Polite disagreement about 敬語 in a discussion
In a class discussion about language change, a classmate argues: 'Japanese young people are abandoning keigo. Nobody under 30 uses honorifics properly any more, so learning keigo is pointless.' You have read that convenience-store staff are trained in keigo and that many companies run 新人研修 (new-employee training) on 敬語. You also know that casual speech among friends is normal and does not mean keigo is disappearing. Your teacher asks you to respond in Japanese, disagreeing politely and giving evidence.
1. Write your response in Japanese, disagreeing politely and giving at least two pieces of evidence.
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A model response: 「その意見もわかりますが、私は少し違うと思います。たしかに、友達同士ではくだけた話し方をします。でも、それは敬語がなくなったということではありません。コンビニやレストランでは、若い店員さんもお客様に敬語を使っていますし、会社に入ると新人研修で敬語を習うと聞きました。場面によって話し方を変えるのが日本語の特徴だと思います。ですから、敬語を学ぶことは今でも大切だと思います。」 The response opens with partial agreement (その意見もわかりますが) to soften the disagreement, then states a clear position (少し違うと思います). It concedes the true part (casual speech among friends) before countering it, and gives two pieces of evidence: service staff using keigo and new-employee training. It ends with a reasoned conclusion rather than a bare contradiction. The structure - concede, distinguish the contexts, give evidence, conclude - is what makes the disagreement polite and persuasive.
2. Explain the reasoning error in your classmate's argument, using the idea of register.
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The classmate treats casual speech among friends as evidence that keigo is disappearing. This confuses one register with the whole language. Japanese speakers switch register by setting: casual plain style with close friends, desu/masu and keigo with customers, superiors or strangers. Hearing young people use casual speech in a casual setting is expected and says nothing about whether they can use keigo elsewhere. The argument also overgeneralises from 'some young people use casual speech' to 'nobody under 30 uses honorifics properly'. Evidence of keigo training in workplaces and service industries shows the opposite: keigo is actively taught and required. A stronger claim would be narrower, for example that some young people find certain humble forms difficult, which could be tested rather than asserted.