Japan things that crack you up

[thursday 1]

A horse, maybe, but a goat, defintely.

[thursday 1]

I have cousins who grew up in Edinburgh. They speak the weirdest English I have ever heard.

[BagOfCrisps 24]

It's called Scottish! Och eye za gnu!

[BagOfCrisps 24]

[RobBright 35]

What variety of Scottish? Lowlands?

[thursday 1]

Edinburgh be lowlands aye. Jimbob.

[thursday 1]

Highlands apparently lot easier to thathum.

[thursday 1]

But met a Scottish girl in a southern bar and she had the sweetest accent and the sweetest face I'd ever met (at 19). Heather.

[2pints-mate 0]

That's actually a plant you know...

[Yuki's Passion 1]

Originally Posted By: Go Native

Not sure if this has already been mentioned but have you noticed some places advertising hours of operation and they attempt to do it using a 24 hour clock but stuff it up by having times like 25 or 26 hours!

Another fantastic example. WTF? Is it really that hard to understand 24 clocks? Can Japanese seriously be that dumb? Please god I hope not. Surely they arent. Well, maybe they are...

Its now am 8:54. Why do they insist on using English words but in Japanese usage? If you cant use it right in the first place, then dont bother using it at all. I mean, its not like we are talking difficult grammar here, but Japanese and English are often hopeless.

Tex, you ever seen a deer staring at your high beams at night and they dont move? Thats how many Japanese are. They're muppets. They cant think for themselves and have this preconceived notion that Japanese is so difficult for gaijin to learn that its impossible for anybody else to learn it. Part of their "Nihonjinron" Hence when they see a foreigner, and its not everybody but its enough, then panic mode sets in and they dont know how to react, and everything coming outta our mouths obviously has to be unintelligible rubbish. So, they just freeze up.

Oh, another thing. The whole - "Gaijin da, gaijin da...kowai" thing. Ya know, I get it if its a little kid. Not that happy about it, but yeah, theyre kids, its understandable to some extent. But, when facking adults do it it gives me the shits. I refuse to believe this country cant be called international when adults walk around saying things like that. Xenophobia might be strong, but ignorance and understanding of anything "international" are out the door. I just dont get it. How can adults be that facking stupid?

[RobBright 35]

Do you know what is just as bad as xenophobia?

 

Stereotyping.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

When it happens to you over and over and over spanning 11 plus years, Im not sure how its sterotyping.

[gerard 6]

Originally Posted By: RobBright

Do you know what is just as bad as xenophobia?

Stereotyping.

Naw. Xenophobia is a lot worse than stereotyping.

CB, you OK? Maybe you need to get out of the city. Time for a trip down to Shikoku or up to Hak?

[gerard 6]

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy

Why do they insist on using English words but in Japanese usage? If you cant use it right in the first place, then dont bother using it at all. I mean, its not like we are talking difficult grammar here, but Japanese and English are often hopeless.

Yea, some ppl are against elementary school English coz they say kids needs to master their first language first. But it's not early English ed that's deteriorating the Japanese language. It's the twisted fasination with English in mainstream Japanese culture - advertising, songs, just about everywhere... Seems as plain as day.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

I do understand the point about children needing to master their own language first. From a perspective of deaf students being taught English. However learning a 2nd or 3rd language alongside your native language can actually help you in understanding your own language more fully and in a deeper way.

 

The problems come in when a) the 2nd language is being taught without the native language being given priority - as is the example in deaf ed situations that end up not being so good. The other classes (maths, social studies etc) are taught in the 2nd language, so you end up with kids that have a massive knowledge gap. As long as the subject classes are taught in the native language you should be all good.

b)when kids have a learning disability. Know of one Japanese-Aussie boy who was just keeping up at school in Japan, but did not speak English at home as he just couldn't get it...Dad was Aussie, and they moved back to Aus a couple of years ago. it took him about a year to really settle in, still speaking Japanese at home. But the full immersion in English worked in the end. He is doing OK now.

 

But for everyone else - a 2nd language should be an enrichment!

[RobBright 35]

Kids don't need to be given a native language with priority.

