[lit-ideas] Re: News via the web
- From: John Wager <johnwager@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 03 Apr 2004 06:39:58 -0600
To what extent does all this "beating around the bush" also come from
the strong Buddhist tradition in Japan? There are two Buddhist ideas at
work here: "Right Speech" and the whole approach of "paying attention"
to the details of daily life.
It would seem that "right speech" would be gentle, non-assertive,
non-aggressive, meandering so that it was not posessive or persuasive,
just suggestive. This promotes non-attachment.
And the Buddhist focus on paying attention to the details of daily life
would move the speaker in the same direction: What's happening around us
now? What's going on in the family? What details are currently the
important ones to attend to? When the speaker does get to the point,
the evidence isn't pushed, just presented, so that the listener, IF he
pays attention, can put the pieces together for himself.
I've only read a few things from the Buddhist scriptures, and then only
in translation, but they seem to have the same qualities you describe
below even though they don't come from Japan.
But your comments rais ain intriguing question: Why would Arabic exhibit
similar characteristics of "right speech?" Is this just a characteristic
of many cultures who are more "sociable" than English-speaking ones? (I
suspect that even Americans were more like Japanese and Arabic speakers
100 years ago; some of it may just come with "busyness.") On the other
hand, Islam claims to be the religion of peace ('slam,' salaam, shalom).
Would that slightly bend the course of Arabic, or at least slow down its
bend towards more aggressive or manipulative uses of language?
John McCreery wrote:
> . . . .Similar muddles continually
>arise here in Japan, even when highly qualified interpreters are at
>work.
>
>The problems are particularly acute when journalists or business people
>trained in the English rhetorical style in which a topic is announced
>then discussed in increasing detail are confronted with Japanese
>speakers who seem to meander all over the place and only come to their
>points after laying out the evidence, inferences and qualifications to
>whatever their points turn out to be.
>
>In part these habits are embedded in Japanese syntax. Japanese is a
>subject-object-verb (SOV) language, which in itself is not so bad; so
>are, I believe, both German and Latin. The killer is the use of
>left-branching instead of right-branching relative clauses, so that,
>for example, instead of saying, "The cat who caught the rat that ate
>the cheese," the Japanese says, "cheese <object marker> ate rate
><object marker> caught cat" and concludes with a verb indicating what
>the cat is up to now.
>
>In part they reflect traditional approaches to polite conversation,
>which begins with commenting on the weather, polite expressions of
>mutual regard and only gradually begins to sketch the background to the
>topic under discussion. Some sociolinguists attribute this pattern and
>other circumlocutions to the given that all formal conversation (and
>conversations between Japanese and newly met foreigners are always
>formal conversations) assumes a hierarchical relationship in which it
>is rude for the speaker (who must place him or herself in the humble
>position) to impose his or her views on the other (who is assumed to be
>superior). No straight talk, let's come to the point, Jack, Western
>frankness here.
>
>In part they build on Japanese-style education, which cultivates the
>ability to absorb large amounts of partially digested information of
>the sort that may need to be regurgitated on demand. Thus, a properly
>humble speaker will, just to be on the safe side, try to lay out all
>that he or she knows about a topic before ever so gently pointing
>toward the conclusion that the listening superior (client, boss, god)
>must infer.
>
>It is not surprising, then, that Japanese, like it appears Arabic
>speakers, are constantly being accused of muddled thinking by
>foreigners who simply don't know how to listen properly to what they
>have to say.
>
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