Americans' Funny Japanese

[badmigraine 0]

DISCLAIMER: Long hours of company work and poor study habits have enabled me to reach a level of Japanese similar to the level of the English of the Chinese cook Hop Sing on the 60s western TV show "Bonanza". That being said, I feel qualified to make field judgments about the pronunciation of certain words.

--end disclaimer--

 

 

On other discussion sites like "Japan Today News" we've all heard a lot of sneery whining about "wa-sei eigo" and native Japanese speakers who ignorantly mangle and mutilate English words and generally don't even realize they were borrowed from English in the first place.

 

I suppose we could make the same complaint about native English speakers who blare out egregious mispronunciations of Japanese words with blithe eager brazen dimwitted ignorance.

 

Here are some examples that I hear in Walled Lake, Michigan:

 

 

KERRY OKIE

No, this is not an Irish redneck. It is "karaoke".

 

 

SAKI

Not the pen name of the writer Hector Hugh Munro (December 18, 1870 - November 13, 1916), but rather the rice wine that gives a remarkable headache.

 

 

CRODDY

Not a pommy insult, but rather a style of martial arts.

 

 

FUJIYAMA

I myself don't even know why it is pronounced "Fujisan", so I can't even begin to try to explain this to Americans.

 

 

WASSUP B!

Not a rapper, Japanese horseradish.

 

 

SHHTAGI

Mushrooms, not underwear.

 

 

Gentlemen, you have the floor.

[viv&kev 0]

They saying all that in Michigan?!

[badmigraine 0]

Yeh--and get this: they call Coke and 7-Up etc. "pop" (pronounced nasally, as in "PAHHHHP"

 

"Anybody want a pop?"

 

Michigan. Who woulda thunk?

 

[Ocean11 0]

I remember this one from a propaganda movie about the 'Jap enemy'.

 

"When he comes home from work, he likes to change out of his western clothes and put on a KEMONA".

 

---

 

"And Eecheeroe has another hit!! That's his 23rd of the season!"

[damian 0]

>> blithe eager brazen dimwitted ignorance

 

that really does describe me well!

 

Before i came here i certainly used some incorrect pronunciations. Similar to the above:

 

karaoke: Carry Okey

 

Okey was my mates GF. He would carry her home when she was pissed. Just like Mogski needed to be carried home on Friday night just gone

 

Fuji san: I could say it ok, but I thought that the 'san' was an honorific (tanaka-san) and that the Japanese really really respected old Mt Fuji.

 

Tokyo: Toe Key O. I still say it this way. I bet most westerners here still do.

 

Sake: Sar-key. I am Australian, I still call the pasta penne 'penny'.

 

When I first arrived I walked around my suburb one night asking for directions to the yakuza. No one could help. At work I was complaining to my Japanese contact how disappointed i was that there was no yakuza in my area. He thought I ws weird. Hell, all I wanted was to have a beer. I explained how given there were no pubs, I wanted to find the yakuza. He thought I was nuts. Later on (after making this mistake several more times, but no japanese person bothering to figure out why I was talking such dangerous babble) I learnt that the word I was after was izakaya. Silly me, it must have been the letter z that caused me to get confused (and the fact that both were new words to me).

 

"excuse me, can you tell me where the yakuza is, I want to drink beer!"

 

hhhmmph! not as silly as the Japanese guys at work constantly talking about bread structures. The word 'bullet' is often used in my job (nothing to do with guns). It took me along time to work out that bread = bullet, after you take into account the Japanese pronunciation of 'r' and 'u' and when it is said quickly.

[proudtobegay 0]

Nice one. You'll know if you find the local Yakuza maybe. The threads, the cars, the permed hair. Deary me, that permed hair can be a sight to see.

[mikazooki 0]

but even the easy ones are hard.

 

sumo is sumo not suumo

 

i'll put my hand up as a kyoto, tokyo pronouncer-the-right-wayer, i tell folks back home the error of their ways and hope they will reform.

[nekobi 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Ocean11:
"When he comes home from work, he likes to change out of his western clothes and put on a KEMONA".

my parents were just out here, and they've got thick southern drawls. my mom got really excited about putting on a kamona during our trip to kayodo.

[mogski 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by db:
Just like Mogski needed to be carried home on Friday night just gone

Mogski down and out and suffering all day long Sat. Bad mogski.

[powwwers 0]

that "soda pop", "pop" one always gets me too. (not that i dwell on it too much...)

i mean, what do ya say if ya want a 7-up? "i`l hava pop, please." and a coke? "i`l hava pop, please" then ya`v gotta repeat yaself and say exactly what ya want. why don`t ya just say what ya want in tha first place? uno, call a spade a spade.

 

other than that, "good morning".

[enderzero 0]

Nereeta airport?

 

Is that so Mogs? So what time did you guys get out of there on Friday then? I was plowed when I left (what was it, 4ish?) and I seem to remember the walk home was pretty damn fun. Not too often I leave a club before the rest of the gang.

 

What are you guys up to this weekend? Up for a 4th db?

[Fattwins 0]

My dad cant say thank you in japanese so he says hai domo domo, with a little laugh.