In the culture(s) where 'your' language is spoken, are there significant differences in the language when you are talking to family rather than strangers? older people rather than younger? men rather than women?
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Korean is a language that has obvious differences in formality and informality. There are two different ways of speaking to distinguish the difference 전대말 (formal) and 반말 (informal). 전대말 is used to show respect when talking to strangers or people who are in a higher status or older than you. 반말 is used when talking to family and friends, children, and people younger than you if you know them very well. You can mainly tell the difference by the way a sentence ends. If the sentence ends in 합니다/습니다 then it is a very formal sentence. If the sentence ends in 요 then it is a less formal sentence but still formal. If the sentence stops with the verb and does not have one of these endings or ends with 야 then it is an informal sentence.
There are slight differences in Urdu when one is talking to family in comparison to strangers. For example, when you address a stranger or a person elder than you, you would address them as “aap.” This shows formality as well as respect for the other person. If you’re conversing with a family member such as your parents you may transition between “app” and “tum.” This is because they are figures that need to be addressed so although they are your parents they are still figures of authority who need to be addressed with respect. Friends and siblings on the other can address each other as “tum” or “tu.” Tu is considered to be very informal and used with someone you are very familiar with. The way that you address someone can be both an indicator of class or reveal how familiar you are with a person.
There is a difference in body language when men and women converse with each other. If they are not immediate family members with each other or married, then physical distance kept when conversing with each other. Physical gestures that acknowledge one’s presence such as a hand on the shoulder, a handshake, or a hug are frowned upon if the person is of the opposite gender and not related to you. It is also more common for men to greet each other with a hug instead of a handshake if they are familiar with a person especially after Friday Prayers in Pakistan. It is also more common to use “app” when addressing the opposite gender if you are not familiar with them or simply acquaintances.
Turkish is spoken in Turkey and other Turkic Countries such as Turkmenistan. As it can be seen, the country itself has 'Turk' in it. In Turkish Language, when you speak to elderly or someone you don't know or to show respect, Turkish people use different pronouns. For example; when you speak to your friend or someone you know personally and someone you are close to, you use ' sen' which is 'you' n English. Sen iyi misin? ( Are you ok?) So if you use 'sen' it means that you are talking to your friend or someone you are close to. But when you need to show your respect or speak to someone that is older than you or someone you don't know, you use 'siz'. When you use 'siz' , the other suffixes that go along with 'siz' also changes. For example; Siz iyi misiniz? ( are you ok? in a formal way) So 'mi' which is a question word gets a different suffix than 'sen' ( you as an informal way).
If you talk to a Turkish person that is older than you or that you don't know, you have to use the formal language. It is a must. Otherwise the person would consider it as a disrespectful behavior and might get angry at you and might refuse to talk to you. In Turkey, people often warn each other to use formal language. Also, In Turkish Language, it i always better to use person's name rather than calling them 'o' which is he/she in English. Calling someone 'o' rather that his or her name is also considered being rude.
Formality plays a key role in Korean culture so the language spoken is significantly affected by this. When speaking to anyone older, one must always speak in a formal language. There is a hierarchy based on age and social status and the rules of using a polite form of language is heavily practiced. This practice would definitely be applied when speaking to strangers. One will usually hear most sentences end with a "yo" which provides a polite way of answering or asking. For example, if one were to greet someone who is a peer or younger, it would be "ahnyoung". If one were to speak to someone who is older it would be "ahnyoung ha se yo". When speaking to family it would be a lot less formal, but one would still apply the rule of adding "yo" to their sentences. There are no significant changes in language during exchanges between men and women.
In the Korean language, formality and informality is almost an essential concept that one must learn. Since Koreans take respect and hierarchy very seriously, learning formality and informality incorrectly can seriously offend someone. If you are talking to an older or a highly regarded individual, you are expected to use a more formal tone of Korean. In this formal tone, it is more pleasant sounding. It is similar to how in English, we ask "May I please have that apple?" Usually the phrases are shorter if they are informal, which causes offended Koreans to say "your words are short" when you speak to them in an informal tone. This formal tone is not only used for individuals that are older than you but also for strangers.
The formal tone of Korean usually involves adding "yo" at the end of each sentence. This causes the whole syntactical aspect to change. However, the formality is not different for women or men. Also, in the formal tone, when you point out someone, you mention them in a more pleasant sounding "-nim" instead of "yeh."
The rules of formality and informality in the Korean language are very distinct and important to learn. When speaking with people older than you, or people who are in authority positions, it is important to use the formal command of language. Romanized, this is the ending “imnida” or “yo.” “imnida” is used for strangers that you have just met who are also older or in a position of authority or higher status. This is the highest point of formality. When speaking to parents or those a bit closer to you, you would still use the formal command but would use “yo” to prevent from sounding overly formal. However, when you are in a group of friends, or speaking with someone of your same age, you must use the informal command, as using formal would sound strange.
It is important to get comfortable with knowing when to use what form, so that you don’t slip and use it in the wrong context. Although native speakers will most likely understand (since you are a foreigner in the midst of learning), one must get comfortable with naturally knowing which form to use in conversation. In general, it is always better to be safer than sorry, so it is recommended to learn the highest form of politeness first, and the rest can be learned later.
Formality is a central aspect of Bahasa Indonesia. For pronoun use, for example, it is common to use the other's name in the place of a pronoun when speaking to someone. Appropriate use of pronouns in Bahasa Indonesia is critical in order to maintain a cordial relationship among speakers. As a result, and so as not to use an inappropriate pronoun, speakers will often use the person's name instead. Pronouns indicate one's social status, especially in the context of a conversation (i.e., if the person with whom you are speaking is of a higher social class, use pronoun "A"; if the opposite is true, use pronoun "B.") This logic carries over in family settings as well. For example, each member of the family or sex has a pronoun to use when addressing another person. If a younger sister were to approach her older sister, she would use "Adik." The older sister would use "Kakak." For guys, the same holds true. However, one can replace the "Adik" and "Kakak" with their name in a conversation. This illustrates the importance to understand the social status of individuals -- family members and greater society.
Similarly, addressing the elderly requires different practices of etiquette from when communicating with friends, for example. When speaking to an older woman who is not a family member, one should use "ibu (name)," or "tante." "Ibu" means mother and "tante" means aunt. For older men, one should use "Bapak (name)," which means father, or "Om," which means uncle.
Clearly, Bahasa Indonesia reflects the social structure of Indonesia and reinforces proper etiquette among members of society with these aforementioned language rules.