Tag: language | RocketNews24

language

Onomatotastic! Sony’s Portable Games Console Gets a Cool New Ad 【Video】

Mar 1, 2013 by Philip Kendall
0
Tweet

Speakers and learners of the Japanese language will no doubt be familiar with giongo and gitaigo, onomatopoeic words that are used to imitate or describe real-world sounds or sensations, respectively.

For many English speakers, sentences like “And the rain was falling like ‘tccccchhhh’, and my heart was going ‘boom boom boom,’” might come across as informal at best, or perhaps even suggest that the speaker is not especially articulate. In Japanese, though, onomatopoeia is employed far more frequently in both spoken and written communication, and this new commercial from Sony announcing a price cut for its Vita portable games console has it in droves.

Feb 23, 2013 by Philip Kendall
0

As linguists and scholarly types routinely profess, language is something that is continually evolving. It is a living, breathing entity that twists, turns and grows on an almost daily basis. As our lives change, so too does language. We don’t always like the changes, but, realising that the amount of time we spend on this earth is a mere blink of the eye compared to how long language itself has existed, we come to accept that words are no more ours than the valleys and hills we trek over. (Although I must confess that I still face-palm whenever I hear someone utter the phrase “I could care less” to suggest that they do not care an iota about something.)

Nevertheless, when changes in language begin to occur, people notice them. The first time we heard the word “Facebook” used as a verb or saw our first “LOL”, many of us likely furrowed out brows and thought, “Is that right?” In much the same way, in July and August last year Japanese broadcasting giant NHK launched an online survey asking the people of Japan whether they had noticed the rather peculiar use of the word “arigatou” (thank you) cropping up in conversation in recent times.

Feb 2, 2013 by Philip Kendall
0

In a survey carried out late last year, Japan’s Shonan Beauty Clinic asked 1,400 Japanese men and women what their favourite words were. The results were remarkably wholesome.

If you ever wondered how Japanese people truly think, or thought for a second that the stern expressions worn on busy commuter trains each morning were accurate representations of passengers’ inner feelings, you were way off the mark.

Nov 22, 2012 by Philip Kendall
0

It was only yesterday that we were chuckling about poorly translated health and safety instructions on household items, and now here we are with possibly the greatest mistranslations ever written.

Proving that it’s not just English that gets shoved through Google Translate until it vomits up bile and nonsense, a Japanese Twitter user has posted an image of the precautions label on a massage towel she bought in China.

We’ve all seen funny spelling errors and mixed-up grammar on labels before, but when a towel starts admitting to us that it can’t stand going outside to ski, you know you’re onto a winner…

Nov 16, 2012 by Philip Kendall
0

Japanese people often get a hard time for their lack of English language skills. But with so few Japanese ever setting foot outside their own country, it’s little wonder that one of the most frequently heard reasons given for struggling with the language is the lack of opportunity to use it.

Just last night, in fact, I was completely caught off guard when a teenage girl in my local convenience store seized the opportunity to break out her English and asked me whether I needed a plastic bag. Unfortunately, I was completely unprepared for the question and it was only after she had repeated herself three times that I realised that a) she was speaking English and b) I’d probably just ensured that she never dare to do so ever again.

But perhaps the prospect of a free cup of coffee would rekindle her enthusiasm for language?

As part of a promotional campaign for the launch of its new ReFLEX language learning software, Rosetta Stone is opening a special limited-time-only cafe in a Shinjuku book store, giving customers the chance to use their English, and doling out free cups of coffee to those who can.

Aug 28, 2012 by Steven
0

Many Japanese people lament their inability to carry out a proper conversation in English despite studying it for 10 years in junior high, high school and university.

Some people blame the education system, some people blame the lack of transparency between Japanese and other languages; but there just seems to be something about Japanese people that makes them terrible with foreign languages.

Continuing from yesterday’s post, we’d like to share the last part of Japanese columnist Ryuuji Haneishi’s discussion of why he believes they are.

Aug 27, 2012 by Steven
0

Many Japanese people lament their inability to carry out a proper conversation in English despite 10 years of study during junior high, high school and university.

While anyone who has taught English at a public school in Japan would probably be quick to point their finger at a curriculum still largely grounded in rote memorization and strange textbook phrases, it’s also important to realize that Japanese has absolutely nothing in common with any of the European languages and most other languages in the world.

But aside this inherent disadvantage, there just seems to be something about Japanese people that makes them terrible with foreign languages.

May 12, 2012 by danielnishina
0

Nevermind searching for restaurants or shooting birds at pigs. You want to know how much radiation you’re surrounded by? You want to unequivocally prove to your friends how many push-ups you’ve done? You want to know where that random aircraft flying overhead is going? We present to you a variety of iPhone apps that vastly expand your capabilities and make the unthought of possible.

Geiger Camera

Apparently the iPhone camera can “see” various types of rays, such as ultraviolet and infrared, by its semiconductor sensor. With this app, it can detect high amounts of radiation in 30 seconds, while taking 1+ hours for lower amounts. In those cases, they say you might want to plug in the recharger because you’ll need to leave the device still for a long time. So, this app might get different kinds of results depending on their sense of urgency and/or patience… Read More