PAIN Kyoko Ikeda Introduction I will try to examine painful situations. I have collected some situations of bitter emotional experiences in human relationships and communication typical of Japanese. However, I think in these situations, they may look like American gestures. So I will compare Japanese and American gestures after I examine Japanese gestures. 1. When She is scolded by her boss or teacher and fails at something She shrugs her shoulders and so looks like a tortoise. She droops her facial features with her lower lip curling downward She sticks out her tongue.    2. A funeral in Japan When the attendees met the relatives, they bow to each other and the attendees speak words of comfort to them. When a few people met the hearse, they try to hide their thumbs unconsciously.  3. When a person has complaints from the client about her company’s service on the phone She apologizes to the client and bows and bows a lot of times in front of the phone in spite of not seeing him.  4. She is waiting for her family, but they do not come back home until midnight. Or, a person is waiting for the result of some examination or work but the results have not been announced in spite of the announcement time going by And, in sports, the result did not bring about the desired effect. She bites her thumbnail. He hides his face with both his hands. He jiggles his legs. The front teeth bite the lower lip. She wrings her hands. Her forefinger drums on the table. He sits in a chair with his right heel on the floor and his toe tapping up and down      5.A person confesses his or her feeling or thought to someone, but it is not accepted She puts both index fingers under her eyes, touching the skin and moving her fingers back and forth. He holds his head with both of his hands. He puts his right hand on the nape of his neck or on the back of his head. He scratches his head.  Conclusion Because a situation is painful, generally Japanese and American expressions of feelings have common features, for example, shrugging shoulders or wringing hands and so on. However, I found that some Japanese gestures and ways of expression are less powerful and exaggerated than American . For example, Japanese make small movements or bows and bow many times with down cast eyes. Japanese reserve in emotional expression depends on the Japanese culture and religion,for example, in a Japanese funeral. This time I have understood some similar feelings and expressions between Japanese and Americans. Next time, I will examine other situations, and other countries' expressions, too. Back to Expressing Feelings Index  |
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