When I had a brief exchange in Sapporo back in college, I learned somewhat about this from one of the guest lecturers they had for the exchange students. He said that when he first started learning Japanese, he learned that how to say something like "I'm sorry, could you repeat that" was "Moichido ittekudasai." And while that worked out, after he was in Japan for a while, he realized that he'd never heard a single Japanese person say that. So he started paying close attention to native speakers' conversations to figure it out, and he told us "The way a native Japanese speaker says that is" followed by him staring into the middle distance perfectly still and silent for like 5 seconds. So basically, if aizuchi suddenly stops, that means the speaker knows something's wrong and will try to fix it. This ended up being really useful when Japanese people stopped by the exchange building to try out their English, since they'd keep up at least a some of the nodding that goes with aizuchi even in English, and I was immediately able to tell when I'd completely lost them.
In fairness, you hardly ever hear English speakers say "I'm sorry, could you repeat that" either. They say either, "what?", "(I'm) sorry?" "What's that?", "Pardon?" "I didn't catch that" or any number of phrases which do not sound remotely like "could you repeat that". Not to say that English speakers _never_ say "could you repeat that", but you can live in the UK or the US for years and years without ever hearing anyone say it. There's more than one way to skin a cat.
I've heard could you repeat that said a couple times. However it's mostly used as confirmation for phone numbers or lists of things... just to check that you got it right...
@@carwyn3691 But that wasn't _my_ point. My point was that "moichido ittekudasai" is perfectly correct, even if you never hear anyone say it. Just like in English, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that" is _also_ perfectly correct - even though you never, ever hear it.
Its definitely interruption by western standards. The speakers speak over and through one another. There isn't a pause, like English speakers would have. Also, its not just "yeahs" and "uh-huhs" its branching and tangential. It's just hard to give short examples because it is definitionally not short. Americans regularly describe Japanese people as being curt or rude for finishing their sentences or cutting in with an answer, when what they are actually doing is giving you their full attention. No, in Japan the behaviour isn't seen as an interruption, but this video is targeted to westerners who are unfamiliar with it.
I wouldn't call it interruption, but I haven't really heard it since there weren't any real examples in the video. Interruption, to me, is taking your turn in the conversation before the other person is finished. This seems more like helping the other person with their turn because they don't feel comfortable speaking without accompaniment.
@@JoeARedHawk275 You fill out an application, film a video in which you describe why you want to move to Japan (it has to be in excellent Japanese), and take nude photos from every angle. Then all Japanese cititens inspect those and vote on whether you would be an acceptable addition to their nation. If at least two thirds of all citizens vote yes, you're accepted.
What are your favorite unique conversational quirks (in any language)? Also, I realize my Japanese is often just "almost ok" - thanks for overlooking that.
Platine Spanish, the word “che” doesn’t seem to mean anything at all, other than being a call to attention. Also, it’s weird just how fast or incomprehensible it can get, if I actually listened to my pronunciation I probably only say a third of the letters, but everyone understands me perfectly. Great video, by the way! I’m glad to see more content from you.
I've heard some older West-Flemish folks kind of do something similar to aizuchi but only with the pronoun conjugations of yes and no. Something to likes of "Oh, joak joak joakjoakjoak!" which will start as a response in a break of the speaker but continue well into and over the rest of what the speaker has to say.
When Norwegians are having a casual, relaxed conversation, the listeners occasionally say an interrupting "ja" (yes) by inhaling, not exhaling air. Never saw a quirk like that in any other European language.
Kuralthys in this case it was sarcasm, however agreement between speaker and listener is in all languages. And I must say, nice Sarcasm yourself. I really appreciate others poorly constructed sarcasm...
Ah, now see, that's precisely my point. No sarcasm was involved on my part. ;p As I said, the primary indicators for sarcasm are largely impossible to convey in text, thus, mistakes are easy in both directions. Trying to be sarcastic in a youtube comment is a dangerous game to play...
@Crimson think more like those quick back and forth answers after phrases on phone calls. You'd tend to naturally say these short acknowledgments/reactions, and when you don't, the other person may even ask if you're hearing or if there was some problem with the line.
But children are taught not to interrupt when an adult is speaking. In USA it is OK to interrupt if you are asking a question, but usually it is preferred that you wait until the speaker finishes their sentence.
This explains SO MUCH about how anime conversations work. Ever since I got into Japanese so many years ago whenever I would see in Japanese anime that characters always have a tendency to mime the last word of the previously spoken sentence and I took it as just one of the many differences in form and syntax of Japanese that are so numerous and alien to anglophones, or even francophones, spanglophones, lusophones, the majority of us in the west. Btw just to update you I passed my entrance exam for the linguistics master's program in Lyon, France I wanted to attend. If all goes according to plan I'll be moving out there in January of 2020! Wouldnt have switched my major and gotten my interest in language back had I not discovered your videos when I was just a confused 20 year old taking classes for the hell of it. Thank you again
It is just my personal experience but I had a MASSIVE revelation thanks to this video. I'm American but went to a university in Canada, and I noticed Canadian people were VERY quiet in conversation. I was completely surprised I noticed such a pronounced difference and I couldn't effectively describe what I felt until I saw this video. It always felt like Canadians, and British for that matter, would just check out while you were talking and offer zero clues they were understanding anything at all. Surprisingly to me at the time I spent more time talking with people originally from other countries, including places like Japan, France, and Italy, because we seemed to have more of this natural mutual back and forth cadence. If the Japanese people in that study think Americans have no Aizuchi, then try Canada! Again it's just my personal experience, and I'm from a mixed culture where we definitely have a bit more mini interactions when speaking than the average American.
As a Canadian, yeah, this makes sense. Every now and then I’ll start talking to a coworker, assume I have their attention, and then 30 seconds in, they’ll pull out an earbud, and go, “sorry, were you talking to me?”
It's not really "interrupting" per se, it's vocalizing your understanding of what the other person is saying, so that they know they can continue and that the listener is on the same proverbial page.
@@travissmith2848 In ancient Rome, that was exactly how they named twins. The eldest was given a name, ie. Gary, and the other was simply called Not "that name" ie. Not Gary.
I'm italian and when I was more or less 13 I was at the seaside and there was a japanese man working in the kitchen of a restaurant. Being somehow interested in Japan, a friend of mine and I started talking to him. He was able to speak a little italian, and he frequently overlapped us with "ah sì?" which is like the italian version of "so ka?". I was a little ocnfused and sometimes I answered him "yes, really!", like he wasn't believing what I was saying and I tried to convince him :P poor man. By the way, Yamada Haruhisa, wherever You are I hope you're having a nice life =)
I'm turbo late but I got curious so I did a bit of research. It seems like the guy you're talking about is 山田晴久 who owns a restaurant in Tokyo since 2009 (which is open to this day!). His bibliography says he worked at a restaurant in Toscana (and some other places) for three years. His restaurant is called Cucina Italiana HARU; you might wanna visit there if you ever get a chance to come to Japan!
@@Tbeumo That's crazy. Reminds me of when my grandpa was in Japan, in a restaurant where the guy spoke no English, and he saw a mural signed with the callsign of a radio station from Pittsburgh, where he was from.
