Subject: Urashima Taro Speaking (Was: Baka-chon)
From my parents (early 1960s immigrants) I learned the Japanese word
for camera is "shashinki". But these days, most people say "kamera".
If you use "shashinki" in conversation with a young Japanese,
you will sound like Rip van Winkle!
(I should have used "Urashima Taro" here, but I am
not sure if everyone on this list would understand
the reference. Were you told any
Japanese folk tales
as a child? Which ones meant the most to you?)
Subject: Re: Urashima Taro Speaking
> From my parents (early 1960s immigrants) I learned the
> Japanese word for camera is "shashinki". But these days,
> most people say "kamera". If you use "shashinki" in
> conversation with a young Japanese, you will sound like
> Rip van Winkle!
And "TV" -- some younger Canadian and American kids won't understand if you call it "television".
Subject: Re: Urashima Taro Speaking
> And "TV" -- some younger Canadian and American kids
> won't understand if you call it "television".
And how many of them realize the name for "The Grammys" comes from
"gramophone"?
Subject: Re: Urashima Taro Speaking
> And "TV" -- some younger Canadian and American kids
> won't understand if you call it "television".
The story is told of a child who came home from school one day and told his
mother that the teacher showed the class an old machine she had, and it was
like a computer only it didn't have a TV monitor. He couldn't remember what
the teacher called it. The mother thought for a moment and asked her child,
"Did she call it a 'typewriter'?" The child said, "Yeah, that's right!"
Subject: Re: Urashima Taro Speaking
> [Story of the child who didn't recognize a typewriter.]
Ha ha! That's great! My son was playing with an old manual typewriter
last year and asked me where the "backspace" key was, and how come he
couldn't see the cursor!
Subject: Re: Urashima Taro Speaking
> And how many of them realize the name for "The Grammys"
> comes from "gramophone"?
Speaking of "gramophones," prior to coming to Japan, I thought
the Japanese term for record player or turntable was "chikuonki."
Before finally being taught the contemporary Japanese term,
people either stared at me wondering what I meant or laughed at what I said.
To tell you the truth, I still slip up occasionally.
Many times it takes a conscious effort on my part not to use such
Nikkeijin-go (JA-ben) terms in Japan.
"Chikuonki" is still used here, but only for those old crank-up type
models or other antique type record players (like the record player
with the huge horn type speaker on the former RCA logo).
Subject: Re: Urashima Taro Speaking
> Speaking of "gramophones," prior to coming to Japan, I thought
> the Japanese term for record player or turntable was "chikuonki."
I was actually surprised when my 80-ish grandmother looked at a
radio-cassette recorder and called it "chikuonki".
That word is not even in my pocket Japanese English dictionary anymore.
I thought learning a nearly extinct Japanese term was neat.
BTW, I think Japan tries too much to westernize everything, including names.
Although they may all have a Japanese accent to it,
things like camera ('kamera'), microphone ('maiku'), studio ('sutajio') or
cassette recorder ('kasetto rekohda') are called by these 'English' terms.
It's as if it's cooler to have American names or something.
After losing the War, I think the whole country developed an
inferiority complex. And I don't think the people have gotten over it.
Even the younger Japanese have this being-American-is-so-cool attitude.
American pop culture still prevails. Disneyland and Mickey Mouse rules
among the kids. My 3-year-old niece who has never been to the U.S. cannot
part with her Winnie-the-Pooh doll. Although Japanese characters like
Pi-ka-chu from Pokemon are popular over here, she likes her American doll better.
Subject: Re: Urashima Taro Speaking
> I think Japan tries too much to westernize everything,
> including names. After losing the War, I think the whole
> country developed an inferiority complex. And I don't
> think the people have gotten over it.
Being defeated in the War may play a big part in the introduction
of a large volume of "borrowed" foreign words in the Japanese
language. Being defeated meant that everything (their institution,
what they were taught, religion, etc) was inferior to America.
I think that if America had lost the War to Japan, our English
language and culture would probably show a great influence from the
"superior" culture (the one that won). Perhaps (just perhaps now),
the late Elvis Presley or the Beach Boys would be strumming
on shamisen instead of guitars! And there would be hundreds of
Japanese language conversation schools all over the States in
the same way there are English conversation schools in Japan today.
It is something interesting to think about.
Subject: Re: Urashima Taro Speaking
> If America had lost the War to Japan, our English language and culture
> would probably show a great influence from the "superior" culture
> (the one that won). Perhaps (just perhaps now), the late Elvis Presley
> or the Beach Boys would be strumming on shamisen instead of guitars!
Elvis and the Beach Boys using shamisen would
have indeed changed the whole American rock culture! :-)
