Speech Level Shift in the Domain of the Elderly Care in Japan by the Indonesian Caregivers

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying the phenomenon of speech level shift in the domain of the elderly¬ care in Japan and finding out the rationale of the shift. Speech level in Japanese language is defined as the formality and politeness level in an interaction, which in lingustics is related to the use of formal or non-formal forms at the end of an utterance and is usually said as honorific expressions. Speech level shift is a shift from one speech level to another. The subjects of this study were 68 Indonesian caregivers who worked in the nursing homes in Japan. The data were collected in three areas, namely Osaka, Yokohama and Toyohashi. They were collected by recording the speech events between the caregivers and the elderly. The findings of this study indicated that speech level shifts took place in the interaction between the caregivers and the elderly. There were two types of speech level shifts used by the caregivers, namely plus level shift and minus level shift. They took place in the contexts of formal and nonformal speeches between the two speakers and were done by the caregivers to enable the elderly understand their speeches faster.