We do this in Norwegian too. If someone is completely silent while someone speaks then that can mean that they aren't listening. Or at least it's perceived that way
@@ovaloctopus8 I'm French and personnally I find it very rude when it's too loud, usually we do backchannel but by moving our heads or just going "hmmhmm" or saying "ah okay". If it's too invasive I lose my train of tought and feel like the other person is going to cut me
Axelle yeah in French from what I’ve seen you guys are always saying d’accord and that’s basically the same as what I mean. Not too invasive but it seems more natural than just staying silent
wundrweapon how long you been studying? Have you ever heard of an app called bunpro? It’s good for beginners and intermediate and as of right now it’s free :)
@@justarandomgamer6309 I might give it a go, we'll see. I have bigger problems to clear up first. As for how long, it's hard to measure between my intensity and long hiatuses because of other work, plus that year or so that I just plain stopped... I dunno. I guess I'd say I'm at the level of someone about 8 weeks in
@@justarandomgamer6309 What and how does bunpro teach? I've mostly only used Tae Kim's Guide, which are mostly notes. Is bunpro the same or more like, say, Duolingo?
My oldest friend is Japanese. People say I interrupt a lot, but I think of it as a form of continuous feedback in conversation. Now I know why. Thank you.
I find this really interesting because maybe not so much in other parts of the US, but certainly in the South we have our own "ai tsuchi". For instance, given the example of the Speaker's sentence "So last month I was visiting my family..." The Listener might respond shortly with "Yeah you said you wanted to do that a while ago". It's not quite interrupting and stealing the conversation from the Speaker, but the Listener shows that s/he is actively engaged in the Speaker's story, prompting more information rather than listening to a lecture.
Brandon Davidson as someone who lives abroad from the South, I’ve met quite a few people from many different places and I’ve noticed I speak a bit differently in conversations (doing what you said). I’ve met some people who absolutely hated it!
@Shufei Southern etiquette is basically a long game of deciding if you want to strangle them in conversation and deciding to do that first on the off chance they piss you off anyway.
Reminds me of conversations in the Pacific Northwest. We tend to communicate most things silently, which is why we tend to come off as cold and distant, but we also can interject with entire sentences to keep a conversation going when need be.
Right? I am in southern AZ and if anything, people consider it rude if you don't vocalize your interest or come across as trying to lecture them (classrooms and seminars are obvious exceptions). Sometimes I have problems with this because I can get really quiet when I'm focusing and people assumr I'm not listening. Other times, I'll be in a more responsive mood and just my luck, it'll be that one person who considers an "Mhmmm" a valid reason to end the conversation and walk away.
I was learning backwards when I was learning English in my youth. I vividly remember looking into the person scolding means you are sincere whereas my Japanese upbringing is the complete opposite. And when someone asked you a question and you answer is a no, you say no rather than yes to a no. It was very confusing years for me and this was one of the lesson I've learned as well for English. I remember thinking to myself "silence is golden" to remind myself to never interrupt to acknowledge that you're listening.
A thing I had learned from "Kaz's eigonodo class" on TH-cam that happens in Japanese conversation is the lack of a prepared breath. Almost all English speakers take a breath before speaking as a sign that they're going to speak. Japanese people don't do this and can feel left out of conversation because no one knew they were going to speak.
@Shufei I think you're referring to the breath that comes when someone finishes speaking and wants to "take their turn" because they aren't actually listening to what's being said and just want to interject with their own know-how. This is similar to what OP has said but definitely different. At least from my experience since the breath they're talking about isn't a deliberate, deep inhale but more like a casual draw that, if the listener is actually paying attention to, can be heard without it being overly audible.
My sister in law does back channel constantly and I've always had the impression she is the nicest most attentive listener. It really does make a difference in a conversation.
To be honest, I love this type of content. I like this sort of stuff on conventional quirks. It really shows how dynamic language is and how linguistics is beyond just simple grammar rules and vocabulary, while I still do enjoy learning about those things as well. It shows that language is a reflection of the culture itself.
I lived in Taiwan for a few years, and-maybe the Japanese occupation has something to do with this-there was a ton of backchanneling, especially among the older generation, probably about as often as you're describing, although it is ususually one-syllable interjections: "ei," "m," "ng," "en," "n," "o," and variations of "shi." One could tell a lot about how a conversation was going by the noises made by the other party, and the tones they are spoken in add to the drama. They don't interrupt with entire phrases as often, but it was abnormal for there not to be semi-constant sound from the listening party. It was a hard habit to break when I returned to the States. My family thought I was crazy. When I get in Chinese conversations, I still do it.
This sounds a lot like the Scandinavian linguistic asthma. Where the listener keeps repeating "ja" spoken on the inhale, to indicate that they are following.
I wonder how Japanese people with communication difficulties cope with this. Being written off as cold because you're concentrating on listening or being unable to concentrate because listeners are trying to be friendly sounds immensely stressful.
I mean that's just how social awkwardness is. Some people will give you a chance and understand you're more than just how you socialize, while most will just write you off as "rude" or "weird"
@@viperblitz11 Ehhhh, idk about that. If you are japanese, you are expected to know what to do. If you are a foreigner making an honest effort, most will be very accomodating.
This seriously is NOT weird. We do this in English so the time! In fact, I've always felt like it was rude if I didn't show someone speaking to me that I'm listening by saying these same types of words. I really believe you made a mountain out of a molehill with this one...
Then, we have Finland, where listeners often wait for explicit words/phrases, like: ”You follow?” or: ”You’re listening?”, to cue us that: ”Oh? I’m supposed to say something?” 😅.
It's a cultural thing. For example us Italian backchannel a lot, even with hands movements and facial expressions, and "Germanic" cultures seem cold to us. In fact it seems like the listener is not paying attention
Eisenwulf666: Here it‘s more like distance is polite. You give the other person all the „space“ to talk which shows that what they are saying is important
The German language specifically has a lot of operators at the end of a sentence. If someone backchanneled while a German was speaking, they'd be likely to miss the operators and they might give the opposite feedback they would have to the whole sentence. My German is barely conversational, but English shares a lot of similarities. The idea is that you don't talk while someone else is speaking so that you don't miss any of their words. There is room for backchanneling, but it's usually very short or silent. We tend to make up for it by looking at the person; the more we look, the harder we're listening.
I was sharing an overview of a presentation I was about to do in a Zoom meeting with my Japanese teacher and a few other people. It was on aspects of the Japanese language, so I asked my teacher to chime in with corrections or clarifications if they were necessary (because both being Japanese and teaching it, he was the expert). He only added in a fun fact once or twice, but because of this, he had his mic on the whole time, and the whole time he was doing aizuchi in English pretty aggressively. "Mhmm, yeah, right right, yes, uh-huh, yeah yeah." I love when habits of one language get brought over into another language, it's always fun to see.
