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Post by RyokoDragonez on Dec 8, 2005 9:56:56 GMT -5
Well. Here's the thread I promised.
What languages do you speak? How well do you speak them?
I grew up speaking english (Meaning I speak it quite poorly ^____^) ... actually I usually get 90 percent or higher in all of my english projets. I am at a honors student that way... apparently my diploma exam (Final exams for the government in Canada) mark was a 98%...almost impossible. *proud*
I am at an intermediate to advanced level of Japanese. I am not too bad at speaking it, I can read and write hiragana and katakana fluently, and I know some Kanji. I learnt my Japanese from Anime and from taking three years of highschool Japanese in the International Bachloriate program. Next year I will be improving my skill more by taking courses at t the local University. I have also done some scanlation projects which increased my skill by a lot. (Chobits for a while before they licenced it and Real Bout Highschool before I discovered it was licenced.)
I speak basic Spanish (my Mother's side of the family is Spanish, so I had to learn a bit.) I know enough to survive if ever left alone in a spanish country. (They've done it more than once in Spain and Mexico ~.~ Not fun.) And I understand most of the latin languages because of this now.
I also know beginner/basic levels of french, latin and german. However, this knowledge is not sufficiant to communicate in these languages. I simply have basic understanding of what the other person says.
Now, It's your turn! What languages do you speak?
--- Ryoko Dragonez
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Post by Zolah on Dec 8, 2005 11:25:00 GMT -5
Well, Since im from sweden i know swedish and some of the basic french/German and soon finish. And I think i am pretty good at english, well atlkeast better one of my friends at school XD
she was supposed to say ' In China it is a compliment too the Chef if you Burp after the meal ' but she messed it up by saying ' In chine its a compliment too the Kock if you burp after a meal ' here in sweden Kock means chef, i know plenty of simillar weird stuff ^^'
Well, since the english language is so big ive been training it since i was young. There was always movies with swedish subtitles and we get to learn english at 2 grade, They said i was quite talented then. And one more thing that gave me nice practice was Roleplaying, there is a few roleplaying books on swedish but most of them are english. and ofcourse after that we got the internet, well I think you can figure out the rest ^^''
Next year im gonna problebly read finish so i can comunicate with my relatives in Finland and maybe someday actually understand what they say, its not easy to guess what they mean and sometimes you feel plain stupid. *sweatdrop*
oh, I know one language more wich is not really used in any country. Its orcish, you know same as the orcs talk in LOTR. Its quite fun, and as always you learn the 'bad words' first XD
// Zol
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Post by ⑨tyo on Dec 8, 2005 12:50:55 GMT -5
Being born in Norway, I obviously speak fluent norwegian. I already could english better than my family when I was 5, as far as I can remember, with the exception of my sister. In addition I speak pretty much fluent swedish, mainly because of the similarities. I can barely understand danish. But they have potatotes in their throats so whatever. I'm trying to learn how to speak japanese, but there's no availability in my town. -_- I envy you, Ryo. I can speak a few words of it (japanese) as well as german, french and spanish. Though a few words rarely help with anything. :\
Well I can call people idiots in japanese. <3
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Post by deltaT on Dec 8, 2005 22:54:52 GMT -5
I speak english. I had to take french until I was 16, since I live in Canada, but I can't (won't) speak it. OK, I can swear a bit, and I remember a little. At one point, when I was 17-18, I knew enough spanish to listen to people talk and understand it (my dad studied latin american countries, and I spent a couple weeks in Mexico with him), but I have lost it due to disuse. Except for a little swearing...that stuff just sticks in my head.
Basically, I speak english.
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Post by Rehiro on Dec 9, 2005 1:25:37 GMT -5
I dont know any languages. None. I was never taught to speak. Only to post. Nah, im just kidding. I speak only english
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Post by Daybreak on Dec 9, 2005 12:17:06 GMT -5
Uhm, let's see. I'm only fluent in English, and I'd have to say that Latin is my second best. Unless you count Pig Latin. I've got a little French and a spattering of Spanish from school (been a while, though). Beyond that, I have a smattering of Japanese (what I prefer to call Otaku-Japanese, a skill I picked up when I was a real anime-fanatic), and enough German to confuse people with (I picked most of it up from X-men fanfiction starring Nightcrawler >.<). Guess you could say I'm also competent at netspeak, but sometimes the horrible misspellings and abbreviations still throw me!
