Apologies in Japanese
Contents in Apology Unit:
This unit contains ins and outs of apologies in Japanese
as you move through examples and exercises.
In
apologizing, the speaker recognizes the infraction or offense caused through
his/her fault and attempts to repair the relationship with the hearer. The situation may be fairly tense if the
infraction is large or if the hearer is in a more powerful position in the
social scale than you. What are some
routinized patterns in apologies in Japanese and what strategies work most
effectively to repair and maintain a good relationship with the hearer?
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Exercise 1-2: Cross-Cultural Comparison of
Apologies
There are likely
to be cultural differences between your native and target language that you may
wish to adjust to as you perform speech acts.
As a starter, try to notice how many times apology expressions are given
in each situation in these exercises. Compare that with apologizing in
English. If there is an excuse, notice the ways in which it is
presented.
Exercise 3-4:
Functions of Apology Expressions
Just because
you hear an apology expression doesn’t mean it is serving as an apology!
Listen for various functions of apology expressions.
Coffee
Break
Let's listen to an informal
apology dialogue between friends in a school cafeteria. One accidentally
knocks over her close friend's coffee and spills some on her shirt. The
coffee is scalding her arm a bit.
Click Below to Listen
Exercise 5-6: Apology
Expressions and Intensifiers
There are
various expressions you can use to apologize.
It is useful to know how to intensify your apology, as you might say
“very” or “really” in English.
Exercise 7: More Apology strategies
In this
exercise, you will review the apology strategies introduced in the previous
exercises and learn still more that are commonly used.
Exercise 8: Tone of Apologies
Your tone
of voice could make your apology sound sincere or non-apologetic. Listen
to practice to use the right tone!
Exercise 9-10: Simulation Exercises on Offering Apologies
Now let’s
just practice all that we have learned about apologies. You will be asked to self-evaluate your
apologies you have offered in these exercises.
Tea Break
Listen to another
apology interaction. As you listen, try to identify who is talking and the
relationship between them. What is the explanation for the apology and
how serious do you think is the infraction?
Click Below to Listen to Dialogue
See Vocabulary & Expressions
in Dialogue
Just for Fun!
Listen to this comic
apology situation. Do you get the humor?
Click Below to Listen
Revisiting Useful Links
Summary of Strategies
Let’s
review all the apologizing strategies we have seen in the exercises. The strategies in red
are core apologizing strategies, without which your utterance wouldn’t be
recognized as an apology. The strategies appearing in blue are particularly important supporting
strategies that can enhance or expand upon your apology. You will see in black additional strategies that can also
help you perform apologies, but they are not essential. The strategies in
green are general strategies that can be applied not only to apologies but also
to other speech acts.
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1. |
Making
the apologizing statement ·
Making the
apologizing statement (all exercises) ·
Using
appropriate apologizing expressions according to the interlocutor and the
situation (Ex. 1, 2, 9, 10,
all others) |
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2. |
Abiding
by the cultural norms for apologizing ·
Using an appropriate
number of apology expressions (Ex. 1, 2, 9, 10) ·
Using the overlapping concepts
and expressions of apology and thanks (Ex. 3) ·
Presenting an
appropriate reason in an appropriate manner (Ex. 9, 10) |
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3. |
Using an appropriate level of politeness throughout the interaction (Ex. 2, 4, 5, 9) |
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4. |
Using an appropriate intensifier (Ex. 6, 9) |
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5. |
Using the past tense of certain apology expressions to conclude the interaction (Ex. 9) |
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6. |
Using
strategies of apologizing ·
Making an
apologizing statement (all
exercise) ·
Providing a reason
(Ex. 1, 7, 9.10) ·
Acknowledging
responsibility (Ex. 7) ·
Offering a repair
(Ex. 7, 9, 10) ·
Showing
consideration for the hearer (Ex. 7, 10) ·
Using an expression of dismay
(Ex. 7, extras) ·
Promising
non-recurrence (Ex. 1, 7) · Communicating a lack of intention to cause the infraction (Ex. 9) |
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7. |
Using an
appropriate tone of voice ·
Speaking hesitantly
in formal apologies (Ex. 1, 8) ·
Leaving sentences incomplete
(Ex. 8) · Using intensifiers and pronouncing them emphatically (Ex. 6, 8, 9) · Using appropriate eye-contact and bows in formal apologies (Ex. 8) |
Learning Strategies for All Speech Acts
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1. |
Finding an informant (a
native or non-native expert of the culture) who can answer your questions
regarding sociolinguistic or sociocultural
norms in the target language/culture. |
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2. |
Listening to other speakers
carefully to observe the cultural norms and language of their speech. Making your own hypotheses or hunches
regarding appropriate use of the target language and being willing to renew
them as necessary. |
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3. |
Finding resources that can inform you of the target language and culture. |
References
Enochs & Yoshitake (1996), Enochs & Yoshitake-Strain (1999), Hayashi (1999),
Ide (1998), Kumatoridani (1993), Kumatoridani (1999), Miyake(1994), Moriyama
(1999), Nakai (1999), Nakamura (1997), Nakata (1989), Nishimura (1998),
Nonaka (2000), Nonoyama (1993), Okamoto & Tamon (2000), Sameshima (1998),
Sumita (1992), Uehara (1993), Yanagiya (1992)
View the Annotated
Bibliography of the Articles Used to Create the Exercises