Japanese Lessons with Mayuna

  • 28. 絵と音楽

    はい、こんにちは。今回はポッドキャストの28回目です。私は最近、鼻水が止まりません。季節が変わるときは、寒暖差アレルギーというアレルギーが出ます。寒暖差アレルギーは、気温の差が7度以上になると出やすいそうです。特に朝と夜がひどいです。寝不足になるのは辛いですが、私はずっと家にいるので、昼に休むことができます。最近のレッスンはだいたい午前中です。

    Hello. This is episode 28 of my podcast. I have had a runny nose recently. When the seasons change, I get an allergy called a cold weather allergy. I’m told that cold-weather allergies are more likely to appear when the temperature difference is more than seven degrees Celsius. It is particularly bad in the morning and at night. It is hard for me to sleep, but I am at home all the time, so I can rest during the day. My lessons these days are usually in the morning.

    最近また、音楽を作り始めました。私は美術大学に通っていました。入学試験のために二年ぐらいデッサンを勉強しました。音楽や、美術や、スポーツなど、文化的な活動はなんでもそうですが、頭で理解することより、練習を通して経験することが重要です。先生のアドバイスは感覚的な表現が多く、同じ経験がないと理解できないからです。筋肉だけではなく、耳や目なども、活動するためのトレーニングが重要です。

    I recently started making music again. I used to go to art college. I studied drawing for about two years for the entrance exam. As with any cultural activity, be it music, art or sports, it is more important to experience it through practice than to understand it in your head. This is because the teacher’s advice is often expressed in sensory terms, which cannot be understood without the same experience. Physical muscle training is important for certain activities. However, training our hearing sense and visual sense is important too.

    なので20代のときは、ほとんど毎日絵を描いていました。しかし、それは思っていたより楽しくありませんでした。私は小さい頃から絵を描くことが好きでしたが、絵を描くことで、空想の世界にいることが好きでした。人に絵を見せて褒められることよりも、一人で絵を描いて楽しんでいる時間の方が重要でした。評価にはあまり興味がありませんでした。

    So when I was in my twenties, I drew almost every day. But it wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be. I had loved drawing since I was a little girl, but I loved it because it let me be in my own imaginary world. It was more important to me to spend time alone drawing and having fun than to show my drawings to others and receive compliments. I was not really interested in evaluation.

    30代になってからは、絵を描くことはほとんどなくなりました。音楽は、絵とは違うアプローチで勉強したいです。音楽はできるだけ練習しないように気をつけています。音楽を勉強する人は、最初に楽器を習ったり、音楽理論やコードを勉強します。それは大切なことですが、一生懸命になりすぎると、目的が「楽しむこと」より「上手になること」に代わってしまいます。そうなると、楽しくありません。

    Since I entered my 30s, I rarely draw anymore. I want to study music in a different way to how I studied art in my 20s. I want to get away from the technical side, and pursue it in a more free, organic way. I try to practise music as little as possible. People who study music first learn an instrument or study music theory and chords. That is important, but if you work too hard, your aim will be replaced by ‘getting better’ rather than ‘having fun’. When that happens, it is no fun.

    言語も同じですね。人に褒められたり、上手になることだけを目標にしていると、勉強が辛く感じます。言語の勉強を楽しむには、会話をすることが大切です。自分の考えを効率的に伝えられるようになると、面白いと感じます。

    It is the same with languages. If your only goal is to be praised by others or to be good at something, you will find it hard to study. To enjoy studying a language, it is important to have conversations. When you become able to communicate your thoughts effectively, you will find it more enjoyable.

    はい、じゃあ今日はこんな感じで終わりたいと思います。また来週お会いしましょう。どうもありがとうございました。

    Well, I think that’s it for today. See you next time and thanks for listening!

  • How to express your character with your online language in Japanese

    How to express your character with your online language in Japanese

    Video calls, once just a way of saving money on international calls, are now indispensable in everyday life. Social networking sites are used by almost everyone, regardless of age. With online communication now a major part of our lives, does the way we use language play the same role as it did in the past?

    What are ‘role words’?

    When watching Japanese anime, manga or literary works, have you ever been surprised by the many expressions the characters use, which are not covered by Japanese teaching materials? For example, Son Goku from Dragon Ball calls himself オラ (I), but not many Japanese actually call themselves that. Such expressions are called 役割語(やくわりご) (role words). They are used to describe the character of the speaker. Originally, it was a language usage that came from a particular region, social class or occupation. While it is possible in English, for example, to express a person’s social class and background through intonation and vocabulary, in Japanese the first person pronouns and choice of sentence endings can express a person’s characteristics in more detail, such as gender, age and occupation. There are so many different types of first person in Japanese that even a Japanese linguist cannot fully grasp them, and there are around 70 types available on Wikipedia alone.

    The usefulness of ‘role words’ in reality

    Do role words only exist in the world of fiction? In fact, they are also used in reality.

    Just as there are expressions that express respect for the other person, such as 尊敬語(そんけいご) (honorific expression) and 謙譲語 (けんじょうご) (humble expression), there are also expressions that are more intimate and casual. For example, parents of young children refer to themselves as パパ(dad) or ママ(mom) and add the sentence endings〜だよ, 〜だね, etc, to make them feel closer to their children. This type of talk does not take place in conversations between adults.

