The English language seems to be incredibly reliant on the feelings perceived by people within the interaction…do other languages operate this way too?
@mcfate sorry, it’s early. Let me simplify. When we interact with people, it’s not just the words we use that’s important. The way I interpret your expression of them does too. We see this most often in text message miscommunication, I’m sure we’ve all had that problem.
I’m curious if other languages suffer from a similar problem or if there are more…expressive grammatical structures I suppose
@mcfate the way the Japanese language uses honourifics could serve as an example of what I’m looking for
Again, I'm not sure what you're referring to, specifically.
"Honorifics", as such, in Japanese are very rarely used in practice, and only in situations where there's a big "power differential" between one party and another. If you're using one, you're talking keigo, which isn't the usual "tone" in most situations.
You'd address your boss Ms. Tamaoka as "Tamaoka-san", not "Tamaoka-dono" or "Tamaoka-sama".
"Reading things into stuff people say" isn't a linguistic feature, it's a psychological one.
Japanese can be rather vague, so you can do a lot of "reading".
The most common thing you'll ever say in keigo in Japanese — assuming you're not working as a cashier in a Starbucks or something like that — is an apology for a big screwup.
MOCHIWAKE GOZAIMASEN!
@tiaugn: The topic of situational emotions and how it affects language meaning perception has come up frequently over the years with friends around the world, and it isn't at all a problem with the languages is our consensus over time. The languages do not operate reliant on the emotions of those involved beyond word choices, volume, inflection, cadence, etc. Words mean things. It's people that apply or change meanings, either carelessly out of ignorance, purposefully, or emotionally.
@tiaugn: Someone who is absolutely an openly furious over something often cannot hold a rational conversation about something else and is quite prone to "taking things the wrong way" in conversation with someone else on an entirely different topic. That said, when they're not at all furious over something and have the same conversation with someone who uses the same script for the conversation, everything's fine. That's not a language-reliant perception but an emotional one by a person.
@tiaugn: English is a difficult language for many to learn because it is made up of different languages from which various rules, structures, etc. were kept, and it also "picks up" words from other languages on their own and/or as synonyms. Lots of weird spelling, too.
Also, lots of native English-speakers are dreadfully sloppy in the command and usage of the language. Alas, many don't know or perhaps appreciate the scope or depth of the English language, and so they don't know what a lot...
@tiaugn: ...of words and phrases mean. Then they take umbrage when unfamiliar words and phrases are used, which is when their imperception of language causes them to get into an emotional state that screws up the communication.
@tiaugn
I don't understand what that means.