The verb: 䞮┺ The verb: ⁎⩝┺

6.4 Other softening strategies

6.4.1 㠊⠑Ợ

Questions with 㠊⠑Ợ are considered gentler than those with 㢲. So 㠊⠑Ợ 㡺㎾㔋┞₢? ‘What brings you here?’ is preferred to 㢲 㡺㎾㔋┞₢? ‘Why are you here?’ The 㠊⠑Ợ ♒㣪♮㎎㣪? pattern offers a polite indirect way of asking for information in general. 㩚䢪⻞䢎Ṗ 㠊⠑Ợ ♒㣪? vs. 㩚䢪⻞䢎Ṗ ⶦ㡞㣪? What is your phone number? 㡆㎎Ṗ 㠊⠑Ợ ♮㎎㣪? vs. 㡆㎎Ṗ ⳝ㧊㎎㣪? How old are you? Ṗỿ㧊 㠊⠑Ợ ♒㣪? vs. Ṩ㧊 㠒Ⱎ㡞㣪? What’s the price? ㌂㧊㯞Ṗ 㠊⠑Ợ ♒㣪? vs. ㌂㧊㯞Ṗ 㠒Ⱎ㡞㣪ⳝ㧊㠦㣪? What’s the size? ㌳㧒㧊 㠊⠑Ợ ♒㣪? vs. ㌳㧒㧊 㠎㩲㡞㣪? When is your birthday?

6.4.2 㫖

Questions or commands are often softened by the use of an imploring 㫖 ‘please,’ which literally means ‘a little bit.’ 㫖 㠊⟶㎎㣪? So, how are you feeling? 㠊⠑Ợ 㫖 㞞 ♶₢㣪? Is there any way to make it work? ⹿ 㼃㏢ 㫖 䟊⧒. ゾⰂ 㫖 䟊 Please clean up the room. Quickly, please. 㩲⹲ ₢⿞㰖 㫖 Ⱎ. Please calm down and behave. ‖㺄Ợ 㫖 䞮㰖 Ⱎ⧒. Leave me alone, please.

6.4.3 -ἶ 䟊㍲

This is a useful hedging device when one doesn’t want to pinpoint a specific reason or enumerate all the reasons for one’s action. It is less direct than -㠊㍲. A: 㞞⎫䞮㎎㣪? 㥂㧒㧊㎎㣪? B:ٻ✲ⰊٻⰦ㝖☚ٻ㧞ἶٻ䟊㍲ٻ㺔㞚ٻ㢪㠊㣪.ٻvs. ✲ⰊG Ⱖ㝖㧊G 㧞㠊㍲…ٻ A: How are you? What brought you here? B: I have something to tell you and so forth, so I came to see you.ٻ A: 㞚┞, ⁎⌻ 㢖☚ ♮⓪◆ ⶊ㓾 ㍶ⶒ㦚 㧊⩝Ợ Ⱔ㧊 ㌂ 㢪㠊㣪? Bڕٻ⁎㩚㠦ٻ㔶㎎㰚ٻộ☚ٻ㧞ἶٻ䟊㍲㣪.ٻٻ vs. 㔶㎎㰚G ộ㧊G 㧞㠊㍲㣪. A: Oh no, you didn’t have to do this. What did you bring all these presents for? B: Because there’s something I owe you from the past and stuff like that. A: ⡦ 㧊㌂Ṗ㔲⩺ῂ㣪? Bڕٻ㡞,ٻᾦ䐋☚ٻ㫖ٻ⿞䘎䞮ἶٻ䟊㍲ٻ䞯ᾦٻ⁒㻮⪲ٻṖ⩺ῂ㣪.ٻ A: You are going to move again? B: Yes, the commute is inconvenient and so on, so I am going to move near school.ٻ

6.4.4 -⓪㦖 䘎㧊┺

This expression of approximation ‘kind of…’ is useful in toning down a statement when pointing out characteristics that are negative. It diminishes the negative impact of the statement. Ὃ⿖⯒ ⴑ䞮⓪ 䘎㧊㟒. vs. Ὃ⿖⯒ ⴑ䟊. ͑ ͑ She’s sort of not good academically. ㎇ỿ㧊 ₢┺⪲㤊 䘎㧊┺. vs. ㎇ỿ㧊 ₢┺⫃┺. He’s kind of finicky. In general, -䘎㧊┺ is a convenient way of making one’s statement less assertive and less commital by not being specific. A: ⳆⓦⰂṖ 㧦㭒 㺔㞚 㢖㣪? Does your daughter-in-law come to see you often? B: 㧦㭒 㡺⓪ 䘎㧊㠦㣪. She kind of does. She tends to. A: 㰖☚ ᾦ㑮Ṗ 䂲㩞䞮┞? Is your academic supervisor nice? B: 㦧, ⁎⩆ 䘎㧊㟒. Yes, she is, kind of.

6.4.5 -Ệ ṯ┺, -㦚₢ 䞮┺㕌┺

These are useful when it comes to softening the speaker’s assertion. 㦢㔳㧊 ⰱ㧊 㫖 Ṛ Ệ ṯ┺. I think that the food has gone bad. ⚦ ㌂⧢㧊 㔏㰚䞮₆ 㥚䟊 ㍲⪲ ἓ㨗䞮⓪ Ệ ṯ㞚㣪. I think that those two are competing to get promoted. ἓ₆Ṗ ⶊ㔏⿖⪲ ⊳⋶ Ệ ṯ㦖◆㣪. I think that the game will end in a tie. 㩲 ㌳ṗ㠪 ἆ䢒㦚 㫎㠛 䤚⪲ ⹎⬾⓪ Ợ 㫡㰖 㞠㦚₢ 䞮⓪◆㣪. In my opinion, it might be better to postpone the wedding until after graduation. ㌂㠛㧦⁞ 㫖 ╖ 㭒㔺 㑮 㧞㦚₢ 䟊㍲ 㢪㔋┞┺. I came wondering whether you can help me with my business start-up fund. ⁎ 㧻ὖ㧊 ⌊㧒 ㌂㧚㦮㌂⯒ 䚲ⳛ䞮㰖 㞠㦚₢ 㕌㔋┞┺. I think that the Cabinet minister may express his intention to resign tomorrow.