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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Any 'Real' Japanese here?

Discussion in 'Archive: Japan' started by Darth_Destructo, May 19, 2002.

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  1. leina-kirari

    leina-kirari Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 21, 2002
    What an interesting question!
    I never wonderd about the drain directions.
    My house is relatively new, so we have the toilets with heated seats, bidets, and dryers(you know where for).
    More recent ones are more hilarious. :) They are fully automated. But I'm not sure if I want those or need those. lol

    Whimper:
    As I assume you already know, Japanese have less vowels and consonants than English does.
    So We have a hard time telling Ls from Rs, Vs from Bs...and so on. They sound same to us. Pathetic, isn't it?
    One day when I was a junior high school kid, I thought to myself that I needed to familiarize myself to those sounds I don't recognize. Otherwise, I would never able to tell the differences and never ever to articulate those sounds myself.

    First thing I did was to listen to native speakers talking. I videotaped some of the bilingual broadcasted TV dramas and recorded some of the dialogues on tapes in English and also the same scenes in Japanese.
    I listened to them every day. This improved my listening comrehensions a lot.
    (I still record the dialogues from my fav dramas and movies on MDs. Only difference is I don't need Japanese version any more.
    Now I'm listening to ATOC, of course!)

    Secondary, to pronounce those new sounds right, I looked at the drawings indicating the tongue positions and stuff at the back of my dictionary. There I found unusual tongue moves for us Japanese, who don't open the mouths very much to speak.
    From what I hear, English speakers use more facial muscles than we do. :)
    So I tried to train my facial muscles by opening my mouth wide, moving my cheeks up and down, and sticking my tongue in and out.
    It may seem funny but it worked! It became less difficult for me to pronounce Vs, Rs, Ls, and THs.

    Well, I mostly talked about the pronunciations, but the most important thing to know is that English is one of the tools to communicate with people from different countries! If your stuednts get to realize that, rather than just considering it as one of the school subjects, they would have a great interest in speaking English and their English speaking skills would improve tremendously. ;) I hope :D

    Oh, one another thing, as for elementary school and preschool kids, do not underestimate their capabilities. (I used to teach those ages' kids.) They can absorb things more than you think they can! It may not obvious to you at first, but believe me you've been planting a lot of great seeds in them. ;)

    Leina
     
  2. Whimper

    Whimper Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 11, 1999
    Wow- what an awesome way to familiarize yourself with good English pronunciation! I try to incorporate English-language media in the classroom, but the teachers always insist that it have Japanese subtitles (for movies) or that it be explained afterwards in Japanese (for everything else). So my kids have almost entirely learned to just shut their ears to English, and just repeat after their Japanese teachers (most of whom have poor pronunciation anyways).

    I wish I could inspire them somehow to be like you. Well- I do have a few students at the junior high who are really trying their hardest, they're the ones who make going there worthwhile.

    As for the preschoolers- I would never underestimate their abilities! They are my best students, by far! Every time I go to a hoikuen or kindergarten, I intentionally make the lesson harder than I'm supposed to (include more vocabulary, tougher sentences, etc). And they always can do it! They're always stepping up to the challenge, and they remember so well too!
     
  3. leina-kirari

    leina-kirari Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 21, 2002
    Oh, you are an AET!!
    I was thinking you work for one of those English conversation schools. Wrong guess.
    You must be a good teacher for knowing your students' needs and abilities very well already. :) (Well, I didn't when I started to teach.....)
    Your students are lucky to have you as their teacher.
    Keep your great work!

    My English teacher at high school once told me; "Speaking English cannot be a goal. It's only one of the means to achieve a goal."
    It was a great piece of advice, but I didn't really understand that at that time. I did unterstand that long after I graduated high school. :_| Silly of me.
    And I'm still working on that. :(

    Leina
     
  4. Whimper

    Whimper Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 11, 1999
    Yup. That's me, an ALT. Thanks for the compliments, by the way, but I still have a long ways ahead of me.

