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So, I am taking japanese 101

DocBeezyDocBeezy 1,918 Posts
edited August 2005 in Strut Central
I started this week, and when people (in my office and other all white settings) asked me what classes I had, I listed japanese. I am horrified by what almost always happens next. Offensive, stupid, embarrassing "imitations" of the language. Usually some gibberrish (WON KON TON CHI KUNG FU!) and they even use they fingers to squint they eyes. I knew people were racist and stupid, but this is crazy. I had no idea that people did this. I must be sheltered or something. I mean, i have seen people do it in the past, but not this much.

  Comments

  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts


    Offensive, stupid, embarrassing "imitations" of the language. Usually some gibberrish (WON KON TON CHI KUNG FU!) and they even use they fingers to squint they eyes.

    I knew people were racist and stupid, but this is crazy. I had no idea that people did this. I must be sheltered or something. I mean, i have seen people do it in the past, but not this much.

    fu*king Grand Rapids, man.
  • DocBeezyDocBeezy 1,918 Posts


    Offensive, stupid, embarrassing "imitations" of the language. Usually some gibberrish (WON KON TON CHI KUNG FU!) and they even use they fingers to squint they eyes.

    I knew people were racist and stupid, but this is crazy. I had no idea that people did this. I must be sheltered or something. I mean, i have seen people do it in the past, but not this much.

    fu*king Grand Rapids, man.


    You aint fuckin lying.

    GVSU SUCKS! GRAND RAPIDS SUCKS! ETC.....

    I cant wait to get out! WHY DID I MOVE HERE? (oh yeah a stupid high paying job. damn.)
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,903 Posts
    I'm starting my Intro class in 2 weeks. The only one's that seem to be saying anything are some of my friends that are Chinese or Korean...

    But whatever.

    Good luck!
  • DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,632 Posts
    Are you serious? I have a friend that is learning Japanese (she's part Japanese) and I was really impressed that she's trying to learn it. To tackle a language not even based on the traditional roman/latin alphabet truly is an amazing task. Much respect to those that are successful in it.
  • Big_ChanBig_Chan 5,088 Posts
    I started this week, and when people (in my office and other all white settings) asked me what classes I had, I listed japanese. I am horrified by what almost always happens next.

    Offensive, stupid, embarrassing "imitations" of the language. Usually some gibberrish (WON KON TON CHI KUNG FU!) and they even use they fingers to squint they eyes.

    I knew people were racist and stupid, but this is crazy. I had no idea that people did this. I must be sheltered or something. I mean, i have seen people do it in the past, but not this much.

    Doc,

    That is just WRONG! WE have a large Japanese population and lots of Japanese tourists year round here in Seattle. Many high schools here offer Japanese language courses. Anytime I tell people in Seattle that I speak Japanese, they think it is cool and respond by saying "I wish I could speak Japanese!" Here are some choice Japanese words that I would like you to direct towards your co-workers that are making these types of jokes:

    Call your male co-workers: Okama
    Call your female workers: Yariman
    If they open their mouth and start with these jokes again,
    Urusen Dai yo!
    Baka yaro



  • DocBeezyDocBeezy 1,918 Posts
    I started this week, and when people (in my office and other all white settings) asked me what classes I had, I listed japanese. I am horrified by what almost always happens next.

    Offensive, stupid, embarrassing "imitations" of the language. Usually some gibberrish (WON KON TON CHI KUNG FU!) and they even use they fingers to squint they eyes.

    I knew people were racist and stupid, but this is crazy. I had no idea that people did this. I must be sheltered or something. I mean, i have seen people do it in the past, but not this much.

    Doc,

    That is just WRONG! WE have a large Japanese population and lots of Japanese tourists year round here in Seattle. Many high schools here offer Japanese language courses. Anytime I tell people in Seattle that I speak Japanese, they think it is cool and respond by saying "I wish I could speak Japanese!" Here are some choice Japanese words that I would like you to direct towards your co-workers that are making these types of jokes:

    Call your male co-workers: Okama
    Call your female workers: Yariman
    If they open their mouth and start with these jokes again,
    Urusen Dai yo!
    Baka yaro




    The funny think about this is, they all say the same thing! "Oh that is soo cool", but then break into this horrible "Stereotype" type thing.

    On a related note: WHen asked why we are taking this class, One girl stood up in class and said " I work at a sushi place, and my boss says I need to learn more of the language so I am better at my job. He is right, I dont like being around Chinese people and not knowing what they are saying."
  • mordecaimordecai 2,204 Posts
    That is SO cool, Doc!

    seriously though, I took Japanese for 5 years and had a great teacher ...it was awesome. i got to go to Japan for a week and a half as part of an exchange and that was the shit! its a cool language and Japanese people are always impressed if you can even speak a couple words of it.
    I worked in a Japanese restaurant too, but the only thing that did was give me time to do my homework when it was slow.
    you gotta start working on a phrase you won't get tired of saying because people will always ask you to "say something in Japanese"

    hope you enjoy it!
  • DocBeezyDocBeezy 1,918 Posts
    yeah, so far I love it. My teacher is really great. Her name is rad as well because I get to use it in this fashion

    "SO if you want beef then bring the ruckus/
    Wu,Kai-ling aint nuttin to fuck wit"
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    I took it for a year but I ended up dropping it because I was taking spanish 2 or 3 the same semester...shit was hard.