    Another traditional communication strategy in Japan is to take advantage of gender stereotypes. For example, LGBT male celebrities use role words such as あたし, 〜よ and 〜だわ, which are reminiscent of chatty middle-aged women, to soften the intimidation of harsh comments. Female writers sometimes use masculine pen names and role words such as 僕(ぼく), 〜だろ and 〜かよ, without revealing their identity, to avoid harassment and unfair underestimation. Most people accept those personalities as false. Do they accept them silently because they are afraid of clarification or confrontation? No. No one is harmed by the lies, so the truth does not need to be stated. In Japan, things that are not sincere and are coated with lies are frowned upon. On the other hand, excessive prying and demands for disclosure of the truth are also known as 野暮(やぼ) (overzealous behaviour) and are a form of bad manners. This peculiar sense of justice allows for the retention of ambiguous identities.

    Since communication on social networking sites has become mainstream, the act of “retaining a virtual persona in the public eye”, such as Vtubers, has become more widely accepted. These are no longer just about avoiding discrimination and prejudice against individuals, but are creative activities for their own sake. They are attempts to establish a more familiar and universal status by assuming visuals and settings that are like a common language of the community.

    The real world is now more simulation than virtual reality

    There is well-known data that wealthy people have one thing in common: they have rich parents. Life in the real world may be predictable to some extent by looking back on the status and deeds of our ancestors. In the metaverse, it is possible to avoid labelling based on physical characteristics or status and maintain a more personal and organic identity. In such an environment, the ability to communicate verbally will play a more important role. Self-introductions that only aim to convey information, such as “I am an office worker” or “I enjoy yoga”, can give the impression of being mechanical and opaque. on the contrary, using such phrases may lead to people being inadvertently categorised. In order to express your humanity in a richer way, try to think about your 言葉遣い(way of using language) that is unique to you. Information such as occupation and hobbies may no longer be the most important things for building real online relationships. By all means, take advantage of the lessons and observe the role words used by native speakers.

    Reference:
    Japanese pronouns. (2022, 22 May) in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_pronouns

    Yakuwarigo. (2022, 24 May) in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuwarigo

    Read on italki

  • 27. 本屋に行く

    はい、こんにちは。今回はポッドキャストの27回目です。毎日暑いですね。私は先週、夏服をオンラインで注文しました。私は相変わらず家にいることが多いので、外に出た時はなるべく遠くに行くようにしています。今までは近所のコンビニでコーヒーを買っていましたが、歩いて１５分ぐらいの店に行くことにしました。コーヒーは店によって全然味が違いますね。そこのコーヒーは少し高いですが、コンビニより美味しいです。

    Hello. This is episode 27 of my podcast. It’s hot every day. I ordered my summer clothes online last week. I am still at home most of the time, so when I go out I try to go as far as possible. I used to buy coffee at a local convenience store, but I decided to go to a shop about 15 minutes’ walk away. Coffee tastes totally different depending on the shop. The coffee there is a bit more expensive, but it tastes better than at the convenience store.

    最近、会話を練習している生徒さんが増えています。文法を覚えても、リスニングとスピーキングに自信がないと、実際に言葉を使うのは難しいですよね。発音は、大人になってから勉強するのは無理だと考えている人が多いですが、実は違います。母音の種類やイントネーション、母国語との違いを勉強で理解して、練習を繰り返せば、大人でもかなり自然な発音になります。発音についてもっと詳しく教えることができるように、今朝、本屋に行きました。

    More and more students are practising conversation these days. Even if you learn grammar, it is difficult to actually use the language if you are not confident in your listening and speaking skills. Many people think that pronunciation is impossible to learn as an adult, but it is not. If you understand the different types of vowels, intonation and differences from your native language through study and repeated practice, even adults can pronounce words quite naturally. I went to the bookshop this morning so that I could teach more about pronunciation.

    私の家の近くにはジュンク堂という本屋があります。ジュンク堂は、日本で一番大きい本屋チェーンの一つです。どの店舗も広くて、大量の本があります。立ち読みもできるので、東京に住んでいた時からよく利用していました。立ち読みとは、売っている本を買う前に読むことです。本屋に行ったのは昼前でしたが、たくさん人がいました。会社員も在宅勤務をするようになったので、決まった時間に働いていない人が多いです。

    Near my house there is a bookshop called Junkudo. Junkudo is one of the biggest bookshop chains in Japan. All shops are spacious and have a large quantity of books. I used to use it a lot since I lived in Tokyo because you can Tachiyomi. ‘Tachiyomi (standing reading)’ means reading the books on sale before buying them. It was before noon when I went to the bookshop, but there were many people there. Company employees are now working from home, so many of them don’t work at set hours.

    日本語の発音の本を見た後は、医学の本のコーナーで、ウィルスや抗体の仕組みについての本を立ち読みしました。インターネットの記事は誰が書いているかわかりませんが、本の著者はだいたい専門家です。専門的な本は説明がつまらないという欠点がありますが、内容はインターネットの記事より詳しいです。少し前に言語と脳科学の本を買いました。これも結構つまらないです。内容にはとても興味があるのに、その説明がつまらないと感じるのは不思議ですね。

    After looking at the Japanese pronunciation books, I browsed the medical book section for books about viruses and how antibodies work. You never know who writes the articles on the internet, but the authors of the books are usually experts. Specialist books have the downside that their explanations are boring, but their content is more detailed than internet articles. Some time ago I bought a book on language and brain science. It is also quite boring. It is strange that I am very interested in the content, but find the explanations boring.

    家に帰った後は、オムライスを作りました。オムライスとは、ケチャップを混ぜたごはんをオムレツで包んだ料理です。フライパンだけでできるので、とても簡単です。

    After returning home, I made Omuraisu. ‘Omuraisu (omelette rice)’ is a dish of rice mixed with ketchup and wrapped in an omelette. It is very easy to make, using only a frying pan.

    はい、じゃあ今日はこんな感じで終わりたいと思います。また来週お会いしましょう。どうもありがとうございました。

    Well, I think that’s it for today. See you next time and thanks for listening!