    By the way, how long ago was all of this for you (HS, learning English, etc.)? Would you say your AET/s made an impact at all?
     
  5. leina-kirari

    leina-kirari Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 21, 2002
    Ah-oh, are you asking my age here? :eek:
    Weeeeeeeeeeeell, let's just say all of those happend ABOUT a decade ago.
    Boy, it's been that long. *sigh* :(

    As for AETs I met, I rememer only a little.
    They were not in charge to give lessons in class. They just showed us the right pronunciation to read the textbooks. Boring stuff.
    I wish Japanese teachers had been smarter to give profound lessons with the help of AETs.
    Hope the situation is a lot better now. :)

    Leina
     
  6. Whimper

    Whimper Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 11, 1999
    Didn't mean it as an outright asking of your age- I know better than that ;). High school was about a decade ago for me too, so don't feel bad.

    Anyways, the situation has improved a little for some ALTs, a lot for others. But it's still pretty much up to the Japanese teachers how much they want to take advantage of having a foreigner in the classroom. There are a lot of times when all I do is stand up there and repeat pronunciations... [face_plain]

    Still, I try to make it interesting when I can.
     
  7. ImperialJedi

    ImperialJedi Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 2001
    Leina and Whimper, thankyou for the info. I have a question. I hear the DVDs and CDs made in Japan won't work in US players. Is it true? I would like to get some DVDs and CDs from Japan to bring home and play. I wish the SW DVDs had it a Japanese option. We can listen to the entire movie in Spanish, but not Japanese. :(

    Anyway, ttyl :D

    -IJedi
     
  8. Whimper

    Whimper Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 11, 1999
    Okay, here's the scoop on CDs and DVDs. CDs are universal- they will work in all players around the world. DVDs though have special encoding, so certain ones are only playable by certain players.

    My DVDs that I bought in Canada (which, along with the US is Region 1) won't play in a Japanese player. Likewise Region 2 DVDs (Japan, and Europe, I think) won't play in a Region 1 player. This standard exists to keep people from one region from distributing a movie before it has been marketed, localized, etc.

    For example, there are many DVDs of big Hollywood movies that come out in the States before the film has even been released in Japanese theatres. This way, people can't watch the movie on DVD first, then skip going to the theatre.

    Anyways, there are a few ways around this. One is to buy a Japanese player, and bring it home when you go back. Not very convienient. Another solution is to buy a "Region Free" or "All Regions" player. This are sometimes expensive, sometimes difficult to get ahold of. But they will play any DVD from around the world. Sometimes you'll sacrifice quality in the player though- not all the Big Name companies make region-free DVD players. Lastly, you can have your current DVD player or game system 'modded' (modified) to play other region's DVDs. While this technically isn't illegal, neither is it legal. It also voids the warranty on your player.
     
  9. leina-kirari

    leina-kirari Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 21, 2002
    Hi, Ijedi and Whimper!

    I'm putting up with my PL2 and DVD-R on PC to watch DVDs.
    I don't have a 'real' DVD player. *sob*
    I really wanna get a 'multi-region' DVD player, so I can play US DVDs in Spanish or Canadian ones in French. [face_laugh] *kidding*

    Anyways, I watched my ATOC DVD in Japanese only once for the sake of studying translations.
    Otherwise, I can not stand listening the movie in Japanese,
    'coz the voice actors give me totally different impressions of the original actors and I feel awkward.
    In some movies, voice actors do excellent jobs by not only ruining the original acting but even surpassing them.
    But not in ATOC, IMO. Especially Anakin's voice kills me. :_|
    How is it in Spanish?

    The other day, I was looking at the 'depth commentary' and I was so happy to find out the fact
    that they had used the picture of the sky taken in Tokyo for the last Jedi temple scene.
    Cool :cool:
     
  10. ImperialJedi

    ImperialJedi Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 2001
    Thankyou! :D

    -IJedi
     
  11. SoloCommand

    SoloCommand Manager Emeritus & GTA Coruscant Developer star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2001
    Yowzers, it's been 7 months since I've been here.
    And finally, the thread has found people who are Japanese, I mean... Freeyow.

