Lyon
About between inferior and superior

I think that relationships between superior and inferior in Japan are severer in comparison to other countries.
I often see in my school inferiors greeting their superiors very very courteously.
I never thought deeply about it.(((Because I've never been to foreign countries, so I don't know how is foreign club activities ;)))

One day, a overseas student studying in Japan asked me why inferiors have to greet their superiors very courteously?
And then, I thought about it.
(((Certainly,as she said, there are only one or two year age difference between the inferiors and the superiors.......)))

What do you think about it?

And, how about in your country?

 

<<Japanese Ver>>

日本は、他の国に比べて、上下関係が厳しいと思います。

私の学校でも、後輩が先輩に非常に礼儀正しく挨拶をしているのをよく見かけます。

そのことについて、私は今まで考えたことがありませんでした。

(外国に行ったこともないですし、外国の部活動がどのようであるかを知らないからです。)

 

留学生の子に、どうして後輩は先輩に対して、あんな挨拶をしなければならないのかと聞かれました。

そのときになって、私は日本の上下関係について考えました。

(((確かに、留学生の子が言ったように、先輩、後輩と言えども歳の差はたった、1、2歳ですよね。)))

 

みなさんはどうお思いになりますか?

みなさんの国ではどうですか?

 

I'm sorry if my English is difficult to understand;))

 

 

Aug 28, 2015 1:43 PM
Comments · 7
2

No need for apologise. Your english is perfect :)

August 29, 2015
1

I think English speakers in general wouldn't be comfortable regarding anyone as anything but equal to them. I felt uncomfortable just reading your title :-D Some part of me deep down feels that there's something innately offensive about the words "superior" and "inferior" (when talking about people), but that's probably just because we don't have words in English to describe the Japanese concept of superiority and inferiority.

 

When I was first learning German, I read that formal informal 'you' (du) was used to be informal and friendly and that formal 'you' (Sie) should be used to be "formal and polite". To me this was a paradox. Surely it was a typo and should have been "formal and INpolite"! It made sense to me that "du" would be regarded as polite, since it was also described as "informal and friendly". I came across the same thing several more times from different sources, and it made me very confused. Now I understand that in many cultures, being formal is considered polite. To this day, I still struggle to say "Sie" instead of "du" when I know I should be formal, out of fear of accidentally offending who I'm speaking to;  it feels much safer to use "du" (although I consciously know they're more likely to be offended by "du" in those situations). Formal and informal "you" exist in all the other languages I subsequently studied. Fortunately, I haven't offended anyone yet that I know of :-D 

August 28, 2015
1

It differs across English speaking countries as well. Apparently Americans are much more formal in the workplace than Australians.

 

I very recently started learning Japanese, and I was horrified to discover that it has even more levels of formality than the other languages I've studied! Moreover, the formality of the situation plays a much greater role in the grammar than in all the other languages I've studied! I've read descriptions of wheneach level of formality should be used, but I think it'll be a long time before I do it intuively.

 

I'm curious, when you speak English do you feel relieved that you don't need to worry about being formal, or is it awkward that you have to talk to everyone the same way?

August 28, 2015
1

Yeah I heard that but dont know how to describe it.

And dont know what exactly the relationship is

Somehow, Chinese hate that so there was a cultural revolution in china

But everyone is Partners in Crime in the structure.

It is hard to solve it

Especially many words of pretexts are formed.

Have you met a situation that you feel something wrong but you dont have words to say

then be convinced by it.

Sometimes it is hard to find something wrong in yourself culture

You need to see others to tell from it or you think the world is like that always.

But you do feel uncomfortable in it

August 28, 2015
1

I think that is due confucianism. This school of thinking had a huge influence on China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. It is a very interesting philosophy.
In the western countires, their is a huge lack of repect toward superior, especially in school where the teachers are often seen as responsible for the bad results of the pupils instead of the opposite. 

August 28, 2015
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