So...Who Wants to Help Me With a Paper?!

[Thor McOdin]

Well, my children, finals are rapidly approaching and I need to finish this semester before I can lounge for a month...doing nothing. However, how many of you college students (hell, even high school students) were forced to take a class that had very little to do with your major or future career choices? While I have seen this several times before, I haven't seen it as a 4000-level course...which is slightly daunting.

Anyway, the course is sociolinguistics and I am supposed to write a paper about any aspect of language (acquisition, phonology, morphology, etc.). My original goal was to work with the concept of "Engrish" as seen in anime, J-pop, advertising, and video games. I wanted to tie this into speech patterns of English and Japanese and how various factors play a role. However, doing so would've made my paper about 40 pages long without a clear thesis.

I decided to focus on one aspect of language called code-switching. This refers to the movement back and forth between two languages within sentences or conversations. I have heard this a lot with French, German, Spanish, and Korean, but not necessarily Japanese (sad, because I lived in Yokota years ago). If anyone can offer insight on these points that I am trying to assess, please share.

1) Interactions of bilingual (English and Japanese) students and adults.
2) Semi-bilingual students and adults (same, but with occasional difficulty, hesitation, and "brain farts").
3) "Engrish" speaking students (i.e. no conventional way to practice English in many Japanese schools).
4) "Engrish" as a means for entertainment purposes (corporations, video games, anime, J-pop, etc.).


Even if you are not Japanese, feel free to discuss your bilingual abilities and if you are comfortable "switching" your native language and English during the same discussion (I am assuming that several of you are in indeed bi or even trilingual).

Thanks!
_________________

Not all ninja codes are brewed equally. Here at Shinobi, we use the choicest Bavarian hops that are ripened to perfection. One sip and we will have you saying...nothing.

[Yvl]

I've had very little experience with this through Final Fantasy XI. I know just barely enough japanese to carry out a basic conversation or to give very grammatically incorrect commands and such. Being as unskilled as I am, I often have difficulty deciding whether to use plain english, engrish, or romanji (if I know the word.)

Fortunately, though, I am behind the cover of a computer, and have a Japanese <-> English handbook nearby if there is a key word I need to look up.

This topic reminds me of a quote from a fictional book that I read a while back... I can't find the book right now, but its fictional anyway and would probably be of little help. The jist of it was that there was an immortal man and a artifical woman with AI that were having a conversation, and because they both had no expiration date, they were able to devote time to learning hundreds of languages. They were talking in public about things they did not want to be heard by others, so they switched languages at an immense rate, even switching mid-sentence, and nobody could keep up with them.

So using multiple languages at once is useful if you want your conversations kept partially encoded, is the point.
_________________

[Calvin]

I've noticed this happens a lot in the US between coworkers in "lesser jobs" such as McDonald's or Wendy's. When I was younger I worked in fast food as a cook, and freqently had to work with people who came over from Mexico and couldn't speak English very well. The result was communication that incorporated both english words and spanish words.

For example, I might say "we need mas queso," if we needed more cheese. Basically, it would end up being a mix of both languages, with english and spanish speaking persons using parts of the other's language.

I don't know if that is what you're looking for, but I always thought it was interesting how a way of communication when you don't speak the other's language was formed. I'm sure such things occur with all languages.
_________________

I changed the number on my phone so you can't call me up at home, and you can't say those
things to me, that make me fall down on my knees.

[Scarlet Assassin]

I was just about to bring that up ZOnder. I work in a restraunt and most of the cooks have very flimsy english, so I've had to learn a few phrases in spanish to keep up. I find myself doing all the time now, even when I'm out of work. If I burn myself I might say that something is mucho calienti (I can't spell) or I might call someone mucho loco like I do with the cooks at my job. I've actually learned more spanish working there than I did French in high school and I now find myself picking up parts of conversations in spanish thanks to my experience.

As far as Japanese speech goes, you can find this sort of thing in a lot of the whapanese/anime addicted youth as they frequently abuse the hell out of the japanese language in an attempt to seem more devoted to the japanese culture. If I were you I'd do some sort of observation on these whapanese (if you have the time that is.) I'm sure they can't be too hard to find.
_________________

Chief of Beat-em-up Honeys Division, Devoted Protector of Lady Tifa Lockhart

[Yvl]

[Masaya]

Actually FFXI, I love getting JP partys since I'm able to talk to them. Usually I have to explain to them how I don't haev a japanese keyboard, but I still can speak some japanese.

I was in japan for a little while as well. ^^ Being thrown into 3 different familys that didn't speak english was extreamly though since I was probally the 2nd worst student in our class. However I remember the longer I stayed around my host sister, the more I picked up on everything and it got easier and easier everyday.

One of the funniest things I noticed on the airplane back, a american lady dropped something out of the overhead storage compartment, I was right next to her so I said "Daijouubu?!" and she looked at me funny. Then I was like "Are you ok?!" and she said something like "hah..I'm good thanks". Anyways my point is I found it rather funny that my instict moved from speaking to english directly to japanese. And actually it took a while when I was in america to get used to speaking english again.

