This thread is for the discussion of the language, culture, travel, daily life, etc. of Japan. Let's tark at randam in Japanese and English. Take it easy!
i said すみません to someone on the train when i was getting ready to get off since he was standing in the way, and he responded with あ、こめんね. i ended up not saying anything other than smiling. should i have thanked him or something?
Adrian Williams
no. you did perfectly okay.
Nolan King
I'd just say すみません and nothing else
Robert Smith
>こめん ups, still getting used to flick. also, i've been wondering whether you should be thanking cashiers at convenience stores and restaurants.
Justin Jackson
Japs, do you like edogawa ranpo ?
David Perez
It's a little old fashioned now but yeah there have been many tv dramas made and they are quite enjoyable
What are the grimmest, ugliest places in Japan? I want to look at them on Google Earth just so I can feel better about my country being fucking hideous and filthy.
does the subtitle of this video correct to what they speak? youtu.be/re43bpk924Q
Andrew Reyes
口語 is modern Japanese as spoken in Japan. 文語 is classical literary Japanese from the 平安 period which is still studied so that people can read classics and was used for formal writing for a long time but is no longer used in everyday life. 古語 is a general term for older types of Japanese. 上代語 is pre-classical Japanese from the 奈良 period, like the language used in the 万葉集.
文語 and 口語 have different conjugations because they are different languages, although one developed out of the other. If you study 文語 you will become able to see the continuity and understand how 口語 came to be what it is.
I can also try to explain some of the parts you have circled in that image because I'm bored.
In 文語, the particle ば had two different usages depending on if it connected to the 未然形 or 已然形. The 未然形+ば had an "if" meaning and the 已然形+ば had a "because" meaning. As the language evolved, the 已然形+ば version took over the "if" meaning and the "because" meaning gradually disappeared. This is the only usage of the 已然形 left in modern Japanese, so the name 已然形 no longer makes sense, and was changed to 仮定形.
In both 口語 and 文語 the volitional is formed by attaching anauxiliary verb like ~む or ~う (~う derives from ~む) to the 未然形 of a verb. So the volitional form of 書く in 文語 would be 書かむ or 書かう. But 文語 uses 歴史的仮名遣い where あう is pronounced おう. So in 口語, where kana spellings have been standardized, 書かう is written 書こう. This 書こ form that is not present in 文語 is what makes it a 五段 verb instead of a 四段 verb in 口語.
The irregular verb する has three separate 未然形 in modern Japanese (さ, し, せ) but in 文語 it only had the original one (せ). In 文語 you can use this form for the volitional (せむ), negative (せず), causative (せさす) and passive (せらる), but in 口語 it is only used for archaic conjugations (and sometimes the passive). In 口語 you use し for the volitional and modern negative (しよう, しない) and さ for the causative and passive (させる, される).
In 文語 there was only one 下一段 verb: 蹴る. This word became 五段 in modern Japanese, along with the ナ変 verbs (死ぬ, 往ぬ) and ラ変 verbs (like ある and おる), so all 四段, ナ変, ラ変 and 下一段 verbs in 文語 correspond to modern 五段 verbs. The modern 下一段 verbs all derive from classical 下二段 verbs (e.g. 食ぶ -> 食べる, 見ゆ -> 見える).
Why do japanese not make babies? You have no excuse. You have cute women, which are very traditional, a totally homogeneous country, a great flourishing culture, everything... Why?
Nolan Scott
Here in Germany, the women are cancer. You can forget about them. That's why I don't have a GF. I wish I could have a cute japanese GF ;.;
question for the japanese folk: how would you describe the japanese who go to foreign countries to teach japanese, going from one country to another, in their thirties and above? Do you think they share common motives or share some traits or goals that would differentiate them as a group?
Nathan Nelson
It's a great show nonetheless. What do you think about it? Is it popular in Japan? Can you suggest something in similar vein?