    Hello, Ohayo Gozaimas, Konnichiwa, Konbanwa, Oyasumi Nasai, or whichever suits best.
     
  12. The_Lady_THX

    The_Lady_THX Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 16, 2003
    Hi! I just thought I'd pop in.

    I've been slowly learning Nihongo for a bit now, I hope I spelt that right. I find Nihongo spelling is way easier then english spelling....

    Anyway, anyone still hang around here?

    Milo
     
  13. Whimper

    Whimper Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 11, 1999
    Yeah, I still hang around. I'm still not Japanese though.
     
  14. The_Lady_THX

    The_Lady_THX Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 16, 2003
    Are you the only one?

    Princess Milo
     
  15. Esperanza_Nueva

    Esperanza_Nueva Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 23, 2003
    i lived in japan for 4 years.. but i dont think that counts as bein a "real" japanese person hahaha
     
  16. ImperialJedi

    ImperialJedi Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 2001
    I'll be in Japan in 5 days.

    -IJedi

    EDIT: Or is it 6 days? Soon, though, soon.
     
  17. jariten

    jariten Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 23, 2000
    i just created a totally redundant thread. ha ha! im an idiot. maybe i should have read some of these posts. anyway this place seems pretty quiet. Im an ALT too! im on this thing called the JET programme. anyway i live in Iwate ken, which I like. I can speak japanese pretty good (i guess). im not `real` japanese though.
     
  18. Whimper

    Whimper Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 11, 1999
    Wow- another JET on the JC? What's the world coming to?


    Oh, by the way, some advice from one English teacher to another: "good" is an adjective, "well" is an adverb. Learn when to use each, and you will sound much better qualified to actually be instructing people. As in "I should heed Whimper's words well, if I am to be a good teacher."
     
  19. jariten

    jariten Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 23, 2000
    huh? yeah ok.

    i dont even think of myself as a teacher, considering im given no opportunties to teach. my job is worthless, but i get paid a lot and i have fun.

    im going to type whatever i like and talk however i like ok? that good?
     
  20. Whimper

    Whimper Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 11, 1999
    Yes. Actually that was just a test to see if you were really an ALT. If you had answered anything other than "I don't really teach, and my job is worthless" I wouldn't have believed you.

    But you passed with flying colours! :p
     
  21. Chocos_Ramabotti

    Chocos_Ramabotti Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 9, 2001
    Konnichi wa minna-san!

    No, I'm not Japanese...I'm actually German :p. But I surely want to learn the language. Up to now, I only know what you get to when being a manga/anime fan. But I surely eagerly watch subtitled anime :D. I also think I can already pronunce the Japanese "r" :D.
    Yeah, I can understand that English must be pretty hard for Japanese studendts. Everything is different, from vocabulary to grammar to pronunciation...I already asked myself, is it easer for an English person to learn Japanese or vice-versa? :p

    I too have compliment you for your excellent English, Leina-chan (may I call you that? Or is it too, uh, personal? ;)). Now I also have a question for you. I already said that I'm German, and I recently noticed that the Japanese seem to like the German language very much. I saw German in manga, anime, even songs...or at least something that very vaguely resembles German. Gosh, German must be even harder for Japanese than English. So, is that true? Do you know the reason for that?
    My mom had the theory that Japanese and German people have a similar mentality. For example, she thinks that Japanese like to listen to German classical music. Could be, eh? :)

    I'll look forward to your answers,
    Val-chan ^_^

    EDIT: Oh, I have another question! Can you recommend any Enka singer to me? I'd really like to listen to some Enka! Thanks already :)

    ...and don't take that little sentence in my sig seriously, it's only a joke ;).
     
