英語と日本語の答え方の違い

質問

付加疑問文や否定疑問文に対する英語と日本語の答え方の違いについて、質問と回答が投稿されていますが、追加の質問です。次の引用をご覧になって九州と沖縄の方の日本語についてのご意見をお待ちします。 その他の地域の方のご意見も歓迎です。また、英語の場合にも、映画を見ていると必ずしも教科書にあるような答え方ばかりではないのですが、英語についてのご意見もお願いします。

「たとえば『銀座へ行かないのですか？』と聞くとすると、イエスとノーの答え方が日本語と英語で違ってきます。日本語ではこの場合『ええ、行きません』ですが、英語ではご存知のように“No, I don’t.”となる。
ところが、これをもって『日本語は、はじめから断らずにやさしく受け入れておいてからノーと断る。これは日本人のやさしさの表れである』などど、もっともらしく説く人がいるのです。
これはたいへんな誤解です。なぜなら、日本国内を見ても、九州と沖縄では英語と同じような答え方をするからです。（中略）九州人と沖縄人は日本人のやさしさを持っていないのか。あるいは九州・沖縄の人たちと、その他の地域の日本人は心情において著しい違いがあるのか、ということになりますが、けっしてそんなことはありません。（『ホンモノの敬語』柴田武、角川書店、2004年、P.66）」

回答No.7

jpintexas（@jpintexas） · ベストアンサー

>英語と日本語の答え方の違い
OK. I don’t know where this conversation will lead us, so let’s call this the last question.

>> Wife: You know, I decided to sign us up for another photography class
Husband: You did? You already signed up?
Wife: Yeah, but this time for the advanced one.
I thought we had fun last quarter, didn’t you?
What, you don’t want to?　
Husband: No, I do. Don’t you?
Wife: I loved it.　I had a really good time. Didn’t you love it?
Husband: I did.

>>My question is why the husband doesn't say, "Yes, I do." which seems to be more normal to me. Could there be any difference between "Yes, I do." and "No, I do." in this situation?

Hmmm. This is a tricky one. Both husband and wife are talking about the class they took last time. It seems like husband is bothered with wife’s ‘rash’ decision to sign up the photo class again-- possibly without consulting with him. The trick is in wife’s talk. She speaks in the past tense, and then suddenly asks a question in the present tense (See ”What, you don’t want to?”). She means, “You don’t want to take photography class again, do you?” My hunch is that husband may have some hesitancy in answering wife’s question, due to his concern with wife’s behavior. I guess he means ‘’no, I didn’t have any problem with that class. I liked it, and I want to take that class again if I have a chance.”

回答No.6

jpintexas（@jpintexas）

>>英語と日本語の答え方の違い
> You seem to be saying that "never" and "not" make a big difference in these conversations in that "Do you never place...?" should be followed by "No," and that "Don't you place...?" should be followed by "Yes,"

No. That’s not what I am saying. It’s not the matter of word difference between ‘no’ and ‘never’ because both words are definitive adverb expressing denial. As I mentioned in my previous post, if you answered ‘yes’ to the question--“Do you never place black infants with white couples? ,” it would likely be interpreted as “you do keep black kids at your house for a particular purpose (such as adopting or owning (like a slave!).” It won’t make any difference even if the attorney said “don’t you (ever) place black infants with white couples?”

Again, the conversation is done in the court. That’s what makes the situation very special. You’ve got to tell the truth under oath! Otherwise, you will be in trouble. Few witnesses would say ‘yes’ in this situation, unless they were white households who were secretly harboring African-American kids for no matter what purpose. Some of them may risk their lives by lying under oath at testimony, but who knows?

In order to tell the difference between answering yes or no in a situational dialogue, you need to grasp an entire situation. That is--to get a whole picture in the context. I think this is the same for the conversations in Japanese, too.

> I'd also appreciate your comment on the following conversations between husband and wif in the movie "Reighing Over Me":

?? What is your question?

補足

Allow me to ask you one last time.
My question is why the husband doesn't say, "Yes, I do." which seems to be more normal to me.
Could there be any difference between "Yes, I do." and "No, I do." in this situation?

Wife: What, you don’t want to?　
Husband: No, I do. Don’t you?
Wife: I loved it.　I had a really good time. Didn’t you love it?
Husband: I did.

回答No.5

jpintexas（@jpintexas）

>英語と日本語の答え方の違い

I find the following statement odd, so let me correct.

>>In this context, however, the witness can’t say, ‘no I don’t’ or ‘I’ve never….’ Otherwise, this witness will be in a heap of trouble for a contradicting answer.

What I meant is, answering no in this context is normal because the attorney asks a question that contains a definitive adverb 'never.' If you answer 'yes' to the question, it means that you indeed keep African-American kids in your house and/or intend to raise them as a part of your family.

>"Yes, we do this all the time." because it seems to be more conforming to the standard way of answering with yes or no in English with no room for misunderstanding?

I understand your point. But, in this case, 'yes' means you own them regardless of any circumstance--it's no exception like "but it's temporary." Remember the conversation is held in the court. It simply makes you so hard to defend your position if you choose to say 'yes' in such situation.

補足

I would like to ask one more thing for clarification:

What if the conversations went like,"Don't you place black kids with white parents?" instead of "Do you never place...?"
You seem to be saying that "never" and "not" make a big difference in these conversations in that "Do you never place...?" should be followed by "No," and that "Don't you place...?" should be followed by "Yes,"
Sorry to bother you again, but I really want to clear up this confusion in my mind.