    First thing you'll do is learn your Hiragana and Katakana...all I can say is....FLASHCARDS! make them, use them, love them.
  • DocBeezyDocBeezy 1,918 Posts


    First thing you'll do is learn your Hiragana and Katakana...all I can say is....FLASHCARDS! make them, use them, love them.

    hahaha that is funny! I have flashcards GALORE! I just started monday. We are doing Hiragana right now. Flashcards have been my saving grace.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts


    First thing you'll do is learn your Hiragana and Katakana...all I can say is....FLASHCARDS! make them, use them, love them.

    hahaha that is funny! I have flashcards GALORE! I just started monday. We are doing Hiragana right now. Flashcards have been my saving grace.

    a e u e o, na ne nu ne no, ra re ru re ro, ma me mu me mo, ka ke ku ke ko...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • spcspc 534 Posts
    Dope! I once started with a book, to try to understand my import psx games but after 2 weeks I sold the book. But I want to try again, because Japan is some kind of a music mekka for me. People over there just seem to have a different connection to music than the rest of the world.
  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    hirigana and katakana catch on reeeally easily, im sure youll have that shit down in like a week.



    i never forgot a syllable.



    plus its fun to write english shit, or their names down for people in katakana. makes you seem like you know something but all it takes is common sense and knowing the syllables..haha



    its funny how often i actually CAN translate something for somebody because its just english written in katakana...i probably only know about 20 things in actual japanese though, and basically NO kanji anymore (thats the hard shit) and the kanji i do know im sure i have the stroke order all wrong on...haha





    by the way, the main thing that pisses me off when people will do that "wa-cha-ching ting whatever" shit when they hear youre learning japanese or try to just do an impression...mostly because japanese sounds nothing at all like that.
  • MoSSMoSS 458 Posts
    This guy who buys Japanese movies off me teaches night classes and offered me a chance to come to his classes but I didn't end up going. I've actually learned some basic Mandarin (ya I know, not Japanese) just from being surrounded by it all the time as I work in a chinese suburb, and to be honest I'd love to learn Mandarin if I could.



    In regards to your co-workers reactions, what can I really say? People are ignorant. I always laugh at people like that because all they're really doing is showing me how uneducated they are about other cultures. Once something like that happens, their opinions about a lot of things become mute to me. How can I listen to anyone who doesn't know about anything other than what they've experienced? Lol

  • MondeyanoMondeyano Reykjavik 863 Posts
    I started this week, and when people (in my office and other all white settings) asked me what classes I had, I listed japanese. I am horrified by what almost always happens next.

    Offensive, stupid, embarrassing "imitations" of the language. Usually some gibberrish (WON KON TON CHI KUNG FU!) and they even use they fingers to squint they eyes.

    I knew people were racist and stupid, but this is crazy. I had no idea that people did this. I must be sheltered or something. I mean, i have seen people do it in the past, but not this much.

    Doc,

    That is just WRONG! WE have a large Japanese population and lots of Japanese tourists year round here in Seattle. Many high schools here offer Japanese language courses. Anytime I tell people in Seattle that I speak Japanese, they think it is cool and respond by saying "I wish I could speak Japanese!" Here are some choice Japanese words that I would like you to direct towards your co-workers that are making these types of jokes:

    Call your male co-workers: Okama
    Call your female workers: Yariman
    If they open their mouth and start with these jokes again,
    Urusen Dai yo!
    Baka yaro
    Why not just tell them to fuck themselves in plain English? Using japanese slang to diss someone that has no idea what you're saying is weak. Chou imi nai.
  • crashcoursecrashcourse 214 Posts
    i'm going back to school and also taking jpn 101
  • Funky_MimizuFunky_Mimizu 631 Posts
    Before I came to Japan, a guy at the club I work with asked me if I could speak Chinese... I asked why? He said "Isn't that what they speak there?" I said, "Man... they speak Japanese in Japan, and Chinese in China..." His reply... "What's the difference, aren't they they same?"



    Ignorance reigns...



    Oh, and Japanese is hard as fuck. I think! But I'm a slow kid... I just got my application for the JLPT test, trying to decide if I should take level 4 or 3... Either way, I gotta study daily. Been here three years... Can understand more than I can speak... but shit. I'm a bad self-motivator, and when most of the Japanese you hang out speak enough english, it's difficult.



    Anyhow, good luck! I wish I woulda taken a class before I came, but none was offered at my university...



    Peace...

    FNM
  • parenparen 537 Posts
    There are no available japanese course for non-degree seeking students in Indianapolis. Since one degree is more than enough for me, I've been running at learning Japanese on the solo front. Recorded solutions seem weak; Pimsleurs only suceeded in teaching me phrases so I quickly moved on.

    The Rosetta Stone - Japanese Level 1 & 2 is the best software package that I've found to date and books like Schaum's outlines - Japanese Grammar have been a big help as well, but I would happily receive any recommendations for other beginner / intermediate texts.

    Let me know what you're rockin'.
  • Salary_DizSalary_Diz 735 Posts
    Man you guys are lucky. There is NOTHING out there for advanced korean grammar.

    Vocab is easy. don't know a word? look it up. But grammar... I swear, I can't even ask a Korean because they'll just be like "um... its uh... like when you... uh..." and I can't blame them since they aren't language teachers and that shit can be hard to explain. But there are so many verb conjugations that i WISH i could have explained to me. And its COMMON shit that people say all the time!! Goddamit. I should write a book.


    Anyways, have fun learning Japanese.....
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