mp (thuey@UCDAVIS.EDU)
Sat, 6 Feb 1999 21:26:16 -0800
X-Sender: ez073369@catbert.ucdavis.edu Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.04.9902062117240.20990-100000@catbert.ucdavis.edu> Date: Sat, 6 Feb 1999 21:26:16 -0800 From: mp <thuey@UCDAVIS.EDU> Subject: Re: Iris Songs
This might be better on private email but oh well...
> I'm not exactly sure what all the fuss is about in the reading of
> "itoshi" since I have never taken a class about Japanese grammar (for
> Terrence who attends UC Davis, like me!, I've never had a class with
> Sakakibara, Uchida, Shigeyama or any of the lower division, so it's all
> beyond me).
Ah, you're missing out! Uchida-sensei wa saikou!!! I had
Sakakibara-sensei and although she's nice and all, she can also be
not-nice...
But man, Uchida-sensei is inspiration enough for taking Japanese =P.
Won't you agree Gerald/Godai?
> After all, how many ways do you need to count?
Yes, that's probably my only complaint about Japanese. I think
all the different forms of speech makes it totemo muzukashii on the
Japanese learner, but at the same time, is cool because the way people
talk defines their personality.
> if you only stick to classroom Japanese, katakana is pretty useless (ask
> most of the students in a Japanese language classroom who have no
> interest outside of the class).
And for those who don't take japanese in a school, Katakana is probably
the only thing they learn. Kinda weird.
Then again, classroom japanese is focused only on formal japanese. I wish
I could really learn the different styles of talking. After all, nearly
none of the people in Japan say "desu, -masu" in every sentence.
> "Itoshii" can be used without the "no" (Itoshii hito). With the "no,"
> drop the "i," I just asked my walking dictionary, my mother. :>
Out of curiosity, does that apply to all "-i" adjectives?
Itoshi no Jean Paul = Itoshii Jean Paul
Kawai no Uchida-sensei = Kawaii Uchida-sensei ?
-t