In Japan, absolute social status and power relationships among people are clearer than in the United States. The Japanese language supports this social system with the use of a special polite language ("keigo"), structural use of which is the same as polite language in English. The differences lie in the degrees of familiarity used and in the complexity of the relationship between speakers, as well as in interpretations of the relationship. For example, in a request, if the listener is superior to the speaker, the Japanese tend to acknowledge that superiority more, using more negative politeness (the kind that minimizes imposition) than do Americans. In English, inviting others into a group by use of informal language is polite, whereas in Japanese keeping others outside the group is the polite form of behavior. Thus, Americans tend to use more positive politeness (the kind that satisfies the speaker's need for approval) than Japanese do, and Japanese usually use negative politeness to those outside the group. When researchers surveyed native speakers of American English and nonnative English as a Second Language (ESL) learners on their perceptions of degrees of politeness, results indicated that mood contributes most to the politeness hierarchy, in this order: interrogative- most polite, declarative--next most polite, and imperative--least polite. (A set of 14 hypotheses to test politeness strategies in English is included and offered for testing.) (NKA)