Direct, Indirect and Irrelevant Answers (2)

Bob: Oh, hi, Hideki, howareyoudOing?

Hideki: I am fine, thank you. And you?

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By the way, the strictly grammatical answers for "How are you doing?" will be

the type "I am doing good / fine." or "Good. / Fine." or possibly "Doing good / good."

And the answers for "How are you?" will be the type "I am good / fine." or just "Good / Fine."

And we call those grammatically same type answers as the question type 'DIRECT

ANSWERS'.　

On the other hand, we look upon the answers which are grammatically different type

but the direct answers of which are easily guessed right from them as 'INDIRECT

ANSWERS'.

One example of this is the answer "I am good / fine." for the question "How are you doing?"

Because we can easily guess right that a person who is good / fine will be doing (things) good / fine.

However, we consider the answers which are grammatically different type from the

questions and the direct answers of which are not possible to be guessed right from

them as 'IRRELEVANT' answers.

For example, "I got on a train yesterday." is an irrelevant answer to the question "How

are you(, today)?" or "How are you doing(, today)?"

Incidentally, please note here that most Japanese tend to explain the reasons first

(e.g. why they are sick or tired) giving concepts in reverse order to native speakers

before a direct or relevant answer, unfortnately often unsuccessfully.

One example: "I got on a train yesterday. Luckily, I was able to take a seat. But the

man standing in front of me was coughing, so I am pretty sure that he gave [/ has

given] me a cold. And I am tired. / I am not doing good."

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