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| Theme: |
ホームステイ - Requesting
& Offering |
| Level: |
Senior
Secondary |
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| In the last issue
of Dear Sensei, we focused
on formal and informal speech styles. In this issue we revisit the topic
of Homestay to look at the functions of requesting and offering in the
appropriate style. Have you or your students homestayed in Japan? Have
you hosted a Japanese student? A homestay can present an interesting cross-cultural
challenge for both host and the guest. You may encounter an embarrassing
moment or an uncomfortable situation no matter how much you study up on
Japanese customs and culture beforehand. Good communication is crucial
for avoiding or smoothing over such incidents. Here we would like to look
at communication strategies for requesting and offering. |
|
| Requesting
favours |
| In a homestay situation,
requesting favours can be a tricky function since you do not want to give
the impression that you are ordering someone or telling them what to do.
Early on students learn to make requests using
"てください".
However, this expression can sometimes sound a bit abrupt. In Issue 29
we introduced expressions for giving and receiving favours, verb+
てもらう,
verb+ てくれる.
These are the expressions used for making requests such as
"かいてくれる？"
'Could you write it for me?' or "かってもらえますか？"
'Would you mind
buying that for me?' And as we mentioned in Issue 22, you need to use
casual or polite styles according to the situation. The following chart
shows the degree of politeness used depending on the addressee. |
| ● |
てくれる？ |
てもらえる？ |
Casual |
| ● |
てくれない？ |
てもらえない？ |
Casual |
| ● |
てくれますか？ |
てもらえますか？ |
Polite |
| ● |
てくれませんか？ |
てもらえませんか？ |
Polite |
| ● |
てくださいますか？ |
ていただけますか？ |
Extra
Polite |
|
| |
| The casual style
is used when a student talks to a host sister/brother of the same age
or younger, and a host mother or father might use this style once they
get to know their guest better. Otherwise it is safest to use the polite
form. The extra polite form is appropriate for talking to a teacher, but
it may sound too formal and cold in the homestay setting. |
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| There
is a slight difference in meaning between requests using
"〜てくれる"
and "〜てもらう".
The first is more direct, while the second is more indirect
and therefore softer. |
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|
 |
You are an Australian
high school student and you would like to make the following requests
to your host family. Choose an appropriate expression.
|
| 1.
You want your host mother to explain how to use the bath. |
| A |
おふろのつかいかたを、おしえてもらえる？ |
| B |
おふろのつかいかたを、おしえてもらえますか？ |
|
|
| 2.
You want your host sister (who is younger than you) to tell you how
to take the bus to school. |
| A |
バスののりかたを、おしえてもらえる？ |
| B |
バスののりかたを、おしえてもらえませんか？ |
|
|
| 3. You
want your host father to explain how to use the futon. |
| A |
ふとんのひきかたを、せつめいしてください。 |
| B |
ふとんのひきかたを、せつめいしてくださいますか？ |
|
|
| 4. You
want your host mother to check your Japanese. |
| A |
日本語（にほんご）を、なおしてもらえない？ |
| B |
日本語（にほんご）を、なおしてもらえませんか？ |
|
|
| 5. You
want your host sister's teacher to lend you a dictionary. |
| A |
辞書（じしょ）をかしてくれますか？ |
| B |
辞書（じしょ）をかしていただけますか？ |
|
|
 |
 Pair
work.
You are hosting a Japanese student in Australia. As you are very busy,
you ask your guest to help you with some chores. Use the picture (right)
to start with, and for further expressions see the A La Carte section
'Household chores'. |
|
| Offering
|
| This is a very important
function for developing a good relationship with the host family. A useful
offering expression is "てつだいましょうか？"
'Can I help?' Once again, the following chart shows the degree of politeness
used according to the addressee. |
| ● |
〜ようか？ |
Casual |
| ● |
〜ましょう |
Polite |
| ● |
〜ましょうか？ |
Polite |
|
|
|
| Look at the pictures below
and make up a conversation. |
|
|
|
In a homestay situation,
conflict can occur between guest and host due to lack of communication.
Such conflict may be avoided by explaining things beforehand.
|
| Example
1, homestaying in Japan: |
| A |
オーストラリアのかぞくに電話（でんわ）をしたいのですが、電話をつかってもいいですか？ |
| B |
はい、いいですよ。 |
| A |
国際電話（こくさいでんわ）のかけかたをおしえてもらえますか？ |
|
|
| Example
2, hosting a Japanese student: |
| B |
お父（とう）さんは、早（はや）く仕事（しごと）に行（い）くので、できればシャワーは夜（よる）入（はい）ってもらえますか？ |
| A |
はい、わかりました。 |
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|
|
| In pairs, write
a dialogue to fit the following situation. |
| オーストラリア人のホスト |
日本人のおきゃくさん |
| Explain to
a Japanese student staying at your home about the way things are
done in your family, eg. using the bathroom, using water, using
the phone, doing the washing etc. You can offer to help. |
Apologise for
any inconvenience you may have caused. Express thanks for help offered. |
|
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| The following are
a list of useful communication strategies and appropriate expressions: |
| Softening
Requests: |
| ● |
できれば |
if
possible |
| ● |
できるだけ（はやく） |
as
(soon) as possible |
| ● |
すみません |
I'm
sorry to bother you but... |
| Apologising: |
| ● |
すみません |
I'm
sorry |
| ● |
ごめんなさい |
Sorry! |
| Thanking: |
| ● |
ありがとう |
Thanks!
|
| ● |
すみません |
Thank
you (for favour) |
| ● |
おしえてくれて、ありがとう |
Thank
you for telling me |
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