The Use of Sonkeigo by Indonesian Internship Students in the Work Environment of a Gas Station in Hiroshima, Japan

A Sociolinguistic Study

Authors

  • Rita Agustina Karnawati Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof Dr. Hamka
  • Annisa Tiara Firdause Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof Dr. Hamka

Keywords:

Sonkeigo, Sosiolinguistik, Gas Station, Professional Communication

Abstract

This study analyzes the use of sonkeigo in the scope of work at a gas station company in Hiroshima, Japan and the difficulties faced by Japanese language learners regarding the use of sonkeigo. The method used is descriptive qualitative with interviews, observations and documentation. The theory used is Fishman's theory (1972). This study aims to determine sonkeigo speech acts in real-world interactions between students who have interned in Japan and native speakers, and to analyze the realistic and social difficulties faced by these students in applying sonkeigo in a professional in a gas station company. Based on the results. The use of sonkeigo in service can be identified through several linguistic characteristics, namely the addition of the verbs "reru" and "rareru" to show respect, the use of the sentence pattern "ni.. narimasu" to express respect, and the use of special sonkeigo verb forms such as "kudasaru", "nasaru", and "irassyaru" which indicate a higher level of respect. And honorific prefixes and suffixes are also used. In the use of sonkeigo in the scope of work of gas station companies, Japanese language learners face several difficulties, lack of habit and experience in using sonkeigo, differences in Japanese language ability and cultural background, dependence on senior native speaker staff, and difficulty in determining the use of sonkeigo with other language forms.

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Published

2025-12-14

How to Cite

Karnawati, R. A. ., & Firdause , A. T. . (2025). The Use of Sonkeigo by Indonesian Internship Students in the Work Environment of a Gas Station in Hiroshima, Japan: A Sociolinguistic Study. Proceeding of International Conference on Japanese Studies, Language and Education, 6(1). Retrieved from https://proceedings.aspbji.id/index.php/icjsle/article/view/119

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025): Proceeding of International Conference on Japanese Studies, Language and Education (ICJSLE)

Section

Articles 
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