I think many comments here saying “BUT WE DO THIS IN MY LANGUAGE TOO???”. He never said it chiming like “mmm-hmm oh yeah really” doesn’t happen in other languages, he specifically explained what makes this case in Japanese wo unique. Scholars would have not studied if this case wasn’t unique and he even went on to explain the difference in frequency etc
Huh, this reminds me of working with a lot of opera coaches (at least in the US), who will correct your mistakes while you're singing. They'll just call out things like "flat!" or "engage your diaphragm!" and you're supposed to just fix it on the spot. You only stop at certain common phrases, usually either "Thank you!" or "Ok, great!" which are understood to mean "stop so I can tell you something that takes longer to say than a word or two."
@Drakilicious I mean, it is a lesson, from an expert, so that seems like a fair assumption to me. Especially from something with as particular a technique as opera. But yeah, that disconnect between academic language and real language can be pretty intense, especially with the huge variety of dialects that Spanish has, and I'm told a lot of the US learns a compromise between multiple dialects, making its practical use a hair cumbersome.
Please never stop making these, no matter how long it takes you - take your time, the effort always shows in your videos and I think I speak for all your fans when I saw thank you for your hard work and dedication.
Thank you for all of your interesting movies :) By the way, I'm surprised your Japanese pronunciation is really good. 本当に色々な言語に精通していらっしゃるんですね。尊敬するばかりです。
My college degree was in Japanese. I graduated about ten years ago, and still do aizuchi by habit, even in English, though to a smaller degree. It drives my wife, who's very much a "wait your turn to talk" person, crazy.
Sometimes "hai" can be used to mean something like "I'm coming" or "I'm here" or "hello". Then again, we sometimes use "yes" in place of "hello", especially when answering the phone or door.
Well, I think it’s very important to note that in Japanese, “Hai/はい” does NOT mean yes. Not just in aizuchi. It’s the closest thing to meaning yes in Japanese, but it mainly falls along the lines of “I understand”. The main reason Japanese is like this is because it’s important to show that you are engaged and that you are actively listening to the conversation.
In Germany we make these hmmms, yeahs and uh-hus basically when we're NOT listening, because we're annoyed by the whole talk or the person who speaks just to pretend we're listening.
I agree. I think it's just a matter of what you're used to and your preferred style. I actually feel less heard when I'm not allowed to get out a complete thought uninterrupted. Even when the person I'm speaking to is dead silent, I can tell if they're engaged by their eye contact and body language, and what they add to the conversation with their responses when it's their turn. I prefer that style, but it's a cultural thing, with me being a Canadian.
@@mitchellpeterson8644 A lot of us who struggle with nonverbal cues aren't great at nonverbal expression, either. If it really throws you off to the point where you can't focus, there's nothing wrong with saying so, but I hope you try to be at least a bit understanding about it since a lot of people really can't indicate listening (and in my case, I can't listen effectively at all) without staying engaged with at least tiny bits of verbal output.
I thought it was going to be because it's considered rude to let someone continue to explain something you already know. It ended up being far more interesting than I anticipated. Thanks for this!
This reminds me of when I moved to Sweden and was learning the language. Compared to American English, people here are constantly inserting "aa", "mm", "aja", "jaså", and "okej". At first I thought it was rude, and even confusing at times (there's a tendency to sort of raise pitch in mm and aa, making sound like a question, as if they don't understand). The most confusing for me was, especially in the far North of Sweden, two new sounds. One is a sort of gasp, which at first I took as them being surprised, even as simple stuff. "so I was walking to the store..." gasp! "no no, nothing happened yet, I'm jusy walking" haha The second, which very specific to North Sweden, is the "schuup", a sound made be basically saying that word on an inhale. Loek you're sucking in air. Haha. I'll never get used to that one!
I'm romanian and I've also found that while talking to westerners I get the feeling they're being rude whenever I speak and I hear no feedback. This must have something to do with that.
In the USA, we are taught not to interrupt the speaker until they finish their thoughts. We show we are listening by using eye contact and nodding our heads in agreement.
@@nerychristian As well as being taught not to interrupt, as Americans, we give a form of feedback that repeats small parts of what the speaker was saying. Just to show we understood them.
@Noah Dominic Silvio I still think English speaking people do that a lot. It's not difficult at all to imagine that sort of conversation. Nonverbal cues are also really important. For me, it'd go like: "So last week, I went on a trip to Japan (Oh, neat! *eyes widen* ) and I got into this sushi restaurant (Mmm, I love sushi!) Me too! But I 'd never actually been in a sushi place before (*look of surprise* Really? Wow!) Seriously! So, I thought I was just going to get a small sushi snack (*nods* right, right?) but the the chef brings out this huge tuna fish (uh oh! *look of suspense*) and he slices it in front of us (*suspense is resolved, big nod* Ahh, like sashimi?)." I don't believe most westerners would find that sort of thing annoying either (well, most Americans, for sure... Europe might be different). If anything, it's an extremely charismatic behavior because you're showing enthusiasm for what the person has to say. You're not just showing that you're listening, you're showing that you WANT to listen, and everybody loves to be listened to. Personally, I'm shit at telling stories but am a very good listener, and people definitely respond to it. The difference, I think, is that Japanese people are more aware and deliberate about it (as is often the case) because their culture values politeness a lot more than others -- whereas in the west, it's a behavior that either must be implicitly learned through experience or only happens naturally when a person is sincerely engaged in a conversation. Westerners that are really bad at it and/or are just never sincerely interested in what other people have to say will definitely be perceived as "cold" and disengaged.
Glad to see you back. I love your videos. There’s very few people, even the ones I am subscribed to, that I watch without vetting the video first. Thank you for the hard work!
I've noticed that a lot of charismatic people do this as well. They show that they're engaged by restating what the person has said, and building on if if they can. It helps drive conversation.
Reminds me of my old professor from Korea. She would do this whenever I or others would speak to her. I thought she was being rude but perhaps I was wrong.
The phonetics of the word: _”Dorai”,_ and the context, in which it came up, just made me think of the Russian word: «Дурак» _(”Durak”),_ meaning roughly: ”Dumb”, ”Moron”, or: ”Idiot” (kind of like: «Дебил» _(”Debil”))._ 🇷🇺🤔😅
I love little tips like this that people may not realize. It’s not enough to just learn words and say, “I know a language now!” It’s nuanced. I love this kind of info!
My favorite language channel is back! Natibu-langu senpai. _ Edit: ya'll prescriptivists having the NERVE to assume the way I'm supposed to pronounce my pseudo-Japanese. Pff.
"nechibu rein" if it's pronounced /neɪtɪv leɪŋ/ "natibu rangu" would be the Japanese pronunciation of the (imaginary) English words /natɪv laŋ/ aka "not'iv long" Sorry for the IPA. I don't know any other accurate phonemic system for English.
This is a habit I picked up when learning Japanese. It annoyed some of my English speaking friends until I got the hang of code switching this particular verbal tick.
You can watch interviews with japanese bands on TH-cam to see how this sounds. I find it absolutely annoying, especially with female interviewers who pitch their responses way too high. >.
It's not a "type," that's what it is. He does a lot of that since a lot of the "dialog" in Metal Gear games is somebody telling him something. If Metal Gear was first localized now, the English version would likely drop most of his interjections since they are a 100% Japanese phenomenon that doesn't make much sense in English. Back in the 90's localization was still a very new thing, video games weren't appreciated as a narrative medium, and translation studies weren't as advanced as they are now.
