GlitchSlapTko

Donald Richie offers us another wonderful book review, this time about a rather academic title on the subject of keigo. Here's a compelling quote from the article.

"Keigo is not just the icing on the cake of language, it is an integral part of Japanese culture itself. While it is a barometer of social status, it is also a measure of cultural identity. Indeed, Wetzel can convincingly argue that there is nothing in the Japanese language that is not keigo."

Check the Japan Times for his review..

As you can read, the social aspects of his critique are quite telling.

Also, Japan Guide offers a rudimentary intro to keigo here. If you are interested in seriously studying keigo (in Japanese), click here to find the pertinent books at Amazon.jp.