Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The particular clip that is the focus of interest in this paper is part of a long
discussion concerning how to address people in Japanese and in other languages, and
how foreigners and people who do not master the language well usually make
mistakes concerning the politeness code of each culture. The person using a shoulder
shrug has been explaining the use of the French pronouns
vous
and
tu,
and how
foreigners sometimes use the incorrect form. The speaker also uses his hand, which he
first keeps close to his mouth but then stretches it towards the partners simultaneously
extending his index finger and opening up his palm slightly. He then draws his hand
back towards the mouth, and keeps his position during the clarification question by
partner B, and finally shrugs at the end. The silenced finish of his sentence is then
picked up by partner C who offers an explanation: “you get quite a lot of things
excused if you're a foreigner”. This prompts partner D to continue her earlier story
about how to help foreigners to address Japanese people appropriately, while the
partner B replies to this by taking it as a basis for his humorous utterance. This makes
all the participants laugh, and thus functions as a release of the slightly embarrassed
and tensed situation. The conversation then continues in a different mode, with
partner C initiating a new although related topic.
The transcript of the pertinent part of the conversations is given below, and Figures
1 and 2 (next page) present snap-shots of the relevant shoulder shrug from sideways
and from the front, by two cameras.
A: and but you know,… you can hear
*hand, index finger open up towards the partners*
that the person is English by accent or something….
*larger movement with the hand palm open as if emphasizing “something”*
B: and
vous
is rude?
A: no
tu
B:
tu
is rude
A: and then … hmm … we just say ok … it's just a...
*shrug*
C: yeah, yeah … if if you're gaijin you can get excused … quite a lot of things
D: um, um, and or Japanese ... Japanese that person has to tell him … aaa … what
he want to be called … how and or please call me aaa Takashi … or by his first
name [or] … please call me Suzuki san…
B: [yeah] but I kk I don't like I'm Suzuki … you can call me John
C: ah *laugh*
D: we yeah we … *laugh*
A,B,C,D: *laugh*
Most people within Western cultures interpret the shrug as a sign of hesitation or
uncertainty, as if the person does not really know how to express oneself or continue
the sentence, but this seems not to be so for everyone in Eastern cultures. A Japanese
annotator, for instance, noticed the shrug as a peculiar gesturing which is not common
in Japanese culture: in fact, shrugging of one's shoulders is seldom used on any
occasion. Instead, the common way of expressing hesitation in Japan instead is to tilt
one's head sideways and to prolong the words in the utterance
so desu nee
(roughly
translated as “well it is so”). This also seems to be the case with other Eastern cultures
as confirmed by our interview and questionnaire study.
