Verbal Communication

 Japanese culture is rich and diverse, and its linguistic landscape reflects this diversity.

While the primary language spoken in Japan is, of course, Japanese (Hyojungo), there are a few

other languages present that have played significant roles in shaping Japan’s culture and history

as a whole. Japanese is the most widely spoken language in Japan and acts as the heart of the

nation's identity. It's a language that encapsulates the detailed nature of Japanese culture while

expressing and a reverence for politeness and formality. Its unique writing systems - Kanji,

Hiragana, and Katakana - are three alphabets adapted from Chinese and other local areas that are

all used for Japanese communication in different surroundings.

Another language that has a presence in Japan is the Okinawan language along with the

rest of the Ryukyuan dialects, which are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands. These languages have

influenced Japanese culture through traditional Okinawan, music and dance, and continue to be a

point of cultural pride. Lastly, English has a significant presence in Japan, often being taught as a

second language in schools. It plays a crucial role in business, technology, and international

communication.

English can be used as a lingua franca in Japan because it is often taught as a second

language and used in business settings. A lingua franca is a language that can be used as a

bridge between two groups who speak different languages. These hybrid languages have been

created mainly for the purpose of sharing information, or goods internationally. In this day and

age, English is used in many different areas other than the United states and europe. This would

make it much easier for me to communicate with Japanese people and vice versa.

Here are some translations of common phrases from Japanese to English

1. Hello!--- Kon'nichiwa

2. Yes— Hai

3. No— Iie

4. Please— Onegai shi masu

5. Thank You— Arigatou

6. Can you help me?--- Tasuke te itadake masu ka


7. I don't understand— Wakari mase nichi

8. I don't speak Japanese— Nihongo ga hanase mase nichi

9. My name is Trevor— Watashi no namae wa Trever desu

I don't think that any of these words or phrases were particular;y difficult to pronounce,

however I am not sure if I am pronouncing them correctly. Incorrect pronunciation can be seen

as rude or idiotic by the native speaking people so it would definitely be important to learn the

pronunciation of each letter and the basic grammatical rules for the language. This would be

especially helpful in a business setting where the communication needs to be clear.

The main thing that I noticed when I used google translate to translate a Japanese article

was how different the sentence structure is from the English language. This was one of the few

things I had noticed as it was surprisingly hard to find a regular article that was written in

Japanese. That being said, another difference I noticed was that the Japanese language seems to

be much more formal; there were not many combinations of words or phrases to shorten the

sentence.

Since the beginning of the human race, language has been used as a tool to describe the

world around us by transferring information from the outside world through the brain and out the

mouth as sound. The phrase, “Language influences our view of reality” has a very basic meaning

that applies to every culture in the world. Each language has different words for different things,

and connotations to each word. Each language has its own history, grammar, structure, and

style. Through the variations of each of these characteristics, language can shape the reality of

the one speaking it.

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