kazoku (family) questions

[mrarlen]

I don't know how to answer the questions.
あなたのかぞくは　なんいんめさまですか？

Whenever I've heard this question, people talk about their parents and siblings.
But I'm a bit older and am married without kids. And in western culture, once we're married, our family is considered you and your wife. So...

Is my answer...
私のかぞくは　ふたりです。
(myself and my wife)

or is it
よにんさまです。
(4 people, my father, mother, brother, and myself)

[bloritsch]

I couldn't make heads of what the original question was.　　Did you mean:
あなた　の　かずく　は　なん　にん　です　か？
貴方の家族は何人ですか？

I got lost somewhere around めちま(me chi ma) I couldn't believe you meant to use いんめつ　(destruction/suppression). The polite form would be いんめちます, which is close to what was typed--but that seemed out of context with the rest of the question. Did you mean めさき (me sa ki: immediate, future, before one)?

I don't have the answer, but I would imagine the proper answer would be
わたし　の　かおく　は　ふたり　です。
私の家族は二人です。

[bloritsch]

When introducing your own wife to someone, how is that done? The introduction classes refer to 私の友達 or siblings, etc. However, and it is made clear that you don't use the honorific when you are introducing people in your inner circle. I've heard the word 奥さん for wife, but usually by a stranger to someone he believes is married. For example, the newspaper salesman coming to the door in a drama. It seems kind of awkward to introduce my wife like:

私の奥、カリシャーナです。

and it seems incorrect to use 奥さん.

[Sean]

I think you might have gotten it the opposite way around; isn't it that you don't use honorific language with people in your ingroup?

奥 seems strange to me. You might be better off with 私の妻（つま）, or just　妻のカリシャーナです instead.

There is 家内（かない）, but I don't know if that's really very PC to use?

The polite form would be いんめちます

隠滅（いんめつ）します, isn't it? It's a compound word, you wouldn't need to change it itself.

[Psy]

Alrighty, Psy to the rescure:

I think you might have gotten it the opposite way around; isn't it that you don't use honorific language with people in your ingroup?

You use honorific language within the hierarchy of your in-group, but when you are talking to an out-group, everyone in your in-group is lower in status than that of the out-group. In other words, you're polite to the boss of your company within that company, but when you are talking to an outsider about your boss, you'll use humble language.

奥 seems strange to me. You might be better off with 私の妻（つま）, or just　妻のカリシャーナです instead.

There is 家内（かない）, but I don't know if that's really very PC to use?

奥 = doesn't work.
妻 = Good but PC
家内 = Good but not PC.

The polite form would be いんめちます

隠滅（いんめつ）します, isn't it? It's a compound word, you wouldn't need to change it itself.

Both you and bloritsch are looking waaay too hard at this. (as a matter of interest, it would be 隠滅します) Step back and take a breath, notice the context. Does 何名様 fit the situation a little better? Anyways, back to the original question:

Answer however you like. Answer both ways if you feel like it. You're not gonna offend anyone. You could say "二人です," to which you can add 私と家内の「名前」（だけ）です。 If you get a curious look in response, you'll know that you've answered in an unusual way for Japanese society. At any rate, from there you could talk about not having children, wanting children or waiting to have children-- all good topics of conversation. You could also talk about the family that raised you or how you met your wife, why you came to Japan, etc... don't obsess over the details. You'll make a cultural faux-pas eventually, so just do your best, analyze, correct and adapt where you can.

Don't forget to have fun, too.

[bloritsch]

Thank you Psy. I'm still learning to read/write at least in a limited way so I can get more out of the lessons. I may obsess a little more than normal at the beginning, but that is part of the learning process.

There was part of the original question I just couldn't understand, even with rikaichan helping me so I was trying to get some additional clarification.

[Psy]

Hey, that's what the learning process is all about, right? It's not like I haven't done that myself a million times.

I'm just glad the people on this forum are nice about it. One should never be afraid to try.

[Sean]

but when you are talking to an out-group, everyone in your in-group is lower in status than that of the out-group.

That's what I was meaning to get at.

Both you and bloritsch are looking waaay too hard at this. (as a matter of interest, it would be 隠滅します)

I wasn't under the impression that 隠滅 had anything to do with the question in hand, but might as well not be mistaken about a mistake anyway

[JonB]

You might be better off with 私の妻（つま）, or just　妻のカリシャーナです instead.

There is 家内（かない）, but I don't know if that's really very PC to use?

You don't need the 私 as you would only use 妻（つま） for your own wife and never anyone elses.

家内（かない） - correct not very PC. Use it if you are looking for a scrap...

Back to the original question - they are asking about your household generally when asking this question so my vote is ふたり人