the questions of our times: formality and vampires

[rm]

This, thanks to a discussion started by weirdquark. Please do visit the comments where you will learn many things including the many ways formality is structured in different languages (something my questions did not fully take into account, and I apologize for that), werewolf pack dynamics considerations, and whether there are vampires in France.

[Poll #1601631]

Comments

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of Japanese and ghosts being rather tricky indeed. I have a vague recollection that one speaks politely to supernatural creatures because one doesn't want the critter to take offense, but I may be wrong or cross-referencing the similar trope in Euro fairy legends. (I don't speak enough Japanese and certainly can't read fables in the original.)

The default for Europe is usually to let the higher-ranking person set the protocol level, or default to formalmost. (Although I learned that in diplomatic circles, so casual occasions may be different.)

[kittydesade.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I'm way less familiar with Japanese folklore and fairy tales than I am with Western European or Russian/Ukranian, or American of North and South... but it wouldn't surprise me. That seems to be the general consensus for at least all the fairy tales I know.

That's what I thought I remembered, but it's been a while since I've had occasion to speak for any length of time in French or Spanish in a fluent or native setting. And my Spanish is kind of bastardized from about three different dialects just that I know of due to how I learned it.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

The problem with letting the higher-rank set the protocol in Japanese is that there's always a discrepancy between the two speakers...one speaks more deferentially than the other...