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Post by Wolfy on Dec 9, 2005 14:49:16 GMT -5
don't feel bad Rehiro, i only speak english. i took two years of spanish, but i forgpt everything over summer break.
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Post by silverwolf on Dec 9, 2005 15:48:10 GMT -5
I speak fluent english, Elizabethan english, a few words of German, some basic French, and nice amount of Japanese.
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Post by lysinias on Dec 9, 2005 17:22:51 GMT -5
I speak English. Sometimes rather strangely. I've forgotten all the French I ever learned, and I hope to learn Hebrew next year.
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Post by Wolfy on Dec 9, 2005 18:03:33 GMT -5
silverwolf, can you tell me how to pronounce "moshi wake arimasen" (theres a little ^ above the o)
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Post by RyokoDragonez on Dec 9, 2005 18:10:07 GMT -5
mo = Mow (As in to mow the lawn) shi = She
Moshi = Mow - she
Wa = Wah (as in water) ke = Keh (as in Ken)
Wake = Wah - Keh
A = Ah (As in water) ri = Ree (as in removed) ma = Mah (as in alabama) se = seh (as in sent) n = n (as in sent)
Arimasen = Ah - Ree - Mah - Seh - n
I know this wasn't directed at me... but I do know the answer @.@
--- Ryoko Dragonez
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Post by Wolfy on Dec 9, 2005 19:17:18 GMT -5
thank you. tis much appreciated.
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Post by Scarecrow on Dec 9, 2005 22:28:54 GMT -5
Silver! You speak Ye Olde English?!
Yay!!^^
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Post by Zolah on Dec 10, 2005 6:54:19 GMT -5
I would love to learn old english! it would improve my roleplaying so much!
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Post by ⑨tyo on Dec 10, 2005 9:01:46 GMT -5
There's a difference between Elizabethian english and old english, you know..
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Post by silverwolf on Dec 10, 2005 16:17:24 GMT -5
You could say that. There's a tad more too it. Elizabethan is almost an entire different language.
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Post by Scarecrow on Dec 10, 2005 22:09:31 GMT -5
Indeed... I speak a bit of both... But prefer to combine the two so it's vaguely understandable if you really listen.
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Post by ⑨tyo on Dec 11, 2005 11:21:49 GMT -5
English: "abandon" Old english: "forlætan" For example.
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Post by Scarecrow on Dec 11, 2005 17:42:52 GMT -5
Yes... I speak a LOT more Elizabethan than Old.
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Post by silverwolf on Dec 11, 2005 22:49:47 GMT -5
Indeed.
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Post by Scarecrow on Dec 13, 2005 18:51:14 GMT -5
Quite. Indubitably. Very much so.
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Post by RyokoDragonez on Dec 28, 2005 21:44:54 GMT -5
Well, since Daggertooth was asking about it in Shippo-chan's thread...I'll try to explain the name suffixes used in Japanese.
As you've probably figured out... there are various suffixes attatched to the ends of people's names. (Chan, Kun, San, Sama, Sensei etc). Each of these (Which are called 'honorifics') are used in different social settings.
San is used at the end of an adult's name... or one of your peers that you do not know all that well. "San", when used with one of your peers puts you on the same (or very close to the same) level as the other person.
Sama is what you would use for someone who is above you, socially. For example. You would call your boss (or the emperor~!) "Sama".
Kun is used for males under the legal age. (I do beleive it's twenty-one in Japan... Correct me if I am wrong). Calling one of your peers "kun" usually means that you are friends with them. For peers that you do not know all that well.. use san.
Chan is used for children, and girls who are cute. DO NOT USE CHAN FOR A GIRL YOU DO NOT KNOW. You will be seen as being pretty creepy (Or pretty stupid). Boyfriends commonly call their girlfriends by the honorific suffix, "Chan".
Sensei <- This word litterately translates as "teacher". This is what you would attatch to the end of the name of someone who teaches you, a teacher, or a doctor.
Daggertooth, you also mentioned that they were laughing at you for calling your mother, "san". It is kind of rude to do so. (Of course, they know you do not speak the language well.. so it's funny to them. Just like when we laugh when a toddler mispronounces a common word (Such as truck) in a decidedly less polite way.) And it's not 'akasan'. The word you are saying is pronounced (and spelt) Okaa-san. (Note the 'san' at the end of the word) Okaa translates to "Mother". San is the correct honorific to use at the end of it.