  22. leina-kirari

    leina-kirari Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 21, 2002
    Val-chan Konbanwa! (It's midnight here)

    It's totally OK to call me Leina-chan. :) Douzo yoroshikune ;)
    Well, about the German language, I'm sorry but I don't think the Japanese are familiar with it very much.
    There are lots of English words, or I should say "Janglish" in many songs or signs on streets and stuff, but not German as far as I know.
    But doctors in Japan write "karte" in German. We even call a karte "karute" and most people don't know it's actulally a German word.
    We use a lot of "gairaigo", words that we adopted from foreigh languages, in Japanese without knowing where they're originally from. :(
    I don't really know about the German language, but I assume for the Japanese,it's harder to learn than English.
    You have male and female nouns, right? And you have many verb conjugations, I believe.
    Those things make it more difficult to learn.

    I've heard that some people say the German and the Japanese are both deligent and work so hard.
    Maybe that's why we are kind of similar, huh!? :)

    You listen to Enka!?? Wow! Usually older people like Enka, you know? :D
    Well, the most popular Enka singer now is Kiyoshi Hikawa.
    He's very young for a Enka singer, but he sings very well and his songs are kind of new style Enka. Try his songs!

    ****umon ga arimasu.
    Which manga or anime do you like?
    Oshietene.

    Matane [face_love]

    Leina
     
  23. Chocos_Ramabotti

    Chocos_Ramabotti Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 9, 2001
    Oh yeah, the time difference... [face_plain]. It's really a problem when you have a friend in a far away country...I have one in Canada, and for her, it's five hours earlier than for me [face_plain].

    Okay, Leina-chan ^_^.

    Hehe, funny. But I met German in Manga and Anime (Neon Genesis Evangelion - the organizations NERV, SEELE, GEHIRN, Gunnm - Panzer Kunst and lots of others o_O) and I know of singers who use German (Dir en Grey, Shiina Ringo - you go Shiina!), so I wondered :).
    Perhaps the use of gairaigo is because of the cultural difference there was when the western people arrived in Japan. We had lots of machines and stuff you didn't know back then, didn't we?
    Another question: How is it with the tradition right now? Is it still an active part of life in Japan?

    Yes, we indeed have male and female nouns, and more conjugations than English has. I'll give you an example...

    I am - Ich bin
    You are - Du bist
    He is - Er ist
    We are - Wir sind
    You are - Ihr seid
    They are - Sie sind

    See? So I can understand it'd be more difficult to learn than English.

    Oh, really? I'm neither :p. But it could be *shrugs*. But it would be certainly cool to know that I'm similar to the Japanese :p ;).

    Well, I don't listen to it yet because I haven't heard much, sadly. But I know a few anime soundtracks like Ghost in the Shell or Akira which I think are at least partly Enka. Am I right?
    Yeah, a friend of mine told me of him. I'm trying to download some of his songs, but it's pretty slow so I have none downloaded yet [face_plain]. Gotta give it a good kick, eh? :p

    Oh, I like quite a lot of them! Those would be Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL/Furi Kuri, Kodomo no Omocha, Clover, Spirit of Wonder, Ghost in the Shell, Haisha/Ashen Victor, Video Girl Ai, Hotaru no Haka/Grave of the Fireflies, Akira (the anime), Bubblegum Crisis...so, that would be most of it :p.

    Um...could you please translate those Japanese sentences for me? Always eager to learn :D.

    Mata ne,
    Val-chan ^_^
     
  24. jariten

    jariten Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 23, 2000
    about anime and etc. yesterday i watched black jack. its really good. ive got a ps2 here and a lot of the dvds here have either english subtitles or are dubbed. if you cant read the kanji or whatever you could just ask someone in the shop. i rent mine from american wave. honestly, its good. i mean black jack.

    other news- im dancing in the yakudoshi festival next week! i guess no one here lives near iwate, but thats where i am.
     
  25. Believe

    Believe Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 21, 2001
    konnichiwa!

    I live in Portugal(Europe), and i'm studying nihongo for a year now. I wonder if any of you, could give me some tips about what i have to do, to get a scolarship to study in Japan.

    p.s.: japanese people are not very good with foreign languages. my sensei has been in Portugal for over 10 years, and she doesn't speak portuguese ... come to think about it, there's lots of people born here, who can't either ... strange ;)

    arigato.
     
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