Departments
A REFINED WAY OF USING LANGUAGE
上品な言葉づかい
（じょうひん な ことばづかい）
Commenting on the subject of manners, a blogger in Japan recommended using certain alternative expressions in situations in which すみません would ordinarily be used. The blogger seems to feel that Japanese-speakers overuse すみません. As detailed below, her recommended substitutions include the polite Japanese phrases ありがとう, どうもありがとう, and 恐れ入ります.
席を譲ってもらった時などは：「恐れ入ります」
When someone gives you their seat: “I’m sorry to trouble you.”
何かをしてもらった時には：「ありがとう」「どうもありがとう」
When someone does something for you: “Thank you”[or] “Thank you very much.”
このように置き換えると、ただ「すみません」よりも上品な言葉づかいになると思います。
If you substitute in this way, I believe you will achieve a much more refined manner of speech than would be possible with a mere “sumimasen.”
Original Japanese source: http://tamagoya.ne.jp/manner/ran/07.htm
Key: 譲る（ゆずる）to yield; to give; 恐れ入ります（おそれいれます） 置き換える（おきかえる） to replace; to substitute; 言葉づかい（ことばづかい）way of speaking; one’s use of language
The blogger uses the word上品な to describe a way of speaking which is more refined. 上品な is the main focus word of this section:
上品な (じょうひん な)
Category: な-adjective
Components: 1.) 上 (じょう)：上級（じょうきゅう）upper grade; 上流社会（じょうりゅう しゃかい） high society 2.) 品（ひん）：品質（ひんしつ）quality; 製品（せいひん）product
Definition: refined; elegant; tasteful
Usage Examples:
· 上品な人（じょうひん な ひと） a refined person
· 上品な服装をする（じょうひん な ふくそう を する） to dress tastefully
· 上品な顔立ち（じょうひん な かおだち） refined looks
生け花はお嬢さんに相応しい、穏当で上品な趣味です。
Flower-arranging, being proper and elegant, is a suitable pastime for a well-bred young lady.
Key: 生け花（いけばな）flower-arranging / お嬢さん（おじょうさん） 相応しい（ふさわしい）suitable; fitting / 趣味（しゅみ）hobby; pastime /穏当（おんとう）proper; mild; prudent
Notes:
· As the above examples suggest, 上品な is not just another word for “good”; so it is not a straightforward synonym for いい. Use上品な when you need to specifically emphasize the refinement or tastefulness of something.
Related Words:
· 上品な has a common antonym: 下品な（げひん な）= “vulgar; low”
o 下品な話（げひん な はなし） an off-color story
o 下品な言い方（げひん な いいかた） a vulgar way of putting [saying] it
Additional Notes and Usage Examples:
1.) Perhaps you noticed置き換える（おきかえる）in the initial example passage of this section. Here is another example of置き換える in action. In this case, the final るhas been dropped so that置き換える becomes a noun, 置き換え.
マイクロソフトは、次期オフィスでウェブブラウザの置き換えを狙っている。データ入力が中心 の業務システムで、オフィスをリッチ・クライアントとして使ってもらいたい考えだ。
Original Japanese source: itpro.nikkeibp.co.jp
Microsoft is aiming at the substitution of the web browser in the next version of Office. The idea is that business systems will use Office as a rich client, as the input of data is the central point for these systems.
Key: 次期オフィス（じきオフィス）the next version of Office® ; 狙う（ねらう）to aim at; to have as an objective; 入力（にゅうりょく）input; 中心（ちゅうしん）the center; the core; 業務システム（ぎょうむ システム）business system; 使う（つかう）to use; 考え（かんがえ）idea; notion
2.) Since this section deals with the subject of language, I thought I might introduce two additional example sentences which concern the linguistic situation in twenty-first century Japan. The first of these sentences attempts to describe the nature of言葉づかい（ことばづかい）, a term which appears in this chapter’s first example sentence.
「美しい言葉」とはいうのは，結局「美しい言葉づかい」なのではないか。同じ言葉でも話す人によって伝わり方が違うのは人がその背景としてもっているものがどう伝わるかということであり，それが「言葉づかい」ということだと思う。
“Beautiful language” after all, is “a beautiful way of using language,” is it not? The same words can come across differently when spoken by different people; and this is because the background that each one brings to the situation comes across in a different way. I think that this is what is referred to as “a way of using language.”
Original Japanese source: http://www.pref.hiroshima.jp/kyouiku/hotline/13_kotoba/04_gaiyou1.html
Key: 美しい（うつくしい）beautiful / 結局 (けっきょく) finally; after all / 同じ(おなじ) the same / 伝わり方（つたわりかた）way of coming across / 違う（ちがう）to differ; to be different / 背景（はいけい）background