Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
I think a better way of putting that is that Japanese conversation is less direct, so when a simple yes or no would do, often the answer is less direct...especially if it is an answer that the asker is not going to like.
I am curious where you got this one. I remember reading a scale of how much communication is done through gestures, Italy was number 1 (or near the top) and Japan was at or near the bottom. The US fell somewhere in the middle.
I would say what we consider understatement is normal in Japan. Many Westerners not accustomed to Japanese communication will miss cues that answer questions because they are used to direct answers, not more subtle, indirect answers
Isn't that what I said in the first place?
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I suspect the person who gave me that answer was referring to the histrionic gestures in manga and film.
I thought it was mostly the Chinese who utterly refuse to ever give a direct answer, no matter what.