Run out of topic?

[Muz1234]

What do you do if you speak to a Japanese person and you run out of topic in conversation?

 

[Majestic]

You do the exact same thing that you do when you run out of topics talking to a Malaysian, or Indonesian, or Singaporean, or German, or Russian, or South African person. You can't force someone to have conversation with you.

 

[Glenski]

Wait for them. Keep in mind that many Asian cultures are comfortable with 10 second pauses or longer. You don't have to constantly talk. Personally, I don't see how it is possible to run out of things to say to ANYone.

 

[Lothor]

Wait for them. Keep in mind that many Asian cultures are comfortable with 10 second pauses or longer. You don't have to constantly talk. Personally, I don't see how it is possible to run out of things to say to ANYone.

I think it depends more on the person than the culture. One of my kids (13) desperately fills any break in the sound, as does a friend of mine who I otherwise feel comfortable with - he'll often fill a small gap in the conversation with a comment about the weather, and I wonder why he does it. With my younger kid (11), who is very easygoing, we can go on an hour train journey (usually to watch penguins at the aquarium) and not feel the need to speak for the whole journey.

Us North of England people are supposed to be people of few words though.

 

[thomas]

Wait for them. Keep in mind that many Asian cultures are comfortable with 10 second pauses or longer. You don't have to constantly talk. Personally, I don't see how it is possible to run out of things to say to ANYone.

I agree. Filling gaps in conversations and finding topics are feats language instructors will soon learn to master. My wife clearly prefers those gaps and reminds me quite often that silence is golden.

Us North of England people are supposed to be people of few words though.

You Northerners must feel very much at home in Japan then.

I feel it takes a particular closeness and congeniality to enjoy silence in the presence of another person.