[xenator]

Most interesting problem of English language is that it is not direct. Good example is small talks. In many cultures direct question assume direct answer. If somebody asks you "how are you" you kinda obligated to give response with your real feelings and events happened to you last time. In USA mostly every stranger can start this conversation and expect only unsalted response. This tradition is much deeper than you think. On some lever you will never understand price for thing you buy, or will never get invite to the party or have no chance to get investment to your startup. And these games everywhere in English culture.

[jrockway]

I think this depends on the intimacy of the two people having the conversation. "How are you?" does always yield a (grammatically) direct answer: "great!" "good" "fine, thank you!" "ok...", but which of these someone chooses depends on how much time the other person wants to spend talking about it. You are right that it is uncommon to ask "how are you" because the questioner wants a detailed assessment of your mental health. It is just a set greeting. "I greet you!" would work just as well in many cases.

Not going into any depth here is a proxy for the relationship not being very deep. When I check out with my groceries, "how are you" is always exchanged. I am sure that neither of us really care about the details, so the details aren't discussed. Similarly, the kind of person that you have this superficial relationship with isn't going to give you a special price, invite you to their party, or invest in your startup. That is a deeper relationship that has to be cultivated somehow. That is not unique to English, that's just how people work.

A related issue is how people try to avoid random conversations with strangers. The people you see on the sidewalk walking at a brisk pace, looking at their phone, never making eye contact, wearing noise cancelling headphones are sending a clear message that they do not want to have a random conversation with you.

[fl0wenol]

I don't know if this is unique to English. But I'd say it's culturally acceptable in America, Canada, the UK, etc. to use the passive voice and qualify all statements so that you can mean something entirely different or have a way of weaseling out of any commitments implied by what you say.

If you speak in the active voice and use simple, direct statements, people assume that you're in the military, giving orders, or perhaps a charlatan if you're trying to sell something.

Like a carnival barker.

That has a negative connotation unfortunately.

[matheusmoreira]

In English school I was taught that when someone asks "How do you do?" the appropriate response is to also ask "How do you do?". Neither speaker gives or expects an answer to the question.

[egypturnash]

May I ask what language you are a native speaker of? I have a couple ideas based on the patterns of your errors but I’m not sure.

(My strongest guess is Russian due to your omission of articles.)

[majewsky]

> omission of articles

AFAIK this pattern is not limited to native Russians, it's shared by most (all?) Slavic languages.