I agree that there are likely differences about where tact is necessary, but it's hard to imagine any human culture where the concept of tact itself wasn't necessary. We all have rules about where it's okay to say things, and these rules must sometimes conflict with other social needs; tact is just a way of working around that conflict.
And yes, I do know the Deaf/deaf distinction. I think I honored it, but I am always open to correction. I was mostly thinking about the Deaf [community]; deaf [condition] doesn't say anything special about whether the language has a word for tact.
I suspect you're right about the value of directness/bluntness; I suspect that (to the degree that such a bipolar spectrum exists) American English culture is out there on the "indirect" end with Japanese. My [tourist] experiences with other cultures have (to a one) found that there are many conversations that I would find difficult in American English that were totally okay with [Indian/Cuban/French/Chinese] communities.
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Date: 2006-01-16 08:24 pm (UTC)And yes, I do know the Deaf/deaf distinction. I think I honored it, but I am always open to correction. I was mostly thinking about the Deaf [community]; deaf [condition] doesn't say anything special about whether the language has a word for tact.
I suspect you're right about the value of directness/bluntness; I suspect that (to the degree that such a bipolar spectrum exists) American English culture is out there on the "indirect" end with Japanese. My [tourist] experiences with other cultures have (to a one) found that there are many conversations that I would find difficult in American English that were totally okay with [Indian/Cuban/French/Chinese] communities.