I'd also appreciate your comment on the following conversations between husband and wif in the movie "Reighing Over Me":

Wife: You know, I decided to sign us up for another photography class
Husband: You did? You already signed up?
Wife: Yeah, but this time for the advanced one.
I thought we had fun last quarter, didn’t you?
What, you don’t want to?　
Husband: No, I do. Don’t you?
Wife: I loved it.　I had a really good time. Didn’t you love it?
Husband: I did.

回答No.4

jpintexas（@jpintexas）

>英語の場合にも、映画を見ていると必ずしも教科書にあるような答え方ばかりではないのですが、英語についてのご意見もお願いします。
Yes, you’re right. There are several ways to answer the questions shown in a couple of examples you give.

>>Daughter: He [the adopted black boy] doesn't like me.
>> Mother: It's not that. Of course he likes you.

You don’t have to begin with no, since Mother denies how her daughter thinks of an adopted son.

>>Attorney: Do you never place black infants with white couples?　
>>Adotion Agent: No, we do this all the time, but these are temporary.

An attorney asks a witness if s/he does not let the black kids to stay with white family as usual. In answering the question beginning with ‘do you,’ which is followed by definitive adverb ‘never,’ the witness explains that s/he does let black children stay in her/his house. That’s why the person says ‘no.’ In this context, however, the witness can’t say, ‘no I don’t’ or ‘I’ve never….’ Otherwise, this witness will be in a heap of trouble for a contradicting answer.

>日本国内を見ても、九州と沖縄では英語と同じような答え方をするからです。（中略）九州人と沖縄人は日本人のやさしさを持っていないのか。
I don’t really know how a sense of generosity corresponds to the way to answer yes/no question. I have no clue how it can differ from Japanese to Americans. They are separated issues, I think.

補足

Thanks very much for your answers.

I understand the witness can't say, "No, we don't." or "No, we've never...." in the quoted context, but couldn't s/he say, "Yes, we do this all the time." because it seems to be more conforming to the standard way of answering with yes or no in English with no room for misunderstanding?

回答No.3

jpintexas（@jpintexas）

>『日本語は、はじめから断らずにやさしく受け入れておいてからノーと断る。これは日本人のやさしさの表れである』などど、もっともらしく説く人がいるのです。
I agree with you. Calling this generosity is quite misleading. You choose A, and then suddenly switch to B when things are ready. This is so called indecisiveness which often becomes the cause for misunderstandings.

補足

When I saw the American movie "Losing Isaiah" where a white family adopts a black boy, there were the following conversations between the adopting family's daughter and mother:

Daughter: He [the adopted black boy] doesn't like me.
Mother: It's not that. Of course he likes you.

The mother doesn't say yes or no, but I guess she could have said, "No, it's not that. Of course he likes you." Or "No. Of course he likes you." In this case, the mother, if she were Japanese, would have said exactly the same, i.e. 「いいえ（そうじゃないわ）。あなたのことが好きなのよ」

One other example from the same movie goes like this in court:

Attorney: Do you never place black infants with white couples?　
Adotion Agent: No, we do this all the time, but these are temporary.

I have collected many other examples from movies in which native English speakers answer in a pattern like "No. I do." as shown above.

Your comments would be appreciated.

回答No.2

SPS700

これは日本語（標準語）（甲グループ）とそれ以外（英語や、九州沖縄の地方言語）（乙グループ）の違いというだけで、「やさしさ」の有無には関係がありません。

　もう一つの次元は、甲グループでも、答えが疑問文と同調していない場合があるし、乙グループでも答えが疑問文と同調しているばあいがあることで、「例外］と呼んでおきましょう。

１。肯定疑問文の答え
　あなたは東京駅に行きますか。こういう肯定の疑問の時は、甲乙同じです。

２。否定疑問文の答え
　あなたは東京駅に行きませんか。はい、行きません（甲グループ）
　おさんな長崎駅にいかんとかん。うんにゃ、行かんとばい（乙グループ）うんにゃ＝いいえ
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ない、行かんとばい（乙の例外）ない＝はい
　Aren't you going to the depot. No, I'm not (going to the depot)（乙グループ）
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Yes, you're right I'm not going（乙の例外）

　僕は十代の時、長崎で過ごし、今アメリカに住んでいるので、甲乙いずれの使い分けもしています。実情は柴田先生のおっしゃる通りで、「やさしさ」を引き入れなければ済む話です。

補足

長崎ご出身の方からの興味深いご回答ありがとうございました。納得が行きました。

さて、先ほどjipintexasさんからの回答に補足質問を投稿しました。英語の用法については、英語の映画を見て集めていますが、SPS700さんがおっしゃる「乙の例外」的なのがいくらでもあります。アメリカで長く生活されているようですので、現場の会話の中でどのようにお感じになっているか教えていただけると幸いです。

回答No.1

tiroo

九州、沖縄のことは分かりませんが、日本語の「はい」は優しさというより、相手の言ったことが“正しい”という意味だと私は思っています。
「銀座に行かないのですか？」「ええ(あなたは正しいです)、行きません。」

外国人にも日本語の「はい」はright、correctという意味だと思って、と説明すると割とすんなり理解してくれます。

それから、映画での英語ですが、コメディなどで興奮しているときにnot rightという意味でNoと言ってしまって、文法的におかしいと思ってI mean yes!と言い直したり、混乱してYes!No!Yes!と何度も言い直したりしている場面はありますよね。
でも最終的に正しい使い方は一つだと思います。