- 著者
-
西本 徹
- 出版者
- 創価女子短期大学
- 雑誌
- 創価女子短期大学紀要 (ISSN:09116834)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.13, pp.167-176, 1992-12
First of all, I'd like to give all of you a warm welcome and thanks for being here today in spite that the inter-semester break is to start tomorrow. Some of you, I'm sorry to say, may have postponed your departure for a holiday tour. A Japanese speech usually begins like this with an apology. We have some Japanese students from Latrobe University studying English there including a student of Soka University, which is attached to the women's junior college where I teach English. He is here as a so-called sakura meaning cherry blossoms to lighten the atmosphere so that the product of a vendor whose quality is almost always poor can sell well. Self-mockery is also often-used when a Japanese person begins a speech. Such politeness to put oneself down and others up is a great virtue in Japanese culture, however, it should not be applied only between the in-group, the direct acquaintances or the Japanese, excluding the out-group, the total strangers or foreigners. Well-mannered people in a true sense are considerate towards strangers and friends alike. Politeness is not exclusive to Japan. I found this in the "Letters to Ann Landers" column. (She writes advice columns in many US newspapers.) A SHORT COURSE IN HUMAN RELATIONS The six most important words in the English language are: I WAS WRONG-PLEASE FORGIVE ME. The five most important words: YOU DID A GOOD JOB. The four most important words: WHAT IS YOUR OPINION? The three most important words: CAN I HELP? The two most important words: THANK YOU. The one most important word: YOU The one least important word: I I've been emphasising the importance of intercultural communication through teaching communicative English as many Japanese students are unable to enter into a meaningful conversation, much less into understanding the thought processes and value systems of the people. Classrooms should be used to develop students' personality, social and international awareness. I issued a questionnaire to 211 Japanese people. 73 were living in Australia and 138 in Japan. They were allowed to choose more than one answer from set responses and elaborate if necessary. There were also questions which were completely unstructured.