Why is 礼 honorific in 「お礼を申し上げます/give my thanks [to someone]」?


In 謙譲語 the addition of honorific to a direct object depends on who owns it:

> （先生に）本をさしあげます。| I will give teacher my book
>
> （先生の）ご本をお借りします。| I shall borrow teacher's book
>
> （先生を）会場へご案内します。| I will show teacher to the meeting place

There are some words that always take an honorific (examples discussed in
other questions include お茶 and お手洗い）but 礼 is not one of them. Why are "my"
thanks honorific but not my book?

(I imagine that in Japanese they are not "my" thanks, or their is a difference
between tangible/intangible objects/gestures, but these are guesses.)




I think the お is simply there to make it sound more polite and is more a part
of 丁寧語 than a part of 謙譲語. I would consider the classification of your third
example as follows.

> 口語体 案内するよ。  
>  文語体 案内します。  
>  丁寧語 ご案内します。  
>  謙譲語 ご案内致します

with increasing level of politeness.

> ご連絡差し上げます。

would be another example of you "giving" something and adding a polite お or ご.




I think the お is simply there to make it sound more polite and is more a part
of 丁寧語 than a part of 謙譲語. I would consider the classification of your third
example as follows.

> 口語体 案内するよ。  
>  文語体 案内します。  
>  丁寧語 ご案内します。  
>  謙譲語 ご案内致します

with increasing level of politeness.

> ご連絡差し上げます。

would be another example of you "giving" something and adding a polite お or ご.

