Do the linguistic preferences in English and Chinese reflect a difference in worldview?
Writing regularly in Chinese and English in the past two years has shown me a linguistic preference that illustrates how the people who use these languages see the world. In English, I find it necessary to minimise “uncertain” words such as “rather, kind of, almost, perhaps”, lest I sound “hesitant, uncommitted, or beating around the bush” to Western readers. In Chinese, I need to do the opposite to avoid giving the impression of being “arrogant, one-sided, or simplistically black-and-white” to my Chinese readers. And I’m talking about describing the exact same thing.
I wonder which is closer to real life?
语言反映世界观？
过去两年，经常用中英语同时写作，发觉到语言上的习惯，某程度反映了不同文化的世界观。用英语写作的时候，我经常须要减少使用“不肯定”的字眼；例如：“大概，似乎，应该吧，可能，看情况吧” 之类。否则外国的读者可能会觉得我自己也不大肯定，缺乏信心，犹豫不决，甚至在转弯抹角。
当我用中文描述同一件事情的时候，刚好相反，要提醒自己把语气放柔，把尖锐的角度略略放宽。中国人看世界，或一抒己见的时候，一般喜欢留有余地；太过直捣黄龙，急不及待，老想一针见血，很多时会适得其反，给人家 “自大，一边倒，流于偏激，不黑便是白，头脑太简单，信不过” 的印象。
其实，那一种看法比较接近现实的人生呢？
