Chicago ¨C During the early stages of Japanese study, the language is often divided into words and phrases that are extremely concrete ¡ª lessons themed on topics such as ¼Ò×å (kazoku, family) or „ÓÎï (»å¨²ú³Ü³Ù²õ³Ü, animal) to learn sets of vocabulary ¡ª and those that are more vague.
The vague category includes set phrases like ¤ªÐ°Ä§¤·¤Þ¤¹ (o-jama shimasu, literally ¡°I will be a nuisance,¡± which you use when entering someone¡¯s home) and ¤è¤í¤·¤¯¤ªîŠ¤¤¤·¤Þ¤¹ (yoroshiku onegaishimau, literally ¡°please treat me well,¡± used in a variety of situations such as when making a request).
The concrete words associate easily with information we already know and are relatively easy to store in mental memory banks. The vague phrases, which are often culturally specific, require repetitions and context to gain familiarity.
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