> One difference that I have seen is that between social situations > for English and for Japanese. English is a language that lends > itself well to direct answers and the like. The language that a > mother uses with her son and that a company worker uses with his > company boss is more or less the same in English. However, in > Japanese the difference is quite clear.
I would disagree with you on that. There are different levels of politeness in English, just as there are in Japanese, but you might not notice them because you take the language for granted. One example is words such as "madam" and "sir" used to address people in formal situations and words like "baby" and "honey" used to address intimates. Another example is when you ask people to do things. On the direct end of the spectrum is "do it," and on the other end of the spectrum you can be really polite and say, "If it's all right with you, could you please do it?" And also, Japanese can be and is used to communicate as directly as can be done in English. Aaron ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/9rHolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Japanese_Language/ <*> 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/
