• The standard language and the common language 37
2. Occupational Differences 39
3. Differences by Status and Sex 45
4. Differences by Situation 53
• Persistence of literary expressions 55
• Peculiarity of “desu” and “masu” forms 57
• “Desu” and “masu” forms in daily speech 59
• Distinct breaks between syllables 65
• Each syllable is a dot 67
• Vowels 70
• Consonants 71
• Relation between vowels and consonants 74
• Structure of the syllable 76
• Syllabic nasal and syllabic stop 77
• Paucity of syllable types 79
• Pitch accent 86
• Rhythm 90
• Are there comprehensive words? 96
• Is the vocabulary system well organized? 97
• Are there contradictory words and phrases? 99
2. Characteristics of Words 103
• Japanese words are long 104
• Abundance of variable words 106
• Many homonyms and synonyms 108
• Distinctions between parts of speech 110
• Nature of the vocabulary 112
• Various ways of differentiation 112
• Words characteristic of a language 114
• Favorite words 115
4. Nature 117
• The weather 117
• The seasons 118
• Heavenly bodies 120
• Topography 121
• Water 122
• Vegetation 124
• Animals 125
5. Human Biology and Emotions 128
• The human body 128
• Internal organs 129
• Injuries and diseases 130
• The senses 131
• Differentiation of feelings 132
• Value words 134
• Body movement 136
• Daily necessities 137
• Moral and aesthetic consciousness 139