Your father would be Otou-san. (Otou translates to father)
Of course, the language gets much more complicated depending on whom you are talking to...but that's the basics. (And I do not really feel like explaining that right now X.x)
--- Ryoko Dragonez
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Post by Daggertooth on Dec 29, 2005 5:44:14 GMT -5
Thanks Ryo, That helps alot. I have always known two of my female cousins as Aichan and Kaorichan and the only boy in thier family as just Yutaka. So I was kind of confused. Though in hind sight the last time I talked to my cousins was ten years ago. And my other cousins, Miho, Miku, and Yuja I have not known any suffix to go with. Yeah, they do find my literacy level rather humorous. I do misspell Japanese words all the time, I did mean Okaasan. Then again my spelling in English is pretty horrid as well. :sweat: As for languages. I know a few words in Penan, Kelabit, and Bahasa Malay. Not enough to get by, but a little. I know more than a few words of Dutch, and am able to pick up alot when it is spoken, but I can't comunicate with it. I am fluent in English. If you were to put a dialect to it then maybe Utahn? I have noticed I don't pronounce my "g" at the end of "ing" and say mount'n instead of mountain. I use the suffix 'ol every now and then. Like big'ol building or Good'ol boys. kinda country I suspose, but not as bad. I just found out that it really confuses everybody round here when I use the phrase "I'm okay," "I'm good," and "no thanks" interchangeably. I gotta watch that one. I am currently working on Japanese. I have a decent vocab going and am nearly fluent in hirigana. Soon I will break out the Katekana and the phrases. I must say that I am suprised how much everyone@knows about Japan and the Language just from Manga. I've never been big on them myself and It seems that everyone here knows more about the Japanese language, the culture, and even how to be Japanese than I do. And I have been here two other times. Wowza is all I can say. *Bows to everyone* Daggertooth
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Post by Zolah on Dec 29, 2005 6:33:05 GMT -5
I feel un-usefull in this thread XD
but if you like i could learn you some swedish XD
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Post by RyokoDragonez on Dec 29, 2005 7:04:19 GMT -5
I learnt some of my Japanese from Manga... But most of it comes from actually studying Japanese in Highschool. Actually... I've been accepted to a university (not naming it, sorry, gives out too much location info) where I am going to major in Psycology and Minor in Japanese Language and LIterature. I -LOVE- my Japanese language. (Hoping to sneak in a Latin course as well if I can)
And for the record, It's spelt "Katakana".
--- Ryoko Dragonez
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Post by Shippo_no_Neko on Dec 29, 2005 10:59:07 GMT -5
Uwaah! I'm learning Japanese! I have these CDs that I listen to. And I don't usually spell things wrong, unless I learned them from subbed anime. I use a ton of Japanese phrases in english conversation. Like "Yare Yare" to mean, man oh man, or good greif. I also use the another phrase, but I KNOW I spell it wrong. I would apreciate if people would correct me.
"Yare yare, honto ni honto e baka ba"
It is supposed to mean "Man oh man, you really are an idiot"
Domo arigatou gozaimasu!
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Post by RyokoDragonez on Dec 29, 2005 14:31:25 GMT -5
Yare, Yare. hontou ni hontou wa baka da. <- what you are looking for? Be careful with this one... it can also be translated at "I'm really an idiot" It all depends on context. So I'd suggest.... Yare, yare. Omae ga hontou ni hontou wa baka da. Which translates to "My my, you are really an idiot."
--- Ryoko Dragonez
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Post by Zolah on Dec 29, 2005 20:38:02 GMT -5
Hmm, may I ask for some basic greetings? i got a friend that has been trying to teach me on msn over a half year and it would be fun to actually answer his ' ogengi desuka? ' with something more realistic then ' Tamago ' ( i blame it all on Dragonhalf!)
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Post by RyokoDragonez on Dec 30, 2005 3:19:44 GMT -5
Well, another simple answer to 'o-genki desu ka?" would be "Hai. Genki desu." (Yes, I'm good.) Or "Iie, Genki ja nai." (No, I'm not alright). Other answers include: Tsukareta (I am tired) Chotto Tsukareta desu. (I am a little tired) Iie, Itai wa yo. (No, I am in pain)
Hope this helps. Any other greetings you want me to give? Everyone is free to ask questions ^_^ I do not mind answering.
--- Ryoko Dragonez
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Post by Zolah on Dec 30, 2005 7:08:57 GMT -5
hmm, 'Playing games as usuall' maybe?
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