I have terrible short term memory and was taught this at a young age by a school teacher to repeat and I find myself always chiming in with a "right, right" or "hm yeah" or what not, I honestly find myself telling myself to shut up when trying to have a conversation with people but it's a comforting thought to know a whole people communicate just like this :)
In a way, we are businesslike: Some business book from a hundred years ago said smiling a lot is good for business. Now everyone fake smiles :) There I go doing it myself...
As a Japanese I once had a fight with a Chinese person because I said “ok” , meaning “I am listening and I understand what you’re saying” , but the person thought that I agreed to what he said. This video explains it, thanks😂
TH-cam suggestions are on spot! XD I just had a fight with my japanese husband yesterday, he was accusing me to not listening because I just transition to what he was saying to the story he made me remember without saying the polite "yes yes heeee ahhh" Still culture shock after 8 years... -____-'
This is really interesting since for many birds, "talking" over another will tick them off badly. I wonder how often species have polite overlapping like this.
Could this be a contributor to the xenophobia that is so common among Japanese people, even toward immigrants who've lived in the Japan for decades? It is a very subtle conversational habit that, if it is missing, paints a very distinct picture of someone - maybe part of the reason Japanese people can be cold and distant to foreign immigrants, is that they believe immigrants to be cold and distant toward them.
I'm still not used to it, especially when talking with someone I don't know. Hearing or saying hai all the time distracts me from what is being said. When talking with friends, saying "un" once in a while is actually nice but some people say it way too often.
If it were my turn to speak, and someone kept interrupting me and repeating words as I'm saying them ... it would annoy me and bug me, and I would tell them to stop.
@@nerychristian That's a big reason why autistic people are often mistaken as being condescending or impatient. Personally, I can't indicate that I'm listening with nonverbal cues, and indeed I can't even listen effectively if I'm not keeping my verbal engine engaged with regular responses, even if it's just of the "mmhmm" variety. I will zone out within seconds if I'm not using verbal expression to stay tied in with the speech I'm listening to.
When I had a brief exchange in Sapporo back in college, I learned somewhat about this from one of the guest lecturers they had for the exchange students. He said that when he first started learning Japanese, he learned that how to say something like "I'm sorry, could you repeat that" was "Moichido ittekudasai." And while that worked out, after he was in Japan for a while, he realized that he'd never heard a single Japanese person say that. So he started paying close attention to native speakers' conversations to figure it out, and he told us "The way a native Japanese speaker says that is" followed by him staring into the middle distance perfectly still and silent for like 5 seconds. So basically, if aizuchi suddenly stops, that means the speaker knows something's wrong and will try to fix it. This ended up being really useful when Japanese people stopped by the exchange building to try out their English, since they'd keep up at least a some of the nodding that goes with aizuchi even in English, and I was immediately able to tell when I'd completely lost them.
In fairness, you hardly ever hear English speakers say "I'm sorry, could you repeat that" either. They say either, "what?", "(I'm) sorry?" "What's that?", "Pardon?" "I didn't catch that" or any number of phrases which do not sound remotely like "could you repeat that". Not to say that English speakers _never_ say "could you repeat that", but you can live in the UK or the US for years and years without ever hearing anyone say it. There's more than one way to skin a cat.
I've heard could you repeat that said a couple times. However it's mostly used as confirmation for phone numbers or lists of things... just to check that you got it right...
@@Gilmaris that's his point though, Japanese people don't say "what" either, they show they didn't get something by getting silent
@@carwyn3691 But that wasn't _my_ point. My point was that "moichido ittekudasai" is perfectly correct, even if you never hear anyone say it. Just like in English, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that" is _also_ perfectly correct - even though you never, ever hear it.
Useful. I could know when im talking to much and people get bored. (Happens too often;u;)
So there actually is no interrupting, its just more active than English nodding and hmmming
Homologous to phone talking, when you can't show you're listening to someone you make it sonorous. "Yes? Okay. Right. Ah."
Yes you're right, he completely missed the point.
Its definitely interruption by western standards. The speakers speak over and through one another. There isn't a pause, like English speakers would have. Also, its not just "yeahs" and "uh-huhs" its branching and tangential. It's just hard to give short examples because it is definitionally not short. Americans regularly describe Japanese people as being curt or rude for finishing their sentences or cutting in with an answer, when what they are actually doing is giving you their full attention. No, in Japan the behaviour isn't seen as an interruption, but this video is targeted to westerners who are unfamiliar with it.
I wouldn't call it interruption, but I haven't really heard it since there weren't any real examples in the video. Interruption, to me, is taking your turn in the conversation before the other person is finished. This seems more like helping the other person with their turn because they don't feel comfortable speaking without accompaniment.
It's just fucking annoying.
When you're on your ninth "that's crazy" and they're still telling their story.
"Yabai desu ne!"
Omg lmfaoooo
like the guy in the toilet booth next to me trying to out fart and out grunt me
@@commentfreely5443 👏why are you 👏like this
スゲェェェェェ
I moved to japan from canada two months ago and I'm pretty sure i say "sou," "sokka," and "un un un un" in my sleep.
How nice that you done such a step. Tell us more, and good luck in Japan
How did you get accepted? Is there a long process needed?
Joe A. they mean the process to move and live there...
So-ka.
@@JoeARedHawk275 You fill out an application, film a video in which you describe why you want to move to Japan (it has to be in excellent Japanese), and take nude photos from every angle.
Then all Japanese cititens inspect those and vote on whether you would be an acceptable addition to their nation. If at least two thirds of all citizens vote yes, you're accepted.
In Latin America we just talk over each other by raising our voice so most conversation just end up being a yelling contest.
Same in Greece
Haha so true.
We do that too in italy😂
In Latin Europe too :P
Sounds like The Philippines 😂
What are your favorite unique conversational quirks (in any language)? Also, I realize my Japanese is often just "almost ok" - thanks for overlooking that.
Platine Spanish, the word “che” doesn’t seem to mean anything at all, other than being a call to attention.
Also, it’s weird just how fast or incomprehensible it can get, if I actually listened to my pronunciation I probably only say a third of the letters, but everyone understands me perfectly.
Great video, by the way! I’m glad to see more content from you.
I've heard some older West-Flemish folks kind of do something similar to aizuchi but only with the pronoun conjugations of yes and no. Something to likes of "Oh, joak joak joakjoakjoak!" which will start as a response in a break of the speaker but continue well into and over the rest of what the speaker has to say.
You may have done a video on this, but ingressive affirmatives comes to mind.
Your Japanese was way better than ok btw.
When Norwegians are having a casual, relaxed conversation, the listeners occasionally say an interrupting "ja" (yes) by inhaling, not exhaling air. Never saw a quirk like that in any other European language.
I wonder what are some of the international/universal sounds we make to express opinion indirectly.
Uh-huh. I see. Oh. Ah. Yes. Really? Mmm-hmm. That's interesting.
