Quote:
Originally Posted by TalnSG
While this silence is to be observed there is another that is not, apparently.
When spoken to, my language teacher has pointed out the it is necessary to respond immediately in some manner. Fillers in English are frowned upon ("hmm ....", "well...."), being considered useless stalling. But in Japanese to be quiet while composing your reply seems to be interpreted as ignoring the other person. We have been instructed to make full use of "eeto", "ano", etc.
|
Are "hmm..." and "well..." really frowned upon in English? I don't think so.
Are you sure your teacher wasn't talking about being an "active listener"? In Japanese it is common to "n...n...n..." as someone is talking to indicate you are listening and following along. If you don't, people think you are ignoring you. How many times have I been on the phone with a Japanese person and had them say "moshi moshi" in the middle of a conversation because they thought we were cut off...