solved Journal Topic Consider the following topic for this week’s journal

Journal Topic
Consider the following topic for this week’s journal entry:
Read this BBC article (Links to an external site.) on how in much of Thai it is considered so impolite to say ‘no’ that there is no word for it. Reflect on what was reported, and connect it to politeness terms and other such phrasings that bring about negative face in the languages and dialects that you know. In which ways do we deflect negative face in order to deny something from someone? Is it surprising to hear that Thai has no actual way of saying ‘no’? Explain your answer.
Instructions

Post your initial post by Thursday of this week. Your response should be 100-150 words in length, and you should connect the elements in the journal topic to our course in some way. You should also include your personal experiences, tying them into the course.

You won’t be able to see anyone else’s post before you write your own—and that’s on purpose. Use this time to reflect on your experiences. Remember that there are ‘no wrong answers’—so long as you use the information that we have learned thus far in the course to your work, then all is good!

Between Friday and Sunday, please reply to at least two of your colleagues’ posts. Useful comments include engaging in dialogue, reflection, or suggestion. If you find that you agree with a given response and have nothing else to add, then I challenge you to reply to someone who has a different perspective than yours, and explore the differences.
Optional: If you have any helpful resources, feel free to share them in your posts/replies

The fact that ‘no’ is regarded as so impolite in Thai, that there is no actual way of saying ‘no’ is very surprising to me. Although growing up within another Asian culture has made me quite familiar with the culture of “collective good over the individual good”, I’ve never heard of omitting the word “no’ from a language to achieve that. I feel that Thais take maintaining peace and presenting positive facades to the next level. Saying no to someone disrupts harmonious relationships, so Thais avoid directly saying no, by using “mai chai” which means “no yes”. This can lead to confusion as to what someone actually means, and I believe has led people to do the opposite of what they actually wish to do. I also can’t help but worry if not being able to express a direct no, has led to consent issues regarding sexual relationships. If someone isn’t allowed to say no explicitly, then it’s up to the listener to construe the meaning. I’m not aware of specific phrases that bring or deflect negative face in Mandarin but we do value politeness as well as the good of the group. So oftentimes we say things to show respect and generosity, for example, Asians fighting over who gets to pay the bill at a restaurant. 

2I am not familiar with the Thai and or the cultural values of Thailand so many things were surprising but I think languages of cultures that have lots of polite speech tend to be less confrontational and saving face is a huge thing as is written in the article. I think in Asia saving face or losing face might instill fear and that may drive people to have more agreeable and polite dispossitions. It was interesting to learn that they say yes to “keep the peace” and that politeness is more important than your own feelings or wants. That is very different from what is the norm in North America. And while the language may not have a way to say “no”, I think this can change in the future although it may take a while and the society and country undergoes more major developments.