Please speak a bit quietly"?

[tufguy]

If someone is shouting or speaking loudly can we say "Please speak a bit quietly"?

 

[jutfrank]

No.

There are numerous ways you could get your message across, depending on several factors such as whom you're talking to, your relationship to the person speaking, whom they are speaking to, how rude you want to be, etc.

Would you mind keeping your voice down a bit?
Can you try to speak more quietly, please?
Do you have to speak so loudly?

 

[tedmc]

What about "Please keep quiet"?

 

[5jj]

No.

 

[tedmc]

No.

Why not?

 

[teechar]

It sounds rude.

 

[tedmc]

There may be circumstances which warrants saying it that way.

 

[teechar]

There may be circumstances which [STRIKE]warrants[/STRIKE] warrant saying [STRIKE]it[/STRIKE] that. [STRIKE]way.[/STRIKE]

But should being rude be the rule or the exception?

 

[Rover_KE]

'Please keep quiet' means 'Please stop talking'.

 

[tedmc]

But should being rude be the rule or the exception?

I wouldn't say it is an exception. I suppose one can say that to people in a place where they shouldn't be noisy.

 

[teechar]

I wouldn't say it is an exception. I suppose one can say that to people in a place where they shouldn't be noisy.

I don't know about your culture, but in most normal cultures, being polite is the rule.

 

[tufguy]

No.

There are numerous ways you could get your message across, depending on several factors such as whom you're talking to, your relationship to the person speaking, whom they are speaking to, how rude you want to be, etc.

Would you mind keeping your voice down a bit?
Can you try to speak more quietly, please?
Do you have to speak so loudly?

I thought it is correct to say "please speak quietly".

 

[GoesStation]

I thought it is correct to say "please speak quietly".

That isn't wrong, but it's not what you'd say to people who were talking too loudly. You might say Please lower your voices, or any number of other things.

 

[tufguy]

That isn't wrong, but it's not what you'd say to people who were talking too loudly. You might say Please lower your voices, or any number of other things.

Okay, to ask someone to speak quietly does make sense but it is impolite. Am I correct?

 

[tedmc]

It would be very unnatural to tell someone to "speak quietly" though it is logical

 

[GoesStation]

Okay, to ask someone to speak quietly does make sense but it is impolite. Am I correct?

No. It's just not very logical. You want them to speak more quietly.

 

[canadalynx]

Why not just whisper.

It is quiet when no one is talking.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I don't know about your culture, but in most normal cultures, being polite is the rule.

What does "normal cultures" mean?

 

[teechar]

Ones that are not abnormal, or otherwise odd or wackey.

 

[probus]

I wouldn't consider any culture abnormal or whacky. For example, both Swedes and Icelanders eat what most of us would consider rotten fish. And in Sardinia some peple eat cheese crawling with maggots. But evidently they like it, so who am I to judge?

In the same vein I once heard an immigrant from China say "Every culture has a food or foods they consider revolting. For Chinese people it's cheese "