Rough Guide Phrasebooks - Mkmouse.com.br

terebi o mite, sorekara benkyo shimas<br />
[‘television’ + ob. part. + ‘watched and then study’]<br />
I’ll watch television and then I’ll study<br />
Masculine and Feminine Forms of<br />
Speech<br />
In the past, there were many different levels of courtesy in<br />
Japanese speech and special words and phrases were used, for<br />
example, to praise one’s superiors, and to deprecate oneself.<br />
As well as this, women’s speech was traditionally more polite<br />
than men’s. Although the differences between male and<br />
female speech patterns are now less pronounced than they<br />
used to be, there are still many ways of speaking that are<br />
exclusively used by either men or women. Men speak with<br />
a more even tone of voice, whereas women speak in a more<br />
lilting manner. Men and women use different pronouns and<br />
interjections.Also, in informal speech, men tend to use yo or<br />
zo at the end of sentences for emphasis, whereas women will<br />
use wa, for example:<br />
bok wa Eigo ga hanaseru yo/zo! (said by a man)<br />
[‘I’ + sub. part. + ‘English’ + ob. part. + ‘speak can emphasis’]<br />
I can speak English!<br />
watashi wa okoto ga hikeru wa! (said by a woman)<br />
[‘I’ + sub. part. + polite prefix + ‘Japanese harp’ + ob. part. + ‘play can’ +<br />
emphasis]<br />
I can play the Japanese harp!<br />
Women make more use of the polite prefix o- or go-, as in:<br />
denwa/odenwa<br />
(said by a man/woman)<br />
(your) telephone<br />
gokazoku wa ogenki desu ka?<br />
[polite prefix + ‘family’ + sub. part. + polite prefix + ‘well’ + question part.]<br />
are your family all well?<br />
HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS<br />
■ Masculine and Feminine Forms<br />
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