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

JCC Let’s Learn Languages

Discussion in 'Community' started by Darth Punk , Jul 5, 2020.

  1. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    America in 2020 is broken and divided. Your position in the world is in nosedive. You have abused and bastardized the English language to the point that you no longer believe what you are saying to one another. In order to heal your great nation I suggest you learn a purer, simpler language.

    ITT I will teach you the basics of Simplified Chinese. Think of it as stick figure emojis - we all love emojis. During this course, you will learn to love written Chinese just as much.

    For every one of you that I teach this beautiful calligraphy, I would like you to teach two of your fellow countrymen. If each person you teach goes on to teach two more people it will hopefully spread nationwide in no time. Who knows, perhaps It will unify you all with a hope that you can one day regain your international standing as the #2 country in the world.

    I hope you all had a lovely 4th of July.

    Now let’s get to work.

    These are the symbols for freedom and liberty. Think of freedom as a cage with the lid left open, and liberty as a bell
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Chewgumma

    Chewgumma Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 14, 2009
    Where is my egg fried rice?
    *bangs Punk's food truck*
     
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  3. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    I’m here to fix a nation - not your lunch.

    That said, I do make a banging egg fried rice.
     
  4. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000
    I am actually learning Japanese and would like to say screw you to China for giving Japan Kanji.
     
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  5. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    I don’t know how you expect me to remember those hanzi without a proper stroke.

    Order. Stroke order.
     
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  6. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    This is the symbol for brave. I like to remember is as a naked man. I think “he’s brave standing around in public with no clothes on”.
    [​IMG]
     
  7. 3sm1r

    3sm1r Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 2017
    ^What a hugeNevermind
     
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  8. I Are The Internets

    I Are The Internets Shelf of Shame Host star 9 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Poor guy looks starved.
     
  9. Master_Lok

    Master_Lok Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 18, 2012
    Where are the sound files with the native speaker to tell me the proper tones? And the pinyin for phonetics?

    Some kind of animation or teacher showing us the strokes?

    Hire this man and then I will consider! your offer @Darth Punk



    (Yes, I know Sammo is speaking in Cantonese not Mandarin)
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2020
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  10. CairnsTony

    CairnsTony Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 7, 2014
    You'll be fine after learning the first two thousand. It's getting there that's the hard part. :p

    Seriously though, it would be like English having adopted Chinese characters instead of an alphabet, and then trying all kinds of workarounds to make it legible. It's no surprise that the Japanese eventually developed a hybrid script to at least give us learners a fighting chance of being able to read it.

    Japanese takes Hanzi/Kanji and basically says, "Why have one reading like the Chinese, when you can have five, or how about ten! Or in the case of this one, over one hundred and sixty":

    This means 'born, birth, new, raw, unrefined,' that sort of thing, but can be pronounced: shō, sei, ha, i, na, o, u, nama, fu, and ki, to name but a few; and of course you have to have the right pronunciation in every context. [face_hypnotized]

    The Chinese rather sensibly only pronounce it 'shēng' in standard Mandarin Chinese at least.
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2020
  11. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000
    I know I haaaate it :( Like learning Kana was hardish and took about a month for me, but I am just starting on Kanji and am lost.
     
  12. CairnsTony

    CairnsTony Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 7, 2014
    I must admit, I did cheat slightly, by learning to read and write Chinese first (though I am by no means fluent, and I am now very rusty); but it did at least mean that I was familiar with a lot of the characters.

    I'm happy to provide pointers for you for kanji learning, but only if you want to. There's a ton of resources out there. Also, there are far more proficient Japanese speakers/readers than me (@La Calavera for example), so I'm certainly no expert, but I did get through all the Jōyō Kanji eventually. It's doable; and I came to love and appreciate them. :)
     
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  13. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    Is there any appetite to actually collectively do this? I (obviously) started this thread as a lameass troll, but I am genuinely interested in it.

    @solojones I’m easy with either Simplified Chinese or Kanji.
     
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  14. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000
    Is there an app you would recommend? I used Write It Japanese for kana and that was excellent.

    I have no interest in learning Chinese at the moment (definitely want to eventually), but would love a Japanese learning thread :p
     
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  15. CairnsTony

    CairnsTony Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 7, 2014
    I love your trolling btw. :D

    I also love learning languages, so hey, why not?
     
  16. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    Sweet.

    I’ll ask a mod to change to title an OP later. They might suggest it’s better to let this thread die, and start a fresh one.

    Either way, let’s do this.
     
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  17. CairnsTony

    CairnsTony Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 7, 2014
    I must admit that I'm horribly old-fashioned and never downloaded any apps to my phone, having used good old fashioned textbooks like Genki and Tae Kim (both excellent; the former comes with audio), but my biggest recommendations would be free lessons on YT, where there are absolutely tons of free lessons. I would particularly recommend Japanese Ammo with Misa (native speaker who speaks fluent English, but vitally, she teaches colloquial Japanese, the sort you just don't learn in textbooks), and Learn Japanese from Zero, someone who has spent many years in the country, and again focusses on the Japanese you actually need, not the stuff you don't.

    A lot of Kanji, even the Jōyō ones, are not needed for every day reading purposes. You can get by with maybe half that number; and you will be surprised how much you will be able to read when you visit the country, especially if you have learned the Kana. :)
     
  18. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000
    I am using Japanese from Zero as my book. Genki was too expensive.

    I am also using Japanese Pod as my grammar learning app, they have great lessons..and Pimsleur as well. For the speaking stuff.

    But yeah, I like apps for the lettering because it allows you to draw it out and get corrected easily.
     
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  19. CairnsTony

    CairnsTony Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 7, 2014
    The online dictionary jisho.org doesn't just show you the order of the strokes, but has animations you can click on to show them being written.

    Don't stress too much if you get the order of the strokes wrong: I learned one set of stroke orders for Chinese, only to find that the Japanese do it a bit differently. So long as you know the basic strokes, then, you learn, say, that drawing a simple box is done with three strokes, not four. Practice those basics and you'll get there.
     
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  20. gezvader28

    gezvader28 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 22, 2003
    so what you're saying is you want to start a Kanji Club?
     
  21. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000
    Tell that to Kanji Club.
     
  22. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    Ha, yup
     
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  23. Boba_Fett_2001

    Boba_Fett_2001 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 11, 2000
    Ok. How do I say "TJCCINAGAIUTB" in Chinese?
     
  24. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    Decay
    [​IMG]
     
  25. Darth Punk

    Darth Punk JCC Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2013
    **********Thread Info**********
    I’ve had the thread title changed to “Let’s Learn Languages”. It’s open to anyone who wants to collectively learn languages. Currently it looks like we’ve an interest in Kanji, so let’s start with this.

    Play nice. Gotham is yours, none shall interfere. Do as you please - until you’re banned.