Constructing fluid relationships through language: A study of address terms in a Japanese drama and its pedagogical implications

Abstract This study investigates address practices among family members in a Japanese TV drama. It qualitatively analyses not only a speaker’s culturally normative use of address terms but also his/her deviations from the norm, including the use of terms that are atypical in Japanese communication. The study sheds light on dynamic aspects of interaction in Japanese in which the speaker creates meaning and constructs fluid relationships with other interlocutors through the use of address terms. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed, along with the value of using telecinematic discourse in teaching, to give learners of Japanese a socio-pragmatic understanding of address practices.