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Just got to the は verses が page in Season 3.
“Japanese students go years not really understanding the differences between these two particles, mostly because very few resources take the time to explain it (or they just don’t know how to). I’m hoping, though, that by the time you reach the end of this chapter you’ll at least understand them both. From there, you’ll learn more and more how to use them properly.”
God I hope so, this was one of the biggest confusion points I had learning previously. I rarely got the two confused because I would memorize the types of sentences that you used one or the other, but I really had no solid idea of why. Of course I heard the difference between subject marker and topic marker, but I was still pretty clueless.
That google translate’s a good idea. And if it seems too fast maybe that’s good because it’ll train your ear better, unless it’s unnaturally fast and thus incoherent…
I was going to leave it at that.
But in case any are curious, the two sentences that I wrote would have completely different translations depending on what country the person was from.
Most people from the US would read the first sentence (was so pissed) and take it that last night I got angry.
Someone from AUS would read it and they would think I got drunk.
Someone from the US would read the second sentence (lucked out) and think I was lucky.
Someone from AUS would read it and think I was unlucky.
Completely different meaning to the exact same words. This can happen with male and female as well, but it’s much more subtle.
In any case, it was only a suggestion. And that would be an optional suggestion, certainly not forcing anyone to choose a gender sign, for those who enjoy the anonymity of the interweb. As even though I would not classify my linguistic interpretations as being sexist or racist, some people are anyway and thus that could be a result…
So whateva!
@_@
Wow, lol, the internet sploded!
….
@hey Actually it’s mostly you arguing that, which is funny as you are the only one to change your avatar to reflect your gender. :P
In any case making assumptions based on race or gender in the way you seem to be implying actually is racist or sexist, interpreting things properly due to a given context isn’t. I imagine you haven’t studied linguistics, so if that’s the case the difference between those two things might be hard to spot, but they are worlds apart.
For instance take the following sentence:
Last night I got so pissed.
What does that sentence actually mean?
If you were reading it casually like the rest of the content on here, what would you think it meant?
Here’s another one:
I so lucked out on that one.
What would you take that to mean?
I’m currently into Season 3, and just got hit by the 150 or so Katakana words. @_@
Even though they are fairly easy to pick up, it’s a bit overwhelming.
I originally put them in my TF Vocab deck like Koichi says on the site, but I changed my mind and decided to put them in their own deck so they don’t bog down the vocab deck in sheer numbers. I think this will also help my brain separate these words from native Japanese words, so when I am working on the English to Japanese version of the cards, I realize it’s just a Katakanazation of the word.
がんばって！
Welcome to TF!
I’ve created a thread to track your completion of TF, so check it out:
http://www.textfugu.com/bb/topic/textfugu-season-completions-for-great-motivation-of-heart/
Welcome to TF!
LOL, well obviously that could make a difference as well. Which we also have a where are you from thread, so obviously it can be pertinent. That said unless someone’s particularly culturally aware, it probably wouldn’t make a lot of difference knowing someone’s cultural backgrounds as a whole. Where as everyone has gender experience and thus are intuitively aware of the differences whether it’s conscious or not. When you have training in linguistics the intuitive stuff just becomes more obvious, so you become consciously aware of the differences. I’m pretty sure there was even a specific course dedicated to that when I was doing my training, but I didn’t take it myself.
I’m from the US, though I’m currently living in AUS. My wife is Australian and even though I’ve lived in the country for 9 years and have been with her the entire time, I still have instances where she’ll say something and I have no idea what the hell she’s talking about, because it’s an Aussie specific thing that I somehow still haven’t encountered in 9 years. So obviously even being from different countries can make a huge difference in how you interpret what someone’s saying, hell even being from different states in the US can, but unless you are specifically aware of their cultural and social differences, the info isn’t going to do you any good.
For those who finished, at what level would you consider yourself to be after having just finished what’s on TF?
ありがとうございます
Welcome to TF!
What genres of music are you in to?
The only way it’s sexist is from the point of view that males and females are completely the same in mannerisms, which of course they are not.
It’s more obvious in Japanese, but it’s definitely there in English as well.
I had to deal with this from a speaking point of view with my ESL students as well. One of the guys in my class complained to me that many people thought he was gay based on how he talked, as he learned English from his sister, and she sounded a bit like a valley girl. So I had to work hard at pointing out the things in his speech patterns that sounded feminine. Which is a separate, but related issue to what I’m talking about here.
Like totally!
I don’t see why gender is important, what does it matter on the internet? lol
Not knowing gender means you will treat everyone equally which can only be a good thing imo.
Wow I figured people who are learning a second language would be more aware of the nuances involved between genders and language. It has nothing to do with treating people equally. It has to do with interpretation of text. When a guy says the exact same thing as a female, it can mean something quite different, and just knowing the source can help interpret that meaning.
For instance a female might say something and it be meant as a completely harmless comment, but you know if it were coming from a guy they are being a dick, or vice versa.
In voice chat it wouldn’t matter as you can usually tell that type of thing by inflection and tone. But you don’t get that through text.
That said some girls talk (type) like guys and vice versa as well, but they are exceptions to the rule, and you’ll find that a lot of people will naturally be offended by those people in certain situations until they realize that they are not intentionally provoking you, that’s just the way they communicate.
I had to deal with a lot of these problems myself on a message board that I ran, and gender tags helped a lot.
But obviously if people don’t want them…
If you do end up doing it yourself, make sure that the mnemonics are based on the very first things that pop into your head. The weirder and bizarre it is, the easier it will be to remember. Also try to engage as many of your senses as possible.
