Discovering Japan
My favorite blog about Asian languages is Amritas. He's a real big-deal linguist, though, so his discussions, while always fascinating, can get technical.
For a layman's approach, I read Peter Payne, an American living and doing business (and raising a family) in Japan. I found him via his business site, J-list, where I order all sorts of funky toys that delight my son and me. (Warning, of course, this being Japan, the sexuality is more frank and somewhat shifted from American standards, so the site isn't entirely work-safe).
Besides obvious words like kamikaze, mikado, bonsai, karaoke, karate,, and soy, some words in English that are Japanese include:
But a great many more words have flowed the other direction, from English into Japanese, though many of these are considered "slang" in Japan.
One of the evidences that English is a living world language is that it evolves, and in each pocket where it takes root, it grows a little more apart from the English of England. English in India (especially in some of the smaller newspapers) is almost its own tongue. Same with Jamaica and Sierra Leone. In Singapore, they speak Singlish. Here's a blog entry from Emily, 24, about a visit to Long John Silver's in Singapore, demonstrating both formal and conversational Singlish:
I love it!
So back to Japan. Even there, where English is in no sense an "official" language or a primary language, it evolves. It starts with little things; as a brand name becomes the name for the whole class of things it represents (Kleenex, e.g., to the eternal frustration of the manufacturer), in Japan the word for "stapler" is hotchikisu. This is the good old American Hotchkiss from E. H. Hotchkiss Company of Norwalk, Connecticut, an early and prominent manufacturer of staplers (incorporated 1895, name from 1897).
So here's an English word, with a definable meaning in Japan, that exists nowhere in the English-speaking nations with that meaning.
I knew about that one, but Peter Payne recently wrote about a couple more:
Good words!
Of course, there's always this.
For a layman's approach, I read Peter Payne, an American living and doing business (and raising a family) in Japan. I found him via his business site, J-list, where I order all sorts of funky toys that delight my son and me. (Warning, of course, this being Japan, the sexuality is more frank and somewhat shifted from American standards, so the site isn't entirely work-safe).
Besides obvious words like kamikaze, mikado, bonsai, karaoke, karate,, and soy, some words in English that are Japanese include:
- kudzu, the vine that ate the South. Native to Japan and China, it was introduced in U.S. southeast as forage (1920s) and to stop soil erosion (1930s) and quickly got out of hand.
- honcho, a word picked up by U.S. servicemen in Japan and Korea, 1947-1953, from Japanese hancho "group leader," from han "corps, squad" and cho "head, chief."
- tycoon, originally the title given by foreigners to the shogun of Japan (said to have been used by his supporters when addressing foreigners, as an attempt to convey that the shogun was more important than the emperor), from Japanese taikun "great lord or prince," from Chinese tai "great" and kiun "lord." The word has been used in English since at least 1857. The transferred meaning "important person" is attested from 1861, in reference to Abraham Lincoln (in his secretary Hay's diary). The specific application to "businessman" is post-World War I.
But a great many more words have flowed the other direction, from English into Japanese, though many of these are considered "slang" in Japan.
One of the evidences that English is a living world language is that it evolves, and in each pocket where it takes root, it grows a little more apart from the English of England. English in India (especially in some of the smaller newspapers) is almost its own tongue. Same with Jamaica and Sierra Leone. In Singapore, they speak Singlish. Here's a blog entry from Emily, 24, about a visit to Long John Silver's in Singapore, demonstrating both formal and conversational Singlish:
Had dinner with Kim at Long John Silver earlier. LJS is such a Cheaterbug!
Ordered a combo one which consists of two pieces of chicken, fries and a drink. The chicken pieces were strunken, much smaller than a goreng pisang. (!!) They probably held just as much(little?) meat as two chicken mcnuggets cojoined.
I looked at the cashier and went, "How come like that? Bird flu then all the chicken pieces become so small ah?! How can???" She laughed and chimed, "Er...all the chicken now become smaller lah" which actually wasnt any explanation at all.
It's appalling how dishonest businesses can get. It's atrocious. Blatantly downsizing and compromising quality while keeping the price the same...or even worse, raising the price altogether.
Check out Ronald's Mcnuggets. They've never tasted worse in the entirety of a millenium. Ronald should be ashamed of himself. Shame on you, you yellow dirty fellow with your dirty little business tricks!
I love it!
So back to Japan. Even there, where English is in no sense an "official" language or a primary language, it evolves. It starts with little things; as a brand name becomes the name for the whole class of things it represents (Kleenex, e.g., to the eternal frustration of the manufacturer), in Japan the word for "stapler" is hotchikisu. This is the good old American Hotchkiss from E. H. Hotchkiss Company of Norwalk, Connecticut, an early and prominent manufacturer of staplers (incorporated 1895, name from 1897).
So here's an English word, with a definable meaning in Japan, that exists nowhere in the English-speaking nations with that meaning.
I knew about that one, but Peter Payne recently wrote about a couple more:
Sometimes the Japanese use words they're sure are English -- but they're completely unintelligible to you and me. One such word is biking, as in, "I had breakfast at the hotel, and it was biking style." It turns out the word comes from the word "viking" and means "all you can eat" (aka smorgasbord). Then there's the term freeter, which sounds like something to eat, but means a person who works part-time jobs, never bothering to find full-time employment or start a career.
Good words!
Of course, there's always this.
