ETIQUETTE

Japanese society emphasizes harmony within the group, if necessary at the expense of individual desires. Japanese people value courtesy and proper social behavior. The Japanese language allows for variation in levels of respect, and Japanese people vary their language depending on situations and conversational partners. Japanese people bow when meeting one another, and the depth of a bow also reflects the social standing of the individuals bowing to one another. Directness in speech is considered vulgar, and Japanese people prefer instead to hint at or otherwise suggest their opinions and desires indirectly.

FAMILY LIFE

Family is very important to Japanese people. Many Japanese marriages originate through a practice called omiai, or an arranged introduction; if the introduced parties like one another, they will continue courtship and perhaps marry, but they are not obligated to do so. Women usually take their husband’s names when they marry, though sometimes a man marrying an only daughter will take his wife’s family’s name. An older mother will often move in with the family of her oldest son. At the end of the 20^th century fewer and fewer Japanese women were choosing to marry, citing the burdens placed on them by family obligations and the economic freedom they could achieve by continuing to work. Japanese parents indulge their very young children, but by the age of three or four a child is expected to begin preparing for school and a future career. The birthrate in Japan has dropped precipitously in recent years, leading to fears that the population will become disproportionately elderly. Parents claim that children are too expensive, and many women do not want to give up work when they have children.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE

Appearance is very important to the Japanese. Most Japanese people dress neatly in clean, fashionable clothes. Wealthy people often choose to wear expensive designer clothes. Many schools require their students to wear uniforms. Some teenagers rebel against social rules by bleaching their hair or wearing outrageous fashions.

fromEncyclopedia of the World’s Nations and Cultures

Exercise 3. Complete the table below with the main points from the texts.

China	Japan
ETIQUETTE

FAMILY LIFE

PERSONAL APPEARANCE

GRAMMAR

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
ETIQUETTE	\|	Grammar Revision: Phrasal Verbs and Prepositions

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