Verbal Comportment

Bhutanese consider the manner of speech and verbal expression very important in social etiquette. Children are taught from very young age to speak calmly and politely using honorific terms. As harsh words are considered as one of the verbal vices in Buddhism, Bhutanese look down on harsh speech. They also look down on malicious gossip, self-praise and loud and abrasive speech. In formal official settings, there are also codes of etiquette on how to address a person and the epithets and titles to use. For instance, people often speak with their mouth lightly covered when addressing an important person. They do not look directly at the person as a mark of respect and often bow before and after a formal speech.