Random

[gothwalk]

Where does Engrish come from? The Japanese are so precise about everything else, and yet there's this imprecise (albeit evocative) stream of non-English coming from Japan.

For some reason, one of the top searches that keeps grounding out on dukestreet.org is "How to make a mechanical arm".

The Helsinki Museum of Modern Art has comics for sale. Why don't we get that in the Anglophone parts of the planet?

I like living in a time and place where I can discuss the pronunciation of haecceity, where to get episodes of Battlestar Galactica, and XSL selection, while listening to OPM's rather anthemic Heaven is a Halfpipe.

Comments

[loupblanc.livejournal.com]

the Japanese have no vowels

If you mean phonetically, which is where Engrish originates, yes they do, every other "letter" (if you write in Romaji) pretty much.

Otherwise, not only they have no vowels, but no consonents either since the written language uses a completely different writing scheme.

[arken-thell.livejournal.com]

Well true but the way Japanese is prononuced dosent leave much room for big O's in the words, so it's phonetic change in where the Engrish comes into it.

Ok I know what I'm trying to say but it's really not coming out the way i mean it to.....shutting up now.

[loupblanc.livejournal.com]

Yes I'm not sure what you mean by "big O's"

See my userpic here? It's pronounced "Ookami"...

[arken-thell.livejournal.com]

Yes i understand but the shape is different when you pronounce it. Forget it! the languages are compleatly alien to one another so trying to relate them is usless and unless you can pronounce the words to one another (ie hearing how it's prnounced not that neither of us can't pronounce it ) then it's just far to difficult attempt to relate sound and picture.

I did have a point I'm sure

[mollydot.livejournal.com]

Perhaps she means that お has one sound - it can be longer, but is still basically the same, but there's many ways to pronounce the English 'o'. I don't know how to do phonetics, so the only one I can make a stab at spelling is "oh". Or I could use some of the words I've just used as examples - there's different Os in know, how, to, one, or.

But, actually, I think all that's irrelevant, as the problem with written Engrish is nothing to do with pronunciation. It's grammer and word choice. puritybrown may well have the answer.

And maybe English just looks cool and they don't care what it means - how many times have people used Chinese words here and not known what they mean or even if they're the right way round?

[loupblanc.livejournal.com]

I would tend to agree with you that they may think English "sound cool". The French often use an English word where there could be a perfectly adequate French word for the idea they're trying to convey (in French).

And not trying to brag, just experimenting...
know [nou]
how [ha&601;]
to [t&601;]
one [wan]
or [ôr]

[loupblanc.livejournal.com]

okay that didn't quite work as I'd hoped :(

[mollydot.livejournal.com]

The experiment is not a failure. You now know one more way that doesn't work :-)