Japanese Society
Foreign languages discussion, revision, exam and homework help.
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Re: Japanese Societyいらっしゃいませ(Original post by miu_miu)
Konnichiwa !!!
Basically, I'm at work and the pc doesnt have the language software for Jap so I can just type in Romanji
I've learnt Jap for 1 yr, really enjoy it
Please count me in, arigatou gozai masu
よろしくね。 m(_ _)m -
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Re: Japanese SocietyI would consider myself as a (co-)leader as I created the society - but I think it would be a good idea to have another co-leader to help/answer questions when I'm not around.
Gaijin has been very helpful, any other suggestions? -
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Re: Japanese SocietyYup that would be good. It is logical that the OP should also be the leader.(Original post by Excalibur)
I think gaijin and LucyA should be the leaders
Also, it is better to have 2 leaders so in case one is not around the other can help pick up the duties.
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Re: Japanese SocietyYou know, I've always wondered what it would be like to take the TOEIC or the IELTS as a native speaker.
I'd probably be quite surprised that I'd mess something up on it, or at best score about a low 900. Whether this shows how poor the TOEIC is, or how standards can often slip when you think its genuinely going to be too easy - I really don't know.
So if any Japanese person is reading this. I will happily turn myself into a Japanese person and sit your TOEIC exam. For a nice fee of course. I cannot guarantee a 990 though.
Just out of interest, why did you do the exam Excalibur? It seems like a waste to me. Did you do it purely to keep your native language up (I have a friend whose Italian is practically vanishing since he left Italy) or was it some of the reading lists that you thought you'd like to have a go at? -
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Re: Japanese SocietyYou are really a genus.(Original post by Excalibur)
I got a 300/300 in Japanese AS today Not that I feel like I deserve it, seeing as it is still technically my first language (though my kanji is slowly slipping away from me.... 
) but I'm pleased nonetheless!
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Re: Japanese Societylol, if I ever have to sit an IELTS exam I know who to contact(Original post by gaijin)
You know, I've always wondered what it would be like to take the TOEIC or the IELTS as a native speaker.
I'd probably be quite surprised that I'd mess something up on it, or at best score about a low 900. Whether this shows how poor the TOEIC is, or how standards can often slip when you think its genuinely going to be too easy - I really don't know.
So if any Japanese person is reading this. I will happily turn myself into a Japanese person and sit your TOEIC exam. For a nice fee of course. I cannot guarantee a 990 though.
Just out of interest, why did you do the exam Excalibur? It seems like a waste to me. Did you do it purely to keep your native language up (I have a friend whose Italian is practically vanishing since he left Italy) or was it some of the reading lists that you thought you'd like to have a go at? My dad sat it when he first came here and he said it was the worst exam he had ever sat! And my dad is about x3333 cleverer than I am 
Hm, it was a combination of reasons, really. I was once told by my Japanese school teacher that A level Japanese is quite challenging, even for a native speaker, so I wanted to give it a go and see if that was true - particularly as I was getting a bit worried that my standard in Japanese was falling (from a lack of effort in learning kanji/writing essays/reading books!). It wasn't really though; AS was a doddle. A2 would be a bit harder because I'd have to read some of the literature, but it would never take up as much time as my other subjects.
I also really do like some of the lit in the A2; I've read those stories when I was in primary school/middle school but the stories still hold meaning (くもの糸 and 注文の多い料理店 are my favourites).
Another reason is that I wanted to have something tangible to show for my Japanese; even though A level may not show much, it is still something I can say I have achieved as a product of going to Japanese school (although we never got direct teaching for A level there; it mirrors the national curriculum in Japan). It also (kind of) shows that I can still read/write the language, as opposed to many native speakers who can only speak the language at home.
And I guess another part of me wanted an easy A, I must admit. But then I think anyone who has a native language other than English would do the same?
I think it's a difference of nuance more than anything else. In most cases they are interchangeable. And thank you(Original post by spencer-smith)
I thought foreigner is 外国人? What is the difference between 外人 and 外国人?
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Re: Japanese SocietyI can see why a native speaker would take an A-level in their language. It's not all about speaking it, as I understand, there's a lot about the culture and literature which would be interesting and useful to a native, especially if they haven't lived in that country for a while.
And well done Excalibur
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Re: Japanese SocietyOne is considering more polite than the other. They are more likely to say gaikokujin when showing people getting arrested in Roppongi on the evening news, but people on the street are more likely to use gaijin in the sense of 'kusottare gaijin!" At one point, westerners in Japan were called nanbanjin (Southern Barbarians.) I suppose its progress.(Original post by spencer-smith)
I thought foreigner is 外国人? What is the difference between 外人 and 外国人?
HOWEVER. In certain contexts, gaijin can also come to mean Japanese people who fall outside of the norms and cultures of Japanese society. For instance, those folks in Harajuku can be considered gaijin, therefore the term can be seen as offensive to someone who is merely just non-Japanese. Especially someone who has made the time to learn the language and culture of your country.
Most people like myself see it as a contraction and don't bother about the context of the word. In the UK and the west, it would be seen as incorrect to label someone as a foreigner, hence the reason it pisses the PC people off OUTSIDE of Japan (go figure.)
It can be quite affectionate depending on how you look at it. Still, I sometimes call Japanese people genchijin (現地人) for the very same reasons.
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Re: Japanese SocietyOh... so 外国人 is a less polite form than 外人.. Because it seems like 外国人 emphases the "external country" whereas 外人 simply means outsider.(Original post by gaijin)
One is considering more polite than the other. They are more likely to say gaikokujin when showing people getting arrested in Roppongi on the evening news, but people on the street are more likely to use gaijin in the sense of 'kusottare gaijin!" At one point, westerners in Japan were called nanbanjin (Southern Barbarians.) I suppose its progress.
HOWEVER. In certain contexts, gaijin can also come to mean Japanese people who fall outside of the norms and cultures of Japanese society. For instance, those folks in Harajuku can be considered gaijin, therefore the term can be seen as offensive to someone who is merely just non-Japanese. Especially someone who has made the time to learn the language and culture of your country.
Most people like myself see it as a contraction and don't bother about the context of the word. In the UK and the west, it would be seen as incorrect to label someone as a foreigner, hence the reason it pisses the PC people off OUTSIDE of Japan (go figure.)
It can be quite affectionate depending on how you look at it. Still, I sometimes call Japanese people genchijin (現地人) for the very same reasons.
What is kusottare (gaijin)?
