Gingerninja Wrote:

Jarvik7 Wrote:No one really says サンキュウ except kids and maybe ギャル. I cannot recall the last time I heard it.

Heard it today in when i held the door i walked through for 2 seconds for someone. Probably only said it because I was white tho... so I guess I don't get bonus points for that.

Hahaha I think that is the same as ハロー

Can't go wrong with あざーっす.

TheTrueBlue Wrote:16. You want to goad an enemy in a confrontation by sardonically saying "thanks" to a horrible insult.

（ひらがなをゆっきり言って）

あ・り・が・と、　マーサーファッカー

One interesting thing drivers do if you let them in, etc. is they thank you by blinking the brake lights 4 times.
あーりーがーとう

I thought it would be funny to use this on a shop keeper the next time he gives me change
生きているかぎり、ご恩は決して忘れません。

Acceptable Variance in Personality

vs.

Simply Going Overboard into the おかしい or いかがわしい


===========================================

A key question has come to mind, which is "When thanking others, how much will a native speaker brush off or accept as just having a quirky personality, and how much will cause them to start regarding you with genuine discomfort."

In other words: what are some variable ways to express gratitude that are permissible, and which phrases in which situations would clearly paint you outside the realm of "us".

My Japanese teacher said to me that green traffic lights are referred to as "aoi", and if someone said "midori ni natta yo" or something like that she would immediately think "gaijin" or at least "not native born Japanese", and that those persons will generally be sequestered into a different social category in people's minds.

Example:

おかしい - Saying サンキュウ to a waiter who fills your cup.

許す - Saying かたじけない when handed a piece of gum from your friends, just to goof around.

Practically speaking, a list of "most common non-native speaker mistakes" where some common phrases or situations non-native speakers will screw up in (such as thanking clerks for their efforts) would be most helpful.

For the purposes of calibrating "listener" and "speaker", let's just say 18-35 year old cityfolk.

TheTrueBlue Wrote:What are the friendly, polite, and formal ways a native speaker would say thank you when:

1. A young waiter fills your cup of water.
2. An elderly waiter fills your cup of water.

3. A store clerk gets something you asked for from a higher shelf.
4. A store clerk gives you change for the vending machine while you are in a hurry.
5. The store manager/supervisor digs up a supposedly sold-out item for you from the back of the shop's storage.
6. The store manager/supervisor tries briefly but fails to find a supposedly sold-out item for you from the back of the shop's storage.
7. The store manager/supervisor tries diligently but fails to find a supposedly sold-out item for you from the back of the shop's storage.

8. A helpful stranger picks up a pencil you dropped for you.
9. A person you dislike picks up a pencil you dropped for you.
10. A helpful stranger gives you directions.
11. A scary looking stranger gives you directions.
12. An elderly man gives you directions.

13. Your friends give you birthday presents.
14. Your parents give you birthday presents.
15. Your friends get you a present, but you don't like it/it's lame, and you want to make a teasing joke about it that everyone can laugh along with.

16. You want to goad an enemy in a confrontation by sardonically saying "thanks" to a horrible insult.

17. A teacher corrects a minor error you committed.
18. A teacher corrects a drastic error you committed.

19. Someone helps you pick up an armload of items that were knocked to the floor because they ran into you without looking.
20. Someone helps you pick up an armload of items that were knocked to the floor because you ran into them without looking.

21. A cute girl does something and you want to impress/intrigue her.
22. An annoying person does something to ingratiate themselves to you, and you want to say thanks while simultaneously communicating the desire for distance and formality, but not as harshly as a direct rejection.

23. A priest says the eulogy for the funeral of a family member.

24. A casino cashier gives you cash for your chips after you won big gambling.
25. A casino cashier gives you cash for your chips after you won lost horribly at gambling.

26. The bartender pours you your drink.
27. The bartender pours you a drink on the house.
28. You get a free drink when a generous/drunk patron has the bartender give everyone a drink to celebrate an occasion.

29. Your boss gives you an extra sick day.
30. Your boss gives you an extra week's vacation.
31. Your boss agrees to stop sexually harassing you.

32. Your best friend serves as the best man at your wedding.
33. Your best friend flies across the ocean on one day's notice to be the best man at your wedding.
34. Your best friend grudgingly accepts the responsibility of showing up properly attired and mannered for your not-at-all-distant wedding after much coaxing.

35. Someone holds a door open for you.

36. Home improvement contractors finish fixing your clogged storm drains.
37. Home improvement contractors finish installing your new dishwasher.
38. Home improvement contractors finish installing your new kitchen.

39. Someone willfully and at risk to themselves, saves your life.
40. Someone incidentally or accidentally saves your life.

41. Your friend gives you a piece of gum from a pack that they casually offered from.

42. A helpful person answers your question here on an internet forum.

Also, how informal/formal is サンキュウ？Should this only be used among friends and/or younger people?