It can be. But that depends on context. And a whole bunch of things that are impossible to deduce from text. XD
Oh really? The house downtown? But why? Oh, shes on vacation, right. Parents coming?
Kuralthys in this case it was sarcasm, however agreement between speaker and listener is in all languages. And I must say, nice Sarcasm yourself. I really appreciate others poorly constructed sarcasm...
Ah, now see, that's precisely my point. No sarcasm was involved on my part. ;p
As I said, the primary indicators for sarcasm are largely impossible to convey in text, thus, mistakes are easy in both directions.
Trying to be sarcastic in a youtube comment is a dangerous game to play...
@Crimson think more like those quick back and forth answers after phrases on phone calls. You'd tend to naturally say these short acknowledgments/reactions, and when you don't, the other person may even ask if you're hearing or if there was some problem with the line.
In Spain it is seen as politeness to interrupt with questions as this is proof of your interest.
But children are taught not to interrupt when an adult is speaking. In USA it is OK to interrupt if you are asking a question, but usually it is preferred that you wait until the speaker finishes their sentence.
And in Italy, if you don't interrupt, the Italian keeps on talking for hours...
This explains SO MUCH about how anime conversations work. Ever since I got into Japanese so many years ago whenever I would see in Japanese anime that characters always have a tendency to mime the last word of the previously spoken sentence and I took it as just one of the many differences in form and syntax of Japanese that are so numerous and alien to anglophones, or even francophones, spanglophones, lusophones, the majority of us in the west.
Btw just to update you I passed my entrance exam for the linguistics master's program in Lyon, France I wanted to attend. If all goes according to plan I'll be moving out there in January of 2020! Wouldnt have switched my major and gotten my interest in language back had I not discovered your videos when I was just a confused 20 year old taking classes for the hell of it. Thank you again
Congrats! Which University? lumière 2 ?
hispanophone* serait mieux; là, ça sonne presque comme si tu disais "ceux qui parlent un mélange d'anglais et d'espagnol"
(Et félicitations)
Congratulations!!
5 17 2019 Hey Medium D. Speaks, Congratulations! How great is that-VERY! Have FUN, study, learn all that you're able, be safe & well. v
@Aya-I Officiellement s'appelle Langues Étrangères Appliquées, mais c'est la linguistique quand même
It is just my personal experience but I had a MASSIVE revelation thanks to this video. I'm American but went to a university in Canada, and I noticed Canadian people were VERY quiet in conversation. I was completely surprised I noticed such a pronounced difference and I couldn't effectively describe what I felt until I saw this video. It always felt like Canadians, and British for that matter, would just check out while you were talking and offer zero clues they were understanding anything at all. Surprisingly to me at the time I spent more time talking with people originally from other countries, including places like Japan, France, and Italy, because we seemed to have more of this natural mutual back and forth cadence. If the Japanese people in that study think Americans have no Aizuchi, then try Canada! Again it's just my personal experience, and I'm from a mixed culture where we definitely have a bit more mini interactions when speaking than the average American.
As a Canadian, yeah, this makes sense. Every now and then I’ll start talking to a coworker, assume I have their attention, and then 30 seconds in, they’ll pull out an earbud, and go, “sorry, were you talking to me?”
It's not really "interrupting" per se, it's vocalizing your understanding of what the other person is saying, so that they know they can continue and that the listener is on the same proverbial page.
Fun fact, this is why Snake keeps repeating exposition.
"Psycho Mantis?"
You're that ninja
Gloryholes?
Metal Gear?
a hind D?
So does Otacon loop on his own aizuchi when he goes: snake?! SNAKE!! SNAAA-A-A-A-A-KE!!!!
I love it when the video features my name ^_^ My name is indeed not Garry.
A very merry unGary to you
what a coinkidink, my name is also not Garry.
Let me guess..... your twin brother is named Garry and your father is a bit slow of thought.
Nick Zardiashvili
: so what's your name then? is it Steve? 🤔
@@travissmith2848 In ancient Rome, that was exactly how they named twins. The eldest was given a name, ie. Gary, and the other was simply called Not "that name" ie. Not Gary.
I'm italian and when I was more or less 13 I was at the seaside and there was a japanese man working in the kitchen of a restaurant. Being somehow interested in Japan, a friend of mine and I started talking to him. He was able to speak a little italian, and he frequently overlapped us with "ah sì?" which is like the italian version of "so ka?". I was a little ocnfused and sometimes I answered him "yes, really!", like he wasn't believing what I was saying and I tried to convince him :P poor man. By the way, Yamada Haruhisa, wherever You are I hope you're having a nice life =)
I'm turbo late but I got curious so I did a bit of research. It seems like the guy you're talking about is 山田晴久 who owns a restaurant in Tokyo since 2009 (which is open to this day!). His bibliography says he worked at a restaurant in Toscana (and some other places) for three years. His restaurant is called Cucina Italiana HARU; you might wanna visit there if you ever get a chance to come to Japan!
@@Tbeumo That's crazy. Reminds me of when my grandpa was in Japan, in a restaurant where the guy spoke no English, and he saw a mural signed with the callsign of a radio station from Pittsburgh, where he was from.
We do this in Norwegian too. If someone is completely silent while someone speaks then that can mean that they aren't listening. Or at least it's perceived that way
Same in Mexico, if someone is completely silent I just stop and say "Me Estas escuchando????" (Are u even listening?)
Lol I know!!! I'm Mexican too and I even stop my narrations to wait for a response from the listener even if I'm not done with whatever I'm saying.
Probably an average amount though. The point is in Japanese you do it what seems way too much.
Same in Chinese
That's a thing all over the world..
You're describing British (mm, ah, hmm) versus Canadian (wait-your-turn) communication styles.
Tony Blakeney yeah I was thinking I “interrupt” people like that all the time it shows that you are listening
true, lot of cultures do the same.
@@ovaloctopus8 I'm French and personnally I find it very rude when it's too loud, usually we do backchannel but by moving our heads or just going "hmmhmm" or saying "ah okay". If it's too invasive I lose my train of tought and feel like the other person is going to cut me
Axelle yeah in French from what I’ve seen you guys are always saying d’accord and that’s basically the same as what I mean. Not too invasive but it seems more natural than just staying silent
I say continuing phrases while I'm listening and I'm east coast Canadian, but to be fair, we have an extremely animated and verbose accent
I'm studying Japanese. I appreciate the culture tip :)
wundrweapon how long you been studying? Have you ever heard of an app called bunpro? It’s good for beginners and intermediate and as of right now it’s free :)
頑張って
@@justarandomgamer6309 I might give it a go, we'll see. I have bigger problems to clear up first. As for how long, it's hard to measure between my intensity and long hiatuses because of other work, plus that year or so that I just plain stopped... I dunno. I guess I'd say I'm at the level of someone about 8 weeks in
@@AnimilesYT はい、ありがとう
@@justarandomgamer6309
What and how does bunpro teach? I've mostly only used Tae Kim's Guide, which are mostly notes. Is bunpro the same or more like, say, Duolingo?
That was most definitely not boring. I really truly liked it a lot. Thank you for all your hard word.
Not sure if sarcasm?
We all loved the hard word.
