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Am I the only one who had trouble following this? I read the article and still have no idea what "Tatemae" and "Honne" actually mean. Is it like "Fine"? Also,
by larrik 16y ago
Am I the only one who had trouble following this? I read the article and still have no idea what "Tatemae" and "Honne" actually mean. Is it like "Fine"?
Also, is it really a news flash that spoken words aren't strictly meant to be taken at face value at all times?
The "I'm fine" "Great" is mostly just a handshake to give the other person a chance to talk first anyway (for whatever reason). I think there is a great deal of nuance and interesting parts of the exchange, and this article covers just about none of them. (And honesty has almost nothing to do with it)
- LiveTheDream 16y agoFTA: Tatemae (pronounced 'Ta-teh-MAE'): official, public, socially required reality Honne (pronounced 'HON-neh'): informal, personal reality in disregard of social parameters
- chc 16y agoI think you're having trouble with this because you're looking for the words to have a meaning in a context where they don't. Tatamae is most literally equivalent to the English "putting up a front" — it's a wall of propriety between yourself and the outside world. It's not something you say to people; it's the reason you say those things. Honne means something like "true thoughts." It's what you really feel. Exposing your honne in situations that call for tatamae is a bit like exposing your genitals in a situation that calls for pants — and like pants, tatamae is what you're expected to put on most of the time. Of course this kind of behavior exists everywhere to varying degrees, but it's rarely as formalized (both in practice and in the language available to talk about it) as it is in Japan.