--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "sparaig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > You CANNOT say "no" in polite Japanese. Japanese engineers > converse in English to get around this issue.
Is this inability to say "no" a function of the social hierarchy? For instance, I can't say "no" because only someone of higher rank would request something of me, and I cannot refuse someone who outranks me. That sort of scenario. I'm told a big part of Japanese communication is determining where one ranks in relation to others, for one's rank determines which forms of speech one uses. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/