Thank you

You know, all these questions would be good in a production-style deck(J-J questions). I'll see if I can get something going with this.

Very informative thread!

Quote:Weird thing is, I'm an American, and it kind of bothers me who people say "How you doing?" Because come on, you don't really care at all! And that's totally fine! So just to be a little impish about it, I usually respond with "Hi!" or "Hello!" instead of "Good! And you?"...

I'm an American and when I ask the question I generally care and will wait for a response. If you said "Hi" to me, I would probably make some quip about if you had the munchies or something and if you responded with something else I might say, "You're 'Hello'?". Even if the person responds with something mentioning a really crappy day, I would go out of my way to be a helpful customer and try to at least not make the day worse.

Javizy Wrote:Can't go wrong with あざーっす.

My (japanese) boyfriend taught me exactly that (even though there are some more syllables of the ありがとうございます left when he says it). He says it to cashiers and the like when they hand him the change, not to waiters in a restaurant, though.

Maybe I'm just more outgoing, but I always ask the cashier how he is doing. It's fun and sparks up conversation in an otherwise mundane activity... even if it's only for a second I like to do it. Not -all- the time, but usually I do. Also, when you go back and see the same guy they often recognize you. I do it for bus drivers as well. They are, for some reason, great conversationalists.

By the way, I didn't see much reverse culture shock when I was in Japan. I say "ありがとう" to pretty much everything I would have in America and most people didn't give me a second glance. I don't look like a 外人 though so maybe that might be part of it, they might have just thought I was a weirdo but didn't want to say anything cause they didn't know I was a foreigner (in which case it would have been okay to say, 'you're the strangest foreigner I've met today)

Or they just thought you were a weird foreigner and never said anything.
Would you really expect the cashier to yell out "Oh my! You are a weird foreigner!" if you were obviously foreign?

Silith Wrote:My (japanese) boyfriend taught me exactly that (even though there are some more syllables of the ありがとうございます left when he says it). He says it to cashiers and the like when they hand him the change, not to waiters in a restaurant, though.

So... more syllables makes it... what? I always thought that was strange, when native speakers (presumably intended to) say ありがとうございます or おねがいします (e.g. when the workday at the office started) sometimes it sounded as if it was just contracted to (mumble)ます.

I don't believe I've never heard anyone in Soko Ga Shiritai or other shows saying something like あざーっす, although I guess they probably did and I didn't manage to pick it up.

zachandhobbes Wrote:Maybe I'm just more outgoing, but I always ask the cashier how he is doing. It's fun and sparks up conversation in an otherwise mundane activity... even if it's only for a second I like to do it. Not -all- the time, but usually I do. Also, when you go back and see the same guy they often recognize you. I do it for bus drivers as well. They are, for some reason, great conversationalists.

This isn't in Japan, right?

zachandhobbes Wrote:By the way, I didn't see much reverse culture shock when I was in Japan. I say "ありがとう" to pretty much everything I would have in America and most people didn't give me a second glance. I don't look like a 外人 though so maybe that might be part of it, they might have just thought I was a weirdo but didn't want to say anything cause they didn't know I was a foreigner (in which case it would have been okay to say, 'you're the strangest foreigner I've met today)

That's good to know! A neutral reaction is certainly better than a negative one. And I say "thank you" and "please" when asking or receiving any service or gift from anyone regardless of anything, so I wouldn't want to look like a bizarre sociopath or a to-be-avoided-outsider to any Japanese native speakers, and it'd be hard to break a habit that I always got good results by.

TheTrueBlue Wrote:

Silith Wrote:My (japanese) boyfriend taught me exactly that (even though there are some more syllables of the ありがとうございます left when he says it). He says it to cashiers and the like when they hand him the change, not to waiters in a restaurant, though.

So... more syllables makes it... what? I always thought that was strange, when native speakers (presumably intended to) say ありがとうございます or おねがいします (e.g. when the workday at the office started) sometimes it sounded as if it was just contracted to (mumble)ます.

I often hear (mishear?) 'ごそさま’ and ’ご'さま' after family meals.

TheTrueBlue Wrote:

Silith Wrote:My (japanese) boyfriend taught me exactly that (even though there are some more syllables of the ありがとうございます left when he says it). He says it to cashiers and the like when they hand him the change, not to waiters in a restaurant, though.

So... more syllables makes it... what? I always thought that was strange, when native speakers (presumably intended to) say ありがとうございます or おねがいします (e.g. when the workday at the office started) sometimes it sounded as if it was just contracted to (mumble)ます.

Yeah the only syllables clearly discernable are the 。。。ます. He does say the whole thing, but with a speed that contracts the whole word to something incomprehensible. The ます is stressed and thus comprehensible I guess.