular attention to the primary reason behind the emergence (and then comprehensive proliferation) of diverse forms of spelling Chinese characters in Japan, especially in the Meiji period, together with the way in which they could be broadly used.