Deep-sea Leviathan 2: 謙譲語 (humble language)

Introduction

Welcome to your inescapable encounter with the Depths of Devotion's second deep-sea leviathan. Welcome, to 謙譲語けんじょうご, AKA, humble language.

Once again, you're in for plenty of charts and lengthy discussions about social hierarchies and who should speak in what way and in which scenario, etc., so do settle in with a snack or two (like this string cheese I have!). Ready? let's begin.

謙譲語けんじょうご: Humble language

Just like with 尊敬語そんけいご, I need to clarify a couple of important terms before we really dive into things.

内うち vs 外そと

I've mentioned the concepts of 内うち and 外そと briefly before, but let's review them in a bit more depth. うち is for people that you are affiliated with in a meaningful way. Usually, this is one's family or close friends, but in business situations, it can also be one's company or employer. Basically, people in your situational "group". When we talk about ourselves or people within our うち in formal situations, we are expected to use 謙譲語けんじょうご, humble language.