My oldest friend is Japanese. People say I interrupt a lot, but I think of it as a form of continuous feedback in conversation. Now I know why. Thank you.
I'm Japanese too.
I do'nt think so🥢
I think that
he just can't speak
English well🍵🍡
I find this really interesting because maybe not so much in other parts of the US, but certainly in the South we have our own "ai tsuchi". For instance, given the example of the Speaker's sentence "So last month I was visiting my family..." The Listener might respond shortly with "Yeah you said you wanted to do that a while ago". It's not quite interrupting and stealing the conversation from the Speaker, but the Listener shows that s/he is actively engaged in the Speaker's story, prompting more information rather than listening to a lecture.
Brandon Davidson as someone who lives abroad from the South, I’ve met quite a few people from many different places and I’ve noticed I speak a bit differently in conversations (doing what you said). I’ve met some people who absolutely hated it!
@Shufei Southern etiquette is basically a long game of deciding if you want to strangle them in conversation and deciding to do that first on the off chance they piss you off anyway.
Reminds me of conversations in the Pacific Northwest. We tend to communicate most things silently, which is why we tend to come off as cold and distant, but we also can interject with entire sentences to keep a conversation going when need be.
Right? I am in southern AZ and if anything, people consider it rude if you don't vocalize your interest or come across as trying to lecture them (classrooms and seminars are obvious exceptions). Sometimes I have problems with this because I can get really quiet when I'm focusing and people assumr I'm not listening. Other times, I'll be in a more responsive mood and just my luck, it'll be that one person who considers an "Mhmmm" a valid reason to end the conversation and walk away.
That's a bit different than this jaoanese thing.
I was learning backwards when I was learning English in my youth. I vividly remember looking into the person scolding means you are sincere whereas my Japanese upbringing is the complete opposite. And when someone asked you a question and you answer is a no, you say no rather than yes to a no. It was very confusing years for me and this was one of the lesson I've learned as well for English. I remember thinking to myself "silence is golden" to remind myself to never interrupt to acknowledge that you're listening.
Can you explain what you meant by "yes to a no"? What would that sound like in conversation?
I’m a native English speaker & I had the same yes to a no confusion when I was a kid
A thing I had learned from "Kaz's eigonodo class" on TH-cam that happens in Japanese conversation is the lack of a prepared breath.
Almost all English speakers take a breath before speaking as a sign that they're going to speak. Japanese people don't do this and can feel left out of conversation because no one knew they were going to speak.
@Shufei I think you're referring to the breath that comes when someone finishes speaking and wants to "take their turn" because they aren't actually listening to what's being said and just want to interject with their own know-how. This is similar to what OP has said but definitely different. At least from my experience since the breath they're talking about isn't a deliberate, deep inhale but more like a casual draw that, if the listener is actually paying attention to, can be heard without it being overly audible.
@Shufei Boy, you sound like you know a lot about this. Can I see your psychology degree?
As a Japanese learner when I saw this I was so excited! Glad to see the content back.
My sister in law does back channel constantly and I've always had the impression she is the nicest most attentive listener. It really does make a difference in a conversation.
To be honest, I love this type of content. I like this sort of stuff on conventional quirks. It really shows how dynamic language is and how linguistics is beyond just simple grammar rules and vocabulary, while I still do enjoy learning about those things as well. It shows that language is a reflection of the culture itself.
Hmm? To shreds, you say! And the wife? To shreds, you say.
I haven't heard that in a long time.
Twisted Logic thank you
I heard this in his voice oh my god
😂 Is that Prof Farnsworth? 🤔
I lived in Taiwan for a few years, and-maybe the Japanese occupation has something to do with this-there was a ton of backchanneling, especially among the older generation, probably about as often as you're describing, although it is ususually one-syllable interjections: "ei," "m," "ng," "en," "n," "o," and variations of "shi." One could tell a lot about how a conversation was going by the noises made by the other party, and the tones they are spoken in add to the drama. They don't interrupt with entire phrases as often, but it was abnormal for there not to be semi-constant sound from the listening party. It was a hard habit to break when I returned to the States. My family thought I was crazy. When I get in Chinese conversations, I still do it.
This sounds a lot like the Scandinavian linguistic asthma. Where the listener keeps repeating "ja" spoken on the inhale, to indicate that they are following.
Hhhhhhja.
I have in fact not thought about this
JA PAPPA
Jo, ja, mmmh...
"chhhju". it's more of a northern scandinavian thing though
Great video! I said "YES!" out loud at work when the notification came through.
You better have gotten a promotion!
I am so glad you’re sticking around. I love languages and your channel is perfect to feed my thirst for language knowledge. Thank you!
I wonder how Japanese people with communication difficulties cope with this.
Being written off as cold because you're concentrating on listening or being unable to concentrate because listeners are trying to be friendly sounds immensely stressful.
I mean that's just how social awkwardness is. Some people will give you a chance and understand you're more than just how you socialize, while most will just write you off as "rude" or "weird"
@@FAMOUS4EVER3000 Japenese people also generally have more patience for their own than they do for foreigners, so it probably wouldn't be terrible.
@@viperblitz11 Ehhhh, idk about that. If you are japanese, you are expected to know what to do. If you are a foreigner making an honest effort, most will be very accomodating.
I literally lose my train of thought if someone interrupts (ADHD) or if they're too loud and I have no idea what I would do for this
This seriously is NOT weird. We do this in English so the time! In fact, I've always felt like it was rude if I didn't show someone speaking to me that I'm listening by saying these same types of words. I really believe you made a mountain out of a molehill with this one...
This looks so much cleaner than I remember and I'm really excited for what's to come.
Then, we have Finland, where listeners often wait for explicit words/phrases, like: ”You follow?” or: ”You’re listening?”, to cue us that: ”Oh? I’m supposed to say something?” 😅.
It's a cultural thing. For example us Italian backchannel a lot, even with hands movements and facial expressions, and "Germanic" cultures seem cold to us. In fact it seems like the listener is not paying attention
Eisenwulf666: Here it‘s more like distance is polite. You give the other person all the „space“ to talk which shows that what they are saying is important
@@denisenova7494 yeah i understand that. Btw nice profile picture
Children in public schools are taught not to interrupt the adults when they are speaking. So they learn to be passive in their listening skills.
The German language specifically has a lot of operators at the end of a sentence. If someone backchanneled while a German was speaking, they'd be likely to miss the operators and they might give the opposite feedback they would have to the whole sentence. My German is barely conversational, but English shares a lot of similarities. The idea is that you don't talk while someone else is speaking so that you don't miss any of their words. There is room for backchanneling, but it's usually very short or silent. We tend to make up for it by looking at the person; the more we look, the harder we're listening.
Slovenians do it a lot as well, at least here in the Littoral, so it could be Italian influence.
You just unraveled a huge mystery about Japanese culture for me. Awesome video!
I was sharing an overview of a presentation I was about to do in a Zoom meeting with my Japanese teacher and a few other people. It was on aspects of the Japanese language, so I asked my teacher to chime in with corrections or clarifications if they were necessary (because both being Japanese and teaching it, he was the expert). He only added in a fun fact once or twice, but because of this, he had his mic on the whole time, and the whole time he was doing aizuchi in English pretty aggressively. "Mhmm, yeah, right right, yes, uh-huh, yeah yeah." I love when habits of one language get brought over into another language, it's always fun to see.
