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13vinylinfants

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Posts posted by 13vinylinfants

  1. Chinese is 1. way too hard and 2. way too geographically limited to be a lingua franca. English didn't become the international language just because Britain was really strong. Britain spread it to a quarter of the globe, where it's mostly to this day the official language of commerce and government, and it became the sole native language in most of North America and Australia and New Zealand. China doesn't have anything close to that. Not to mention that there isn't even linguistic unity with China; Mandarin can't even conquer one country, let alone the world

  2. I'm from the West Coast of Canada so my English accent could pass as being from almost any urban area in North America. It's really really generic. But obviously to a Brit I sound American.

    In my second language, Japanese, I definitely have an accent! I think it's much better than most foreign Japanese speakers, but if I listen to a recording of myself I can totally tell... people say it's cute though, so there is that

  3. In a suburb of Victoria BC is Hatley Castle. It's over a hundred years old, built in the British style, and covered with vines. Some of you have probably seen it - it was the school for mutants in the first three X-Men movies with Patrick Stewart! Now it's a university. During World War II, the British government purchased it so the royal family could evacuate there in case the German invasion was successful.

  4. Spanish would be cool. It looks way, way easier than the last language I learned, Japanese. I'm intuitively pretty good at its pronunciation, and I'm interested in traveling to Latin America. There are also quite a few Mexican and Latin American exchange students at my school so I could probably get some practice quite easily.

  5. The thing is, Japanese didn't just import the writing system from China. They also imported tons of words. Words of Chinese origin are called kango 漢語 and words of native Japanese origin are called wago 和語. Most wago are written with a single kanji, and most kango are written with two or more.

    Kanji is insanely helpful when remembering new words. For example, I know the wago "hitori" 独り、which means "one person" (with a nuance of loneliness, isolation, or independence, unlike 一人 which has the same meaning and pronunciation, but just means literally numerically one person). I know that when it's used in kango, it's pronounced as "doku." And I know the wago manabu 学ぶ, to learn, whose kango pronunciation is "gaku." So the first time I heard the word "dokugaku" 独学, I instantly knew what it meant without having to look it up in a dictionary - "self study."

    Kanji is a pain in the ass, sure, but once you pick up the common ones, you'll find it makes your language study much easier.

  6. Learning a new dialect isn't half as difficult as you'd think. I picked up Hakata-ben (Fukuoka dialect) in just a few weeks while studying in Fukuoka. The essentials of the language are all the same, and only casual speech changes. Now, Kansai-ben is probably more difficult because the pronunciation and intonation are more different from hyoujungo than hakata-ben is. But if you're going to be spending time in the Kansai region, I'd say you should absolutely give it a shot.

  7. There were a bunch of students like this when I started my Japanese degree. Their intonation and pronunciation were pretty good, but they spoke like anime characters, not real people. There's nothing really damaging about watching a lot of anime in Japanese to help your learning, but it's good to also watch dramas or other types of TV shows (news is the "gold standard" of good Japanese pronunciation, but admittedly can be boring) so you can get a better idea of how real Japanese people actually speak.

    On the other hand, newscasters speak very formally and usually on complex subjects, so it's pretty hard to understand. I'm probably past JLPT N2 level and I still have great difficulty understanding the news. You're also unlikely to pick up words or phrases that you'd actually use in real life.

  8. I started studying Japanese with Rosetta Stone. Honestly, I couldn't recommend it. It's supposed to teach you the target language the way you learned your first language, i.e. purely through exposure and immersion. I think Japanese grammar is complex enough that it really requires proper explanation. I learned very little using Rosetta Stone compared to what I learned with Tae Kim's guide (which is free online, by the way. Google it.)

  9. Yes, theoretically romaji could let someone speak basic Japanese faster. But the fastest way isn't always the best way. What's more, in the long run it'll only slow you down.

    Most Japanese textbooks begin by teaching stuff like how to say hello or order at a restaurant, but I think it's better to begin with kana, and then basic grammar. In the beginning progress will feel slower (and it won't be as fun) but I think ultimately it would expedite the learning process.

  10. I definitely find Arabic pretty sexy. Which is weird, because it doesn't have that image at all! French is nice too, but I never really like the sound of Italian.

    My second language Japanese doesn't really have that romantic quality... I would say even English is much more of a "beautiful" language.

  11. My second language is Japanese. Japanese people have very different body language than English speakers, I feel. I've spent a lot of time with Japanese people so I start unconsciously using a lot of their gestures and postures when speaking Japanese.

    If one wanted to work in Japan, it would be really important to learn body language. During interviews, for example, a typical Westerner's body language would come across as disrespectful and cocky. Japanese make a lot less eye contact, bow a lot (obviously), and keep their hands crossed or flat on their legs when sitting down in a formal setting.

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