I understand that である is the "written" form of だ/です. Because it's a "written" form, doesn't that already imply a certain level of formality? So when would one use であります as opposed to just である? If you can, please give examples.
である is formal, but not polite
であります is formal and polite, but not humble
でございます is formal and polite and humble
だ is informal, but not polite
- です is informal-* and polite
*- compared to である
A politician giving a speech on TV:
我々は日本国民である - We are Japanese citizens
A lawyer speaking to a judge: (I think this usage is rare though...)
この通りであります - It (happended) this way
A waiter speaking to a customer:
ざるそばでございます - (This) is zarusoba
One friend to another:
ケチなやつだね - That guys is really stingy, huh?
One coworker to another:
すみません今ちょっと忙しいです - I'm sorry, I'm busy just now
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Thank you, but could you explain the difference between formal and polite? – charlieshades Jun 30 '16 at 6:01
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2"Formal" is like for when you are in a public setting (like a speech or writing in a book or newspaper), "polite" is when you specifically want to show deference to the person you're addressing. – sazarando Jun 30 '16 at 6:08
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Wow, that is such a Japanese distinction. Thank you for the explanation, though I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it. I suppose that's just something I'll get used to over time, haha. – charlieshades Jun 30 '16 at 6:25
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There is also a practical, not-necessarily-formal use of である, unless I'm mistaken and everyone thought it would be rude to correct me when I use it (always a struggle). When I want to say I didn't know that something was something, I'll say something like this: トンカツは豚肉であることを知らなかった(I didn't know tonkatsu was pork). If that's not a valid use, here's a good chance to correct me :p – Nick O. Jun 30 '16 at 10:59
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4@Nick Overacker Using である when talking about the meaning of a word like that sounds natural to me because dictionary definitions and other written explanations often use である as well. I might suggest 「トンカツは豚肉のことであるとは知らなかった」(sounds a bit formal) or「トンカツって豚肉のことだったって知らなかった」(sounds very informal) as perhaps another natural-sounding way to say it. – sazarando Jun 30 '16 at 12:32