Onna Kotoba - Traditional Characteristics of Japanese Men's Speech

Traditional Characteristics of Japanese Men's Speech

Just as there are modes of speaking and behaviour that are considered intrinsically feminine, there are also those that are considered intrinsically masculine. In speech, being otokorashii (男らしい, "manly" or "masculine") means speaking in a lower register, using fewer polite forms and using them in fewer situations, and using intrinsically masculine words.

In particular, men use particular masculine personal pronouns, use the informal ("da") in place of the copula desu, use masculine sentence finals such as zo, and use honorific prefixes less frequently than women.

Read more about this topic:  Onna Kotoba

Famous quotes containing the words traditional, japanese, men and/or speech:

    The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.
    Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1934)

    No human being can tell what the Russians are going to do next, and I think the Japanese actions will depend much on what Russia decides to do both in Europe and the Far East—especially in Europe.
    Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)

    What if we fail to stop the erosion of cities by automobiles?... In that case America will hardly need to ponder a mystery that has troubled men for millennia: What is the purpose of life? For us, the answer will be clear, established and for all practical purposes indisputable: The purpose of life is to produce and consume automobiles.
    Jane Jacobs (b. 1916)

    Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
    —Bible: New Testament St. Paul, in Colossians, 4:6.