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Really (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/lemmyshitpost@lemmy.world
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[–] 5 points 5 months ago (6 children)

Is this a polite conversation? I feel like it’s impolite to say that someone’s lying. It’s also impolite to lie (with a lot of caveats, but it’s at least impolite if it’s an obvious lie), so you don’t need to pretend to believe a person who’s trying to deceive you, but just accusing someone of lies without checking is rude.

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  • [–] 14 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Although うそ literally means "it's a lie", it should have been translated to "Really?"

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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago

    Thank you ! That’s why it’s important that the language textbook labels this as polite. When students ask about it, they’ll learn about either a linguistic or cultural difference that could make communication more difficult, if it’s not addressed.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago* (1 child)

    Wouldn't it be even more accurate to translate it as "You're lying!?". Not sure it would fit the "polite" tone, but then again, they're about to be eaten by a tiger and/or a puma.

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  • [–] 11 points 5 months ago*

    It’s polite in the grammar sense. Japanese has different verb endings depending on the level of politeness. Speaker A is using polite form while B uses casual form. This is normal when the speakers are not on the same social/hierarchical level. Like a conversation between an employee and a boss, or a young person and an older person.

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