- Target language: Japanese
- Japanese has a very hierarchical culture. The hierarchy is most distinctively shown in body gesture and language structure. Japanese act and talk in different ways strictly to show their respect to strangers, peers who are not intimate, and people who are elder or have higher social position. The main difference in the body gesture and language structure is the degree of politeness. For example, Japanese body gesture is not as dramatic, liberal or passionate as most western style, especially among different genders. Japanese’s movement range of anything in their daily life is often small, cautious, modest and self-constrained. This resonates with their conventional humbleness, low-key lifestyle, and attitude towards the relationship between different genders.
- As for language structure, Japanese has two systems for ending the sentences. The ending of each sentence is the indicator of the hierarchy and politeness in the conversations. A present tense noun-based sentence that ends with “ です (desu)” is usually the politer way of speaking than one without. Other than showing respect when speaking, the politer system is also required to be used in formal writing such as papers, homework, emails, etc.
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