I Know How You Feel

In Japanese you can’t usually say things like “he wants” or “they feel” which imply understanding of another person’s inner attitudes: you have to say “he appears to want” or “they show the signs of feeling”. (p15 citing Inoue 1979) In other languages, one is limited to direct quotation when speaking of the feelings of others (“I want”, he says). Hidden feelings of others can only be known with confidence if they speak to reveal themselves, and assuming that they speak accurately.

Based on: Wierzbicka, Anna, English Speech Act Verbs: A semantic dictionary (Marrickville, Academic Press Australia, 1987)