I think many comments here saying “BUT WE DO THIS IN MY LANGUAGE TOO???”. He never said it chiming like “mmm-hmm oh yeah really” doesn’t happen in other languages, he specifically explained what makes this case in Japanese wo unique. Scholars would have not studied if this case wasn’t unique and he even went on to explain the difference in frequency etc
Huh, this reminds me of working with a lot of opera coaches (at least in the US), who will correct your mistakes while you're singing. They'll just call out things like "flat!" or "engage your diaphragm!" and you're supposed to just fix it on the spot. You only stop at certain common phrases, usually either "Thank you!" or "Ok, great!" which are understood to mean "stop so I can tell you something that takes longer to say than a word or two."
@Drakilicious I mean, it is a lesson, from an expert, so that seems like a fair assumption to me. Especially from something with as particular a technique as opera. But yeah, that disconnect between academic language and real language can be pretty intense, especially with the huge variety of dialects that Spanish has, and I'm told a lot of the US learns a compromise between multiple dialects, making its practical use a hair cumbersome.
Please never stop making these, no matter how long it takes you - take your time, the effort always shows in your videos and I think I speak for all your fans when I saw thank you for your hard work and dedication.
Thank you for all of your interesting movies :)
By the way, I'm surprised your Japanese pronunciation is really good.
本当に色々な言語に精通していらっしゃるんですね。尊敬するばかりです。
My college degree was in Japanese. I graduated about ten years ago, and still do aizuchi by habit, even in English, though to a smaller degree. It drives my wife, who's very much a "wait your turn to talk" person, crazy.
Sometimes "hai" can be used to mean something like "I'm coming" or "I'm here" or "hello". Then again, we sometimes use "yes" in place of "hello", especially when answering the phone or door.
Or "OK! Understood and received"
Yo, welcome back. Keep the high quality content coming.
I never clicked so fast. I'm so glad to see you making more videos! The quality is great as always.
Lol, and literally yesterday someone was trying to convince me you'd retired from TH-cam. Great to see a new upload!
The things some girls find the need to talk about...
This happens a lot in the average slovene conversation, I don't find it rude, but it's also not really its own thing like aizuchi
I think we do the same in British English, it sounds very normal to me
@@samtownend6744 I'm German and I think it's normal here too. Most of the time it's more like a hmm or ok or ja. But the idea is the same.
As a Japanese speaker, and language nerd, I am excited about this accurate account of our language! Thank you.
Is this not "active listening", which is done in English as well?
E: and you answered that question, cool.
Great to have you back making new videos!
Well, I think it’s very important to note that in Japanese, “Hai/はい” does NOT mean yes. Not just in aizuchi. It’s the closest thing to meaning yes in Japanese, but it mainly falls along the lines of “I understand”. The main reason Japanese is like this is because it’s important to show that you are engaged and that you are actively listening to the conversation.
Would it be correct to say that "Hai" is closer to "yeah" than it is to "yes" then?
This was fascinating!
Also, this channel gives birth to some of the most mature and kind discussions I've ever seen in this site's comment sections.
Thanks for the incredible video! I’m looking forward to seeing more
I'm so happy you're back!
that english example though, holy shit.
I couldn't keep a train of thought if someone did that to me.
Same here. If I'm interrupted even a few times by "active listening", I just tell the other person I'm done talking with them.
In Germany we make these hmmms, yeahs and uh-hus basically when we're NOT listening, because we're annoyed by the whole talk or the person who speaks just to pretend we're listening.
I agree. I think it's just a matter of what you're used to and your preferred style. I actually feel less heard when I'm not allowed to get out a complete thought uninterrupted. Even when the person I'm speaking to is dead silent, I can tell if they're engaged by their eye contact and body language, and what they add to the conversation with their responses when it's their turn. I prefer that style, but it's a cultural thing, with me being a Canadian.
@@mitchellpeterson8644 A lot of us who struggle with nonverbal cues aren't great at nonverbal expression, either. If it really throws you off to the point where you can't focus, there's nothing wrong with saying so, but I hope you try to be at least a bit understanding about it since a lot of people really can't indicate listening (and in my case, I can't listen effectively at all) without staying engaged with at least tiny bits of verbal output.
Yeah, if someone kept doing that to me, I'd probably just stop talking.
I thought it was going to be because it's considered rude to let someone continue to explain something you already know. It ended up being far more interesting than I anticipated. Thanks for this!
This reminds me of when I moved to Sweden and was learning the language. Compared to American English, people here are constantly inserting "aa", "mm", "aja", "jaså", and "okej". At first I thought it was rude, and even confusing at times (there's a tendency to sort of raise pitch in mm and aa, making sound like a question, as if they don't understand). The most confusing for me was, especially in the far North of Sweden, two new sounds. One is a sort of gasp, which at first I took as them being surprised, even as simple stuff. "so I was walking to the store..." gasp! "no no, nothing happened yet, I'm jusy walking" haha
The second, which very specific to North Sweden, is the "schuup", a sound made be basically saying that word on an inhale. Loek you're sucking in air. Haha. I'll never get used to that one!
I imagine that "schuup" sound to be the noise you make when you stub your toe and get startled lol
You made me tear up a little at 5:48. We support you! Keep going!
I'm romanian and I've also found that while talking to westerners I get the feeling they're being rude whenever I speak and I hear no feedback. This must have something to do with that.
In the USA, we are taught not to interrupt the speaker until they finish their thoughts. We show we are listening by using eye contact and nodding our heads in agreement.
@@nerychristian Politicians, however, are taught to interrupt other politicians as much as possible.
@@nerychristian As well as being taught not to interrupt, as Americans, we give a form of feedback that repeats small parts of what the speaker was saying. Just to show we understood them.
@@herrakaarme lol this is why we mute them now.
You have no idea how much seeing you uploaded made my day! Amazing video, as usual
When your favorite channel uploads a video during school so you can't watch it when it comes out
*sad violin music*
Great to see you back, I hope you're doing well!
I think a good comparison for English (American) speakers would have been 'uh huh' 'mhm' 'ah' 'oh' and 'mmm'
I use all of these frequently
@Noah Dominic Silvio I still think English speaking people do that a lot. It's not difficult at all to imagine that sort of conversation. Nonverbal cues are also really important. For me, it'd go like:
"So last week, I went on a trip to Japan (Oh, neat! *eyes widen* ) and I got into this sushi restaurant (Mmm, I love sushi!) Me too! But I 'd never actually been in a sushi place before (*look of surprise* Really? Wow!) Seriously! So, I thought I was just going to get a small sushi snack (*nods* right, right?) but the the chef brings out this huge tuna fish (uh oh! *look of suspense*) and he slices it in front of us (*suspense is resolved, big nod* Ahh, like sashimi?)."
