Japanese with anime voice: episode5
Hello everyone. I’m Sachi.
How is everyone doing with their Japanese studies? I hope this podcast has been helpful. In the last episode, I took a survey. The content was how many minutes or less is the ideal listening time. You can answer from 3 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes or more. Please let me know what your ideal time would be.
Even though this podcast is aimed at people who are studying Japanese, I have a very peculiar dialect. So the way I speak will be totally different from the Japanese you are studying. Whether it is intonation or accent, it is completely different from the textbook. But I want you to understand that this is one kind of Japanese and that there are dialects like this. Well, I guess every language has its own dialect.
I have studied many languages myself, so I understand how difficult it is to learn a language. In particular, while studying English, I find that even if I know individual words when they are combined to form an idiom or cliche, I instantly lose track of them. Besides, the same word can be used in the exact opposite situation. In the case of Japanese, words and phrases are different in each situation.
There are many clichés, for example, “Itadakimasu”, “Tadaima”, “Okaeri”, etc. Everyone uses the same words in the same situation, and they never change or take on different meanings. When you eat a meal, you say “Itadakimasu”; when someone returns to you, you say “Okaeri”; and when you return to someone else, you say “Tadaima”.
But in English, when you go home, you say “I’m home” or “Anybody here?”. If there were Japanese subtitles, it would all be “Tadaima”. So, if I think of English with my Japanese brain, I will not be able to understand it at all anymore.
One of my students told me that there are so many words in Japanese that it is hard to remember them. There is indeed a lot of vocabulary, but the more words, the more convenient it is. There is a word that fits the occasion, and you just have to use it. There is no need to think of anything else.
One particularly confusing word in English is “I’m sorry. In Japanese, there are words like “Gomennasai” and “Sumimasen,” which I had assumed would become “I’m sorry,” but I was surprised to learn that “I’m sorry” is used in situations where the person was in pain or in a difficult situation, with the implication that it was a hardship. Without knowing this, one wonders why the person apologized.
At such times, I sometimes feel that the language barrier is a big one, but I also think that this is the way serious people think. My partner is a truly amazing person. I don’t think words are necessary for him.
A few years ago, on our way home from a drink at our favorite izakaya, we happened to run into two Italians who happened to be on their way home. It was such a rare event that I wondered how such a coincidence could happen in a place that is neither a big city nor a tourist spot. However, when I am with my partner, I often encounter such a rare event. The Italians asked us if we had any recommendations for places to eat around here. In English, of course. Since I am studying English, I thought this was a good opportunity and introduced him in English to our favorite izakaya where we had just been. Furthermore, I was in a good mood after getting drunk, so I decided to take them to the izakaya on the spur of the moment.
They did not speak Japanese, so I tried my best to use English to ask them what they wanted to drink and explain the menu to them. I really can’t speak English well at all, but I tried my best at that time.
And yet, when it came to my partner, he interacted with them with just one word in Italian, Mamma Mia, and was excited throughout the entire interaction. I know that not all Italians are happy about it, but they were very happy just to say “Mamma Mia”. Every time my partner said Mamma Mia, we all toasted together again and again. Moreover, my partner even exchanged a line with one Italian, even though he only said Mamma Mia.
While I was struggling to speak English, my partner was able to communicate with Italians with just a few words and even exchange contact information with them, which made me wonder if I needed to study languages. It was proof that people can communicate with each other even if they don’t speak the same language.
Sometimes people hesitate to come to Japan because they say that Japanese is the only language they speak. I would like such people to meet Japanese people like my partner. I would also like them to realize how much fun they can have in Japan even if they don’t speak the language.
Certainly, I believe that studying the language will lead to smoother interactions. However, what is most important is the desire to communicate. The desire to communicate with others is what is important. I think this is true for all linguists.