 

Lightbrown and Spada et al have done numerous studies into this, ie 1st and 2nd language acquisition, and as long as they are given EQUAL priority, e.g. one language for home, one language for school, then a knowledge gap is not an issue.

[thursday 1]

Originally Posted By: ger

Originally Posted By: RobBright

Do you know what is just as bad as xenophobia?

Stereotyping.

Naw. Xenophobia is a lot worse than stereotyping.

They are equally useful. I do it all the time.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Originally Posted By: RobBright

Kids don't need to be given a native language with priority.

Lightbrown and Spada et al have done numerous studies into this, ie 1st and 2nd language acquisition, and as long as they are given EQUAL priority, e.g. one language for home, one language for school, then a knowledge gap is not an issue.

Might be correct for hearing kids. Not so for Deaf kids. Big Knowledge gaps when they spend their day trying to decipher what you mean before absorbing the information you are presenting.

[RobBright 35]

Depends on what age they start with sign language.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Actually that is a very good point.

 

Deaf children from deaf families fluent in sign language will probably have a very good level of language prior to school and therefore take on classes in Signed/spoken English quite well.

 

However the majority of deaf kids are born to hearing parents who are trying to catch up, work out what is best for their child and learn as much as they can in a short space of time often with conflicting advice. Those kids rarely have the first language fluency to cope.

[RobBright 35]

Well then we are talking about Critical Period Hypothesis.

 

Heard some crazy statistic that only about 10% of deaf children in America are actually born to deaf parents. They did a study and the late starters, whilst being able to use sign language coherently, they had less of a grasp on the grammatical markers.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

Originally Posted By: RobBright

Kids don't need to be given a native language with priority.

Lightbrown and Spada et al have done numerous studies into this, ie 1st and 2nd language acquisition, and as long as they are given EQUAL priority, e.g. one language for home, one language for school, then a knowledge gap is not an issue.

The entire notion of somebody having to learn their native language first is so off the mark its not even funny. Our brains are naturally wired to learn languages. There are tons of examples out there to support it: twins being separated at birth and in different countries/environments, bilingual school education, returnee students, etc. If somebody actively tries, and as a young person its not like they "have to try" then they can acquire more than 1 language and master it.

You will often here people either here (or in the States for me) say that they must learn their native language first then move on, but it just shows their ignorance in that matter.

Originally Posted By: ger

Originally Posted By: RobBright

Do you know what is just as bad as xenophobia?

Stereotyping.

Naw. Xenophobia is a lot worse than stereotyping.

CB, you OK? Maybe you need to get out of the city. Time for a trip down to Shikoku or up to Hak?

A mate of mine were actually thinking of doing the Yoshino river again mate...but seems he may not have the time. Bummah! Fine thanks Been a great summer! Too bad its winding down, but thats always a great thing as Ill be skiing in less than 4 months!! WOOOOT!

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Originally Posted By: RobBright

Well then we are talking about Critical Period Hypothesis.

Heard some crazy statistic that only about 10% of deaf children in America are actually born to deaf parents. They did a study and the late starters, whilst being able to use sign language coherently, they had less of a grasp on the grammatical markers.

That is correct. Our stat's are from Aus but they concur. There are some Deaf dynasties - a genetic predisposition in both parents, passed to kids and sometimes over many generations.

And absolutely correct about the late starters. And the reality is that by the time the heads are being scratched and diagnosis and severity of deafness ascertained you are months down the track ... then parents need to come to grips with what lies ahead, and begin the task of learning sign language. Meanwhile my hearing 6 month old had a signed vocabulary of about 20 words that he used regularly and with meaning.

Those profoundly deaf individuals that I know who have the best grasp on English, have been the ones that were using full Auslan (with a totally different grammar and syntax structure to English) first, and acquired English as a 2nd language explaining the differences relative to sign languages - so therefore understanding the grammatical rules of their own language also.

The history of the deaf community is quite a fascinating thing to research...

[sorry for the off topic distraction here..]

[RobBright 35]

Or using Universal Grammar, as propose by Chomsky. Kids don't need to understand grammar rules to be able to use a language.

[thursday 1]

Native language. I've got mine. My kid too. Let's not deprive them of a native language.