I don't believe most westerners would find that sort of thing annoying either (well, most Americans, for sure... Europe might be different). If anything, it's an extremely charismatic behavior because you're showing enthusiasm for what the person has to say. You're not just showing that you're listening, you're showing that you WANT to listen, and everybody loves to be listened to. Personally, I'm shit at telling stories but am a very good listener, and people definitely respond to it.
The difference, I think, is that Japanese people are more aware and deliberate about it (as is often the case) because their culture values politeness a lot more than others -- whereas in the west, it's a behavior that either must be implicitly learned through experience or only happens naturally when a person is sincerely engaged in a conversation. Westerners that are really bad at it and/or are just never sincerely interested in what other people have to say will definitely be perceived as "cold" and disengaged.
I hate those noises.
@Noah Dominic Silvio
Nothing could be more irritating.
Glad to see you back. I love your videos. There’s very few people, even the ones I am subscribed to, that I watch without vetting the video first. Thank you for the hard work!
"Uhhh, yes yes, go on." Happens a lot in English informally. It's just another example of the japanese being more informal to be polite.
It's amazing how many things I've learned from your channel. You are genuinely unique! Thanks a lot and keep up your amazing work!! :D
Bro I’m so excited LETS GO!
Huge fan, thanks NativLang!
行きましょう
I've noticed that a lot of charismatic people do this as well. They show that they're engaged by restating what the person has said, and building on if if they can. It helps drive conversation.
毎日リスニングの練習として聞いています。
これからも頑張ってください。
同じく
This makes so much sense!! I've been noticing so many interruptions like that, but I never knew why
Oh my gosh the way you said “そうそうそう” is legit my Japanese pronunciation goals xD
this guy is awesome, he can pronunce everything
bakago I know!! he’s got such great content too
@@bakago4746 not even
So great to have a new NativLang!
Reminds me of my old professor from Korea. She would do this whenever I or others would speak to her. I thought she was being rude but perhaps I was wrong.
SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK!
The phonetics of the word: _”Dorai”,_ and the context, in which it came up, just made me think of the Russian word: «Дурак» _(”Durak”),_ meaning roughly: ”Dumb”, ”Moron”, or: ”Idiot” (kind of like: «Дебил» _(”Debil”))._ 🇷🇺🤔😅
I love little tips like this that people may not realize. It’s not enough to just learn words and say, “I know a language now!” It’s nuanced. I love this kind of info!
My favorite language channel is back! Natibu-langu senpai.
_
Edit: ya'll prescriptivists having the NERVE to assume the way I'm supposed to pronounce my pseudo-Japanese. Pff.
*rangu lol
Neetibu* too I think.
"nechibu rein" if it's pronounced /neɪtɪv leɪŋ/
"natibu rangu" would be the Japanese pronunciation of the (imaginary) English words /natɪv laŋ/ aka "not'iv long"
Sorry for the IPA. I don't know any other accurate phonemic system for English.
how is that prescriptivism you're literally just using sounds that dont exist in japanese it's just wrong by all standards
@@RubelliteFae i think it'd normally be "nētibu rangu" but yea
Great someone on YT takes on discourse and conversation analysis!
This is a habit I picked up when learning Japanese. It annoyed some of my English speaking friends until I got the hang of code switching this particular verbal tick.
This.....explains a lot. Linking it to kendo really makes the concept more digestible. Thank you
This is very useful for conversation.
So good to have you back!
I would have loved some real clips of conversation to demonstrate this.
You can watch interviews with japanese bands on TH-cam to see how this sounds. I find it absolutely annoying, especially with female interviewers who pitch their responses way too high. >.
Literally half of my mom's phone calls with her friends when I was growing up:
"Nnn. Nnn. HEHHHHHHHHHH???? Nnn. Nnn. Tsssssssk."
So could Snake saying "Metal Gear!?" be considered a type of Aizuchi?
It's not a "type," that's what it is. He does a lot of that since a lot of the "dialog" in Metal Gear games is somebody telling him something. If Metal Gear was first localized now, the English version would likely drop most of his interjections since they are a 100% Japanese phenomenon that doesn't make much sense in English. Back in the 90's localization was still a very new thing, video games weren't appreciated as a narrative medium, and translation studies weren't as advanced as they are now.
I have terrible short term memory and was taught this at a young age by a school teacher to repeat and I find myself always chiming in with a "right, right" or "hm yeah" or what not, I honestly find myself telling myself to shut up when trying to have a conversation with people but it's a comforting thought to know a whole people communicate just like this :)
"Americans are cold, businesslike, and overly logical?" I could wish we were; the country would run a hell of a lot better.
In a way, we are businesslike: Some business book from a hundred years ago said smiling a lot is good for business. Now everyone fake smiles :) There I go doing it myself...
That feels like a better description of us British.
Man I wish, this country is a dumpster fire lmao
I'd say things would probably improve if you stopped thinking it's a good idea to run a country like a business :l
2020 came to visit you: "The country would run a hell of a lot better, you say?"
As a Japanese I once had a fight with a Chinese person because I said “ok” , meaning “I am listening and I understand what you’re saying” , but the person thought that I agreed to what he said. This video explains it, thanks😂
A new NativLang video is always exciting!
Fantastic! Every time I see you've brought out another video i am so happy
I think a few concrete audio examples would have been illustrative 🙂
TH-cam suggestions are on spot! XD I just had a fight with my japanese husband yesterday, he was accusing me to not listening because I just transition to what he was saying to the story he made me remember without saying the polite "yes yes heeee ahhh"
Still culture shock after 8 years... -____-'
This is really interesting since for many birds, "talking" over another will tick them off badly. I wonder how often species have polite overlapping like this.
What an amazing insight into an entirely different culture. Brilliant
Could this be a contributor to the xenophobia that is so common among Japanese people, even toward immigrants who've lived in the Japan for decades? It is a very subtle conversational habit that, if it is missing, paints a very distinct picture of someone - maybe part of the reason Japanese people can be cold and distant to foreign immigrants, is that they believe immigrants to be cold and distant toward them.
Wanting to preserve your culture and race is not the same as racism. Every culture should be free to protect what is theirs.
The way you said the "sōōō sō sō sō" sent me into a flashback of my college Japanese class. Though, in my class, it was usually "sōdesu" or "sōdesuka"
I'm still not used to it, especially when talking with someone I don't know. Hearing or saying hai all the time distracts me from what is being said. When talking with friends, saying "un" once in a while is actually nice but some people say it way too often.
So glad you are back!!
If it were my turn to speak, and someone kept interrupting me and repeating words as I'm saying them ... it would annoy me and bug me, and I would tell them to stop.
True. In English, if someone is repeating everything the speaker says, or is asking to many questions, it is seen as being condescending.
@@nerychristian That's a big reason why autistic people are often mistaken as being condescending or impatient. Personally, I can't indicate that I'm listening with nonverbal cues, and indeed I can't even listen effectively if I'm not keeping my verbal engine engaged with regular responses, even if it's just of the "mmhmm" variety. I will zone out within seconds if I'm not using verbal expression to stay tied in with the speech I'm listening to.
Try to be a bit open-minded, zeryphex. Some of us literally can't successfully listen to you without doing that.
I've missed this channel. Glad to see you back.