079 Facets [Video:english & text]

[wearsatorc]

[The video turns on to show the woods it actually looks pretty quiet, looks like this part of the woods doesn't have any monsters at the moment....]

BIZZT!

Heh...Missed me again.

[The screen goes dark as the communicator is picked up and after a few moments Knuckles face can be seen.]

I heard quite a while ago that someone was running Japanese classes somewhere, anyone know if they're still going?

[Text]

Kobato you settled in okay?

You too Iris, Jake, you okay?

Comments

[foxtamer.livejournal.com]

Nope, but I can ask.

Heh, what, I can't joke?

[wears-a-torc.livejournal.com]

Sorry, it's just that everyone speaks about these things like they're alive...one girl is even calling hers Communicator-san. [ Sigh]

[foxtamer.livejournal.com]

... Okay, that's pushing it a bit far, even for me.

[wears-a-torc.livejournal.com]

Yeah, San means friend doesn't it? I can think of a few things to call these communicators, 'friend' isn't one of them.

[foxtamer.livejournal.com]

-san is a term of respect, actually. Which is why Leonardo uses it with me. Or for female friends you're not too close to.

-kun is used for male friends, or, in rare cases, female friends you want to imply are the same as men. Be careful with that one!

-chan is used for children and good female friends. Amy would be a "-chan".

I've also heard -sama used around here--that's a hell of a lot more respect than -san, mostly used for people much higher in status. Or for the leader of a village. Never really liked being called it myself, though.

[Oops. Explanation barf!]

But because not everyone is Japanese here, I've a tendency not to use honorifics. It makes people more familiar. There are some I use honorifics for--Naja-san and Giovanni-san, for example--but I prefer to seem closer to my friends. Honorifics can be seen as a form of separation, in a way. My son never really used them, either.

[wears-a-torc.livejournal.com]

...

But women are the same as men.

[foxtamer.livejournal.com]

Ohhhhhhhh boy. Don't say that around a woman, or you'll get slapped.

[wears-a-torc.livejournal.com]

[*blink blink*...*sigh*]

Okay why would be slapped?

[foxtamer.livejournal.com]

Women generally get annoyed at us men. For having a lack of manners, for being... guys. And women like it when you give them a bit more respect.

[wears-a-torc.livejournal.com]

...Does this count for women fighters as well? [Since apart from Tikal they're the only females he knows.]

[foxtamer.livejournal.com]

See, that's an exception. Some prefer to be considered "one of the guys" and might want -kun to be used after their names. But for those that are primarily considering themselves to be women, I'd use -san. And leave -chan to women you're particularly close to.

[wears-a-torc.livejournal.com]

These honorifics make things far more complicated than they need to be.

[foxtamer.livejournal.com]

[Minato snickers a lot.]

Pretty much, yeah. You shouldn't worry about using them yourself most of the time... just knowing what they mean is enough.