In modern Japanese, です and ます are the cornerstone of polite speech, known as 丁寧語 (teineigo). While these expressions are ubiquitous today, their journey to becoming standard elements of Japanese language is a fascinating tale of linguistic evolution.
The Literary Revolution
The integration of です・ます style into written Japanese marks a significant milestone in Japanese literary history. The pioneering author Yamada Bimyō (山田美妙) first introduced the です・ます style in his 1886 novel “Chōkai Shōsetsu Tengu” (嘲戒小説天狗). However, this style initially struggled to gain widespread acceptance in formal writing, often overshadowed by である and だ forms.
The Evolution of ます
Historical Origins
ます is said to have originated from the verb 申す meaning “to say”. During the medieval period, 申す evolved into an auxiliary verb form. Early usages are said to have included ありまうす (arimōsu) and なしまうす (nashimōsu)
The Role of ござります
A crucial development in the spread of ます came through the expression ござります. The word ござる and its variant おじゃる served as replacements for the earlier あり, meaning “to be/exist.” This transition played a key role in establishing ます as a standard polite marker.
The Mystery of です
Multiple Origin Theories
- Sima Ryōtarō’s Theory:
- です developed from であります
- Transformed into であんす
- Finally evolved into です
- This theory suggests です originated in 郭言葉 (kuruwa kotoba, courtesan speech)
I personally find this to be heavily flawed as です has properties that であります does not have. One can say ほしいです but not ほしいであります. The reason is that です can operate as a plain politeness marker, whereas であります can not. Treating です as a mere contraction therefor is inherently impossible.
- Alternative Theory:
- です derived from にてそーろー (nite sōrō)
- そーろー (sōrō) was widely used throughout the medieval period
- Evidence in classical theater shows そーろー gradually shortened to そろ (soro) and そ (so)
- Finally evolved: でそ → です
2. Alternative Theory:
- です evolved from でござります
- ござります being the humble form of あります
- 「でござります」→「でござんす」→「であんす」→「でえす」→「です」
Modern Variations
A noteworthy modern development is the contracted form っす (ssu), which scholars now view as a natural evolution if we accept the でございます → です theory.
Frellesvig’s Analysis
Bjarke Frellesvig, author of “A History of the Japanese Language” also states that です likely originated from further reductions of Late Middle Japanese で候 (de sōrō)
Frellesvig notes the following development chain:
- で候 (de sōrō) [Late Middle Japanese copula gerund + polite existential auxiliary verb]
- → で + そう (de + sō) [severe reduction]
- → です [final form]
This academic confirmation from one of the leading scholars in Japanese historical linguistics adds significant weight to the そうろう origin theory, making it perhaps the most credible explanation for です’s etymology.
However, all of these forms existed side by side, and all of them tended to be paired down to shorter versions; which of them, if any one in particular, ended up being standardized as です is a highly complex question that may not have an answer at all.
Grammatical Peculiarities
Unique Conjugation Patterns
- ます follows an irregular さ行変格活用 (sa-gyō henkaku katsuyō) pattern
- です has limited (defective) conjugation forms compared to other auxiliary verbs
- Only clear conjugations in modern usage:
- Terminal form: です
- Past form: でした
- Conjectural: でしょう
Cultural Side Note
An interesting linguistic connection exists between polite speech and modern Japanese phone etiquette. The common phone greeting もしもしtraces its origins to 申す. In medieval Japan, people would say 申す or 申そー (mōsō) to call out to others, which eventually evolved into もし and finally もしもし.
Hello.
Good cheer to all on this beautiful day!!!!!
Good luck 🙂