Japanese forms?

[thepainneverends...]

Somone told me today that Japanese takes 20+ forms for basic communication, what does that mean? All I can guess is it's the honorifics.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Japanese takes 20+ forms for "basic" communication?!?!?

I think that someone is full of 20+ forms of something!

 

[thepainneverends...]

Japanese takes 20+ forms for "basic" communication?!?!?
I think that someone is full of 20+ forms of something!

What does he actually mean by "forms"?

 

[Mike Cash]

What does he actually mean by "forms"?

Why not ask the person who told you that? Wouldn't that make more sense?

 

[moofs]

maybe the person is referring to the conjugation of verbs, adjectives, etc... dunno if there's 20+ forms, but that's the closest i can think of that is even remotely related to whatever "forms" is.

 

[Buntaro]

Perhaps forms means levels of politeness.

 

[thepainneverends...]

Why not ask the person who told you that? Wouldn't that make more sense?

It was on another forum, I asked, yet I've had no reply. Although, I think he may have been talking about Kanji?

 

[Glenn]

That doesn't seem right at all. I think the closest thing would be inflections and auxiliary verbs, but I really don't know what they could be talking about.