Expressing Gratitude and Indebtedness: Japanese Speakers' Use of "I'm Sorry" in English Conversation

Abstract

This article describes a use of "I'm sorry" that accomplishes a function that has not been identified previously and discusses possible consequences of this use in the American English-speaking community. First, a Japanese speaker's practice of saying "I'm sorry" in a conversation with an English speaker is analyzed. The analysis demonstrates that her use of the phrase expresses her mixed feelings of gratitude and indebtedness about putting a burden on her co-interactant. Then, in-depth interviews are analyzed to explore English speakers 'cultural knowledge regarding the use of the phrase and compare it with Japanese speakers 'knowledge. Because English speakers 'central assumption (consistency between words and feelings)and culturally salient meaning (admitting responsibility)of "I'm sorry" are different from those of Japanese speakers (discrepancy and acknowledging the suffering, respectively),English speakers may interpret the use of "I'm sorry" that does not reflect the speaker's feeling of responsibility in serious situations as being "insincere."