GRAMMATICAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FIXED MITIGATING EXPRESSIONS IN DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACTS WITHIN JAPANESE ORAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

This article analyzes fixed expressions that reduce speech pressure in the realization of directive speech acts in Japanese oral business communication. In business interaction, the speaker often expects the addressee to perform a certain action: wait, provide information, respond, clarify a deadline, call back, or explain the content of a problem. Such speech acts are directive in meaning, yet in Japanese they are usually expressed not through direct commands but through mitigating fixed expressions such as 「申し訳ございません」, 「恐れ入りますが」, 「少々」, 「しばらく」, 「恐縮なのですが」, and 「お差し支えがなければ」. The article examines fixed formulas used in telephone business communication, reminders, complaint handling, and call-back situations. The analysis shows that mitigation formulas in Japanese oral business communication help preserve directive meaning while presenting it in an etiquette-based, cautious, and polite form.