In fact, this statement is a statement that shows how useful English is and how suitable it is to be the lingua franca of the world, and that it can lead to smooth communication by learning more about the nature of the Japanese language and using it well in different situations. This is a very useful and beneficial fact for overseas people, especially native English speakers, who wish to communicate with Japanese people.
Culture and Structure of the Japanese Language
Misconceptions about the Japanese arise from Japanese compassion
As with any language learner, people who learn a language try to learn it only in its ‘form’, without really understanding that it has a culture. However, it is important to realise that a language has a culture. The following is a description of the cultural differences between English and Japanese.
Japanese ‘sensing’ communication techniques ‘reading people’s true minds’
In many situations, Japanese people respond with “I understand” or “I will consider it” as a form of social or business courtesy. The original meaning can sometimes be ‘agreement’ and sometimes ‘disagreement’. In fact, it is almost impossible, even between Japanese people, to make a decision on the spot. Therefore, foreigners who claim to be able to make such a decision are often mistaken. The real problem is the ‘rush’ to ‘decipher’, which robs them of many positive opportunities.
Japanese take time to build trust and avoid conflict
Conversely, it is also part of Japanese courtesy to “take it back for now” out of concern that an immediate response might come across as “lax”, “sketchy”, “not serious” or “suspicious”. To which you might say, “Why don’t you answer me right away?”, you might be judged as a “complainer”, which is equivalent to “rude person with no courtesy”, and a project that was once “approved” might be immediately “rejected”. The Japanese may seem friendly, but they also have a harsh and even inflexible side.
Japanese is an emotional language, a language in which it is assumed that one has to read behind the words
Japanese is an emotional language, not direct and rational in the language itself. This has to do with the culture and spirit of ‘non-verbal language’, which Japan has cherished for 10,000 years.
Even we Japanese sometimes find it extremely difficult to communicate with Japanese people in Japanese. In particular, if you come from a different region, the meaning can be completely different because of the difference in senses. Therefore, the Japanese language has a common language, called Kanto (Kanto) standard, which Japanese are required to use in business to avoid misunderstandings between Japanese people. This is similar to the fact that English is regarded as the lingua franca.
What is really important when using Japanese is your ability to understand the ‘other side’ of a person’s language. This is a type of cultural understanding that cannot be acquired by learning a language alone.
The culture and composition of the English language
Direct English vs Indirect Japanese
On the other hand, English, the language of many low-context cultures, is a theoretical and rational language originally created for diplomacy, a useful and logical language that anyone can understand if they dare not use slang or confusing words.
English grammar vs Japanese grammar
In terms of the grammatical phase, if you fill in the English grammar structure; SV(Subject + Verb), SVC(Subject + Verb + Complement), SVO(Subject + Verb + Object), SVOO(Subject + Verb + Object + Object) and SVOC(Subject + Verb + Object + Complement), you have established English. Also, for instance, do, be ~ ing and will alone tell you whether you are talking about the present or the future, whereas in Japanese they sometimes use exactly the same verb form, whether in the present, the future or sometimes the past. Often the verb itself is not used at all. Japanese sentence patterns are frequently the opposite of grammatically correct, and these expressions are also used in formal situations. Many times they are spoken in exactly the same order as in English. Since only one of the subject, verb or object is commonly mentioned, even among Japanese people it is sometimes unclear what is intended, which is rather normal, and communication is developed by confirming this with each other.
English is very useful because the messages are very clear. Japanese people may find it emotionally quite challenging to give a direct answer, but when it comes to English, they make an effort to answer well.
Differences in the importance of honorifics
Honourifics also exist in English, but unlike Japanese honourifics, they are used in the form of additional prefatory words, phrases and vocabulary. Even if you use them incorrectly, it may be a little ‘rude’ to the other person, but not so much as to make them feel personally offended, especially as English speakers are often relatively honest about being offended by being treated rudely. Apologising or explaining the reason for the mistake will often solve the problem. (Of course, non-native speakers may miss this opportunity, but even then, they are unlikely to get upset).
English is suitable as the world standard language
One of the reasons for English’s suitability as a lingua franca is that when Japan only communicated non-verbally at home, continental countries using different languages and Latin languages, which are the roots of English, had to travel to and from other countries from ancient times, and for their diplomacy to be successful, “no lack of communication” was essential.
History of the emotional language Japanese
The Japanese language is sentimental and the Japanese attach great importance to emotions
If you are not aware of the fact that the Japanese language is emotional, you will have emotional problems with the Japanese. Many foreigners may think, “Absolutely not, I do not know any Japanese who are emotional”. The Japanese do not usually show their feelings in a straightforward way. This is also a uniquely Japanese courtesy and diplomatic skill.
Japanese kanji, katakana, hiragana and word order
Japanese is a language that uses hiragana and katakana together, except for the kanji characters imported from China. By the time of the Yamato court (mid-3rd century), both the phonetic and kun readings of kanji were used in parallel. The Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan) was written in the Chinese reading of the Chinese characters, while the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) was written in the Japanese reading of the Chinese characters. The kun-reading words were not only used as Japanese transliterations of the Chinese text, but were also used by the Japanese people in their everyday language, known as the Yamato language, an ancient Japanese language.
Therefore, the ability to read and understand the Japanese language is extremely important when communicating with the Japanese.
Reference：file:///Users/muratamari/Downloads/kyoyo92_tanaka_osa.pdf
Japanese is more ‘reading’ than ‘listening’ and ‘speaking’.
Westerners attach great importance to getting their message across
This is a major difference from English and a point of misunderstanding for many foreigners.
The Japanese attach great importance to receiving messages
The Japanese place more emphasis on ‘listening’ than on speaking, preferring to listen rather than speak themselves. They are also particularly good at ‘reading’ and are very quiet communicators. Sometimes they communicate in silence, often understanding each other with just one or two words.
Important conversations are less likely to be misunderstood when they are conducted in English
The above reasons alone are not enough, but for some of these reasons it is more reliable to use English when both parties speak English to communicate about important matters. Other languages are acceptable, but English is more suitable for global communication because it is a lingua franca and has a very clear, organised and theoretical structure. Of course, it is assumed that the other person can also speak English.
