I came across a few terms I wasn't sure on, and I'd like to confirm their meanings and usage.
1. 先生の話し方が面白がったせいか、彼は話に聞き入って しまう。
What is the meaning of せい here? Is it similar to 風(ふう)?
2. 私達の行き先に壁があったとします。
Does "があったとします" here indicate a hypothetical situation?
3. Is しゃがない a dialectal variety of 仕方がない?
4. 日本は皆さん、この基調講演にお越しいただいて、誠に ありがとうございます。
Is there a difference between using 日本は皆さん and 日本の皆さん here? Is it just a point of formality? Or is this speaker considered a representative speaker of Japan, hence the は?
Thanks!