I just started with Living Language but I am already confused.
I have finished half of the textbook Genki I, then I got bored and decided to try Living Language.
I have 2 questions:
In the second lesson it says that the own mother in Japanese is haha, while somebody else's mother is okaasan.
But I had a manager in Japan and her daughters would call her "okaasan", not "haha".
Is there any explanation?
Then, there are phrases like gaksei dewa arimasen. The Genki textbook says that this is very formal and actually written style. According to the book, and to what I heard also in Japan, one would say "gaksei jiya nai desu".
This is really confusing... Can anyone give me an explanation for these two issues?
Comments
I feel your confusion and frustration! But it's really great that you came forward to ask those questions! I'm sure there are many people out there who share the exact same questions.
First, just in general, the Japanese language has many "styles" -- casual, formal, neutral, written, colloquial, friendly, humble, polite, honorific, feminine, masculine, etc, etc. you name it, it's got it! The fact that the Japanese language has so many different styles makes it a very unique language.
So when a textbook or a teacher tries to teach Japanese, they first have to decide where to begin. Should they start with a formal, casual, or somewhere in between?
I am aware that Genki and also the textbook called Nakama introduces "ja arimasen" and also "ja nai desu", which are informal versions of "de wa arimasen" and "de wa naidesu". Although, it is true that "ja" is used often in colloquial speech, it sounds a little too casual. As an introductory textbook, Living Language Japanese teaches the neutral style - something not too casual, but not overly polite either. We've come to our own decision after consulting with native speakers and experts that "ja" might be a little too casual and "de wa" might be better regarded as more "neutral".
Our Essential Japanese course tries to be very simple as the first textbook for learners, so it does not tell you that you actually have so many styles and options to choose from, but as you go further into the course, you will be introduced with more style options.
Regarding "okaasan" vs. "haha" --- It is true that kids say "okaasan" to refer to their own mother, but if you an adult and refer your mother as "okaasan" when you are speaking to another adult (unless he/she is a very close friend of yours), he/she will think that you sound childish. In fact, it should be the case that Genki and Nakama teaches the whole "my own mother" vs. "someone else's mother" paradigm.
Please don't hesitate to ask if you have further questions!
thank you so much for your detailed and very clear answer! I agree that all these nuances make Japanese a unique language, and for foreigners it's probably almost impossible to really FEEL these nuances. Because to know and to feel are very different things. The more I am happy about your reply. Studying Japanese is great fun in general and with living language in particular. I scheduled my first lesson with a tutor and I am very much looking forward to it. Even though the local time is not really convenient since I live in Beirut and it will be at 1 a.m., I a sure that it is worth staying awake. This tutoring with a native speaker is a great additional tool. And now I will review my lesson
So what it is the difference between "de wa arimasu(masen)" and "ja/ga arimasu(masen)" I learned using the second form, but now I'm not sure as to which is the more common or correct one or does it matter which is used?. Help, please!
Both "de wa arimasen" and "ja arimasen" are correct. The difference is that the former is proper but the latter is informal. Although "ja arimasen" is often used in speech, you don't really want to use it in writing.
The difference between "de wa arimasen" and "ja arimasen" is similar to the difference in English "I'm going to do..." and "I'm gonna do..." If a student of English asks you "Which is correct? Which is more common? Which one should I use?" How would you answer? You can give pretty much the same answer about the pair "de wa arimasen" and "ja arimasen"!
Personally, I think that an introduction to Japanese course should teach the proper "de wa arimasen" first and then later expose students with the casual "ja arimasen"; just like how an introductory English textbook teaches students "be going to" first.
However, it looks like many Japanese textbooks out there teach "ja arimasen", which involves the contracted form of "de wa". (And this is just like how "gonna" is the contracted version of "going to"!) As a consequence, many Japanese learners end up using "ja arimasen" everywhere, even where it's not so appropriate. So in the end, it is good to know both of the forms and use them where appropriate.
Lastly, I just want to confirm that the contrast we are talking about right now is just between "de wa arimasen" and "ja arimasen", both of which mean "am/is/are not". You also wrote other expressions in your question. But they are something different. The expression "...ga arimasu" means "there is/are..." or "I/you/he/she/they have/has...". You cannot replace the "ga" with "ja" there. Likewise, "...wa arimasen" is the negative version and you cannot replace "wa" with "ja.
I hope this answers your question!