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For an alternative viewpoint on the supposed “vagueness” of Japanese, I would recommend “Gone Fishin: New Angles on Perennial Problems,” by Jay Rubin, from the

• emodendroket 2y ago
  Quick, amusing read and well worth the time.
• tkgally 2y ago
  I recommend that book, too. (I translated and wrote several books in the same series and knew the editor.) Claims that Japanese is inherently vague are often made by people who either don't understand the language fully yet, are frustrated at trying to translate expressions that have precise meanings in Japanese but no equivalents in another language, or are focusing on literary or creative language, which, yes, can be ambiguous and allusive. When necessary, Japanese can be as clear and precise as any other language. The design, manufacture, and operation of the Shinkansen, for example, have been implemented through millions of documents and conversations that were nearly all in Japanese. In sixty years of operation, the train system has never had a major accident. That would not be possible if the language were inherently vague.