I've also noticed since I've engulfed myself into learning the language and speaking to my host sister over the phone and such, my English slowly starting to get slaughtered.

I guess overall I didn't understand your questions. I noticed in some of the smaller stores they had homemade shirts with random english seteneces on them. However half of the setences never made sense! I reallyd ont' think its a fashion to wear poor english setences, however maybe its cool to have english wear/music?

And to answer your second question. I found myself in japan overzelous in trying to have a full fledged coversation japan. And usually ended up with my mind going blank. I also had to give a few speeches about myself and such to the classes about america and whatnot. And I found my mind going blank alot, I usually substituted it with sort phrases and syllubuls till they understood what I ment.

I hope that helps a little bit..
_________________

[Scarlet Assassin]

[Masaya]

From what I remember, Otaku means home in japanese. Or something close to that affect.
_________________

[Thor McOdin]

So far, everyone has helped with #2. Thanks for that! If any more light can be shed on the other three ideas, that would be awesome.

I am actually now thinking about putting the online gaming stuff into the paper if necessary.
_________________

Not all ninja codes are brewed equally. Here at Shinobi, we use the choicest Bavarian hops that are ripened to perfection. One sip and we will have you saying...nothing.

[Yvl]

[Masaya]

You could also add into your paper how tons of Americans love putting Kanji on their bodies in the forms of tattoo's, however usually never "truely" know what someones putting on them, or sometimes dont' even care. It was kind of weird having people with random works like "Justice" and "Long Life" tattoed onto your shoulder or hip or whatever. I think one of the popular ones is "Love" tatooed.

Thats soo silly expeically since you wont even be allowed into a hotspring with a tatto, as tattos are accosiated with crime. (A friend who went to japan a year before me was refused in because the tatto on her back shoulderblade. Although I'm sure in the upcomming ages they are becomming more acceptable, I still noticed they were looked down apoun to have.
_________________

[Sage]

As for #1, my teacher and exchange students serving as teacher's aides never do this. They always speak in Japanese. Those are the only really bilingual people I have observed.

As for the TAs interacting with students, it's mostly entirely in English or in Japanese.

Once, I was speaking with a TA whose English was not so great and he took quite a while with some phrases and words, but never mixed the two languages.

On another occasion, a Japanese kid (jr high I would guess) came up to me and tried to ask to have a picture taken with me, in English. It was definitely English as opposed to "Engrish" and it was fairly well spoken, although he pretty much just asked said "picture" and "with us" a lot.

Sorry I have no insight especially, just some experiences and observations. I'm afraid Montana isn't the place to see a bunch of languages or one in particular other than English spoken regularly.

[kuwaizair]

[Ikano]

Eh...I'm taiwanese by blood and can understand both Mandarin and Taiwanese fairly well...so I'll share some of...'what I've noticed/experiences' from parents what not on this topic...though I guess you'd have to decide if it will work for your paper...

for number one--
Personally what I notice it that the older generations who were born in Taiwan then immigrated to the US and had kids well...they automatically assume we(the american born generation) don't know an ounce of our original language (in my case Taiwanese/Mandarin). They(meaning my aunts and uncles over in Taiwan and/or my parents friends) talk in Mandarin/Taiwanese thinking that I don't understand a word they say.
It comes as a big surprise to them if we state to them we do understand what they say...

Also when I visit Taiwan to visit my cousins etc...they always seem so surprised that I can understand both English and Mandarin...however my ability to understand Mandarin is like that of a second grader and sometimes they sort of stare at me in disbelief like "what? you never learned what that word means? are you an idiot?"

for number four---
To my cousins and relatives in Taiwan they consider the US and the English language in general as something well...how should I put it..."high class" ...that is if you can speak English it's a VERY GOOD thing
Maybe it is something like how anime and video game fans look to and adore Japan they also look to and adore American things for other things.
Also they like American tourists so if there is more english signs and things more likely english-speaking tourists will come to their store etc

Also the US' economy is doing much better in general compared to Taiwan's....so uh...it seems that they view us as generally "more rich" ...which probably isn't too far off from the truth


--uh...I'll have to stop here for now...if you want me to expand on anything or something or other I can babble some more...
_________________

[Thor McOdin]

Well, I finished the paper and turned it in this afternoon. I included several of your suggestions, including tattoos, "otaku," and all that jazz (even though I may have gone overboard with the explanation of the slang "Japanglish" and how it is derogatory compared to "Spanglish" and "Engrish"). I also included something about how code-switching Japanese words became a part of many Western societies as seen in the liberal use of "anime," "J-pop," "manga," "kawaii," "chiba," etc. that would not have been introduced if not for the importing and exporting of certain goods.

Anyway, thanks for your help. We'll see if she likes it (it was quite professional if I do say so myself). If any of you would like to read the paper, let me know. It is thirteen pages, though.

Peace.
_________________

Not all ninja codes are brewed equally. Here at Shinobi, we use the choicest Bavarian hops that are ripened to perfection. One sip and we will have you saying...nothing.