The Forms and Functions of Sonkeigo in Departure Services for WCHR (Wheelchair Ramp) Category Wheelchair Passengers at Tokyo Haneda Airport: A Pragmatic Analysis

BENTUK DAN FUNGSI SONKEIGO「尊敬語」DALAM PELAYANAN KEBERANGKATAN PENUMPANG PENGGUNA KURSI RODA KATEGORI WCHR (Wheelchair Ramp) DI BANDARA HANEDA TOKYO: ANALISIS PRAGMATIK

Abstract

This study aims to identify the morphological variations and analyze the pragmatic functions of sonkeigo (尊敬語) used in departure services for WCHR (Wheelchair Ramp) passengers at Haneda Airport, Tokyo. The unique characteristics of WCHR passengers, who can walk short distances but require wheelchairs for long distances, demand staff to offer assistance without neglecting the passengers' autonomy. Utilizing a descriptive qualitative method with a pragmatic orientation, data comprising airport staff utterances were collected through participant observation during a one-year internship and documented in fieldnotes. From a total corpus of 75 service utterances, 17 utterances containing sonkeigo were analyzed based on the Keigo no Shishin (2007) guidelines and interpreted using the theories of wakimae, face, politeness principles, and rapport management. The results reveal three main morphological forms of sonkeigo: grammatical sonkeigo with the お／ご～になる pattern (8 data), copula sonkeigo with the ～でいらっしゃる pattern (6 data), and lexical sonkeigo (3 data). Pragmatically, sonkeigo serves four functions: the realization of institutional norms (wakimae), the mitigation of threats to the passengers' negative face, the implementation of politeness principles, and a tool for managing passenger autonomy, which predominantly appear during the post-immigration phase. In conclusion, sonkeigo functions not merely as grammatical politeness but as a strategic communication mechanism to maintain professional service quality while simultaneously acknowledging the independence of WCHR passengers.

Keywords: sonkeigo, pragmatic functions, wakimae, rapport management, WCHR passenger