*Questions about English*Help me Pleeeeeez

[yumyumtimtam]

Originally Posted by Columbine

Hee~ it's just a silly joke I made up.
You make a few small mistakes, but often it just seems like a typo rather than an error in your english.

you made it up?
it's not silly, I like it!

Thank you, I am happy to hear that but I will make more mistakes in the near future!

Mmm, not yet. I've missed the AEON deadline. I need to keep looking.

You know what?
If you can get your Working Holiday visa, you don't need to wait till you find a company to work for.I think it would be much easier to find a good job when you are in Japan right? come come

It's a lovely place! I really enjoyed visiting it. Too bad I could only spend a day there.

My parents place is close to Kamakura maybe less than 30 min by train.
I will visit there next month and take some photo and put here

We have hydrangeas. It's true about the soil as well. My grampa used to bury old iron under his hydrangea bushes so they would always flower red. The iron makes it acidic.I have kites living near me too, but they're much smaller and shyer than the ones in Japan!

I see. I thought hydrangea was Japanese thing.
Thank you I learnt a new thing!

I think reguler kites are shy... or won't come close to people like the ones in Kamakura area. I think there are many tourists having some foods near the beach and didn't throw them in the right place, but just leave it...or may be some of them gave their foods to the birds...
It happened to the wild monkeys and bears too...

I would say that English has five vowels. In the past Y was also a vowel because it was completely interchangeable with 'I', but we don't use it like that now so much. It's now a constanant that sometimes acts like a vowel.

I see...

I grew up in a school where phonics were taught. As well as learning "ABC" as their names; "Ay bee cee" we had to learn sounds as well; "Ah, buh, kuh". We also did a lot of work on spelling and sounds. So, for example, one week would be all about words with a double o in them; "Choose, loose, moose, goose, etc" and we'd have to learn the pronunciation and the spelling. OUGH can be really difficult to learn as it has so many pronunciations. But mostly you learnt to tell by context how things are pronounced; like 'bow' and 'bow', 'bowed' and 'bowed'.
It's the same as '橋', '箸' and '端' in Japanese.

There are not many (Japanese)English teachers teach phonics in Japan...
It's not because they don't want to or don't have to...but they can't.

Japanese language is also complicated isn't it?
all of the はしs you mentioned, Kansai people sound it differently from us in Kanto area.

How many 漢字 you learnt so far?

Please leave your questions about Japanese
I'd be happy if I could help you too.

[yumyumtimtam]

Originally Posted by Koir

In the list, "ton" and "one" sound almost the same except "one" starts with a "w" sound (wuhn) that is not present in the correct spelling.

Thank you.
I didn't notice that ton and one sound almost the same without w sound.
so... in that case..."won" sound the same with "one" ?
Was wone the right spelling long time ago?

That may be due to the initial vowel sound needing a similiar-sounding consonant sound to be spoken properly. Of course, this is not a strict rule in English as I can think of words starting with "u" (unknown, unseen, other words starting with the "un" prefix) that do not need this consonant sound.

mmm it's very complicated...
my English isn't good enough to understand...sorry!

Do you mean there aren't many words starting with the vowel?

I always wonder...how can I know how to sound a...I mean like...
apple(short a)
april(long a)
ape(long a)

Both those places as well as immersion in other social situations, along with years of experience. Outside classroom settings they were presented not as rules but as accepted ways of speaking and expression.

right.
I see...
I think many Japanese do the same way to learn Japanese, but when it comes to learning English here in Japan... the teachers don't(can't) teach us how to read properly! but we have to learn the bloody Roman-ji at elemntary school! That made me really confused when I tried to read English, like... "take"

I wish my exJapanese Englich teachers could have taught us about magic e...
I was 21 years old when I was told about this magic e and the other basic phonics rules and it wasn't in Japan, but in Australia...

How do you study Japanese?

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

you made it up?
it's not silly, I like it!

Thank you, I am happy to hear that but I will make more mistakes in the near future!

*W* I'm sure i'm not the first person to think of it, but yes, amongst my friends I made that up!
It's ok. I make dumb mistakes in Japanese all the time. I spent almost a month calling the 洗濯機 a 飛行機 until someone pointed out i'd gotten it mixed up. >_<;

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

You know what?
If you can get your Working Holiday visa, you don't need to wait till you find a company to work for.I think it would be much easier to find a good job when you are in Japan right? come come

That's one idea! I'm trying to find a part-time job in my hometown right now so I could afford the plane ticket. Even if I didn't find a job, I want to visit my friends in Japan again.

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

My parents place is close to Kamakura maybe less than 30 min by train.
I will visit there next month and take some photo and put here

I see. I thought hydrangea was Japanese thing.
Thank you I learnt a new thing!

Sounds good! I'm going to a place near Wales in April that's famous for it's wild autumn fruits. They should be all flowering by then. Maybe i'll take some pictures too.

[quote=yumyumtimtam;801215] I think reguler kites are shy... or won't come close to people like the ones in Kamakura area. I think there are many tourists having some foods near the beach and didn't throw them in the right place, but just leave it...or may be some of them gave their foods to the birds...
It happened to the wild monkeys and bears too... [quote] We have the same problem with seagulls. I don't live anywhere near the sea but too many people leave food in the park and now there's hundreds of these huge seagulls everywhere. They make an awful mess everywhere and raid other birds' nests so there's now a law that if you catch a seagull you can't put it back into the wild and they fine people if they drop food.

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

There are not many (Japanese)English teachers teach phonics in Japan...
It's not because they don't want to or don't have to...but they can't.

I imagine it's difficult. Japanese people would have to learn the phonics all conciously, and natives, even though they use it perfectly, don't always understand how the rules work unless they've studied it.

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

Japanese language is also complicated isn't it?
all of the はしs you mentioned, Kansai people sound it differently from us in Kanto area.

Hah! That's right, it's so confusing. あめ　あめ　あめ　あめ

I can read and write a little under 500 漢字 and I can read about maybe 700 or more kanji but not write them.

Thank you! When I have questions, i'll be sure to ask you.

[Koir]

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

Thank you.
I didn't notice that ton and one sound almost the same without w sound.
so... in that case..."won" sound the same with "one" ?

Yes, they sound the same. "Won" and "one" sound the same but have different meanings.

Was wone the right spelling long time ago?

It may have been spelled that way centuries ago when Middle English was the type spoken in English-speaking countries in Europe, though I am not entirely sure.

mmm it's very complicated...
my English isn't good enough to understand...sorry!

Do you mean there aren't many words starting with the vowel?

No, I am saying that in some cases a word starting with a vowel is spoken with a consonant at the beginning ("one" ==> "wuhn") in order for it to sound correct to a listener.

It's more obvious when using "a" or "an" to describe a single object.

Example:

a orange

and

an orange

If you sound out both, the first one is more awkward and does not sound correct to an English speaker. The second has a consonant "n" that connects the two words together, sounding correct to an English speaker.

I always wonder...how can I know how to sound a...I mean like...
apple(short a)
april(long a)
ape(long a)

Practice, experience, and immersion in situations where English is the only language spoken are the best ways. Eventually, you will not need to concentrate as much on the rules of grammar and instead on how you heard it spoken correctly in past experiences.

How do you study Japanese?

At the moment, having the learning materials (audio CDs and Nintendo DS game) in the same room as me, and checking this forum daily. Not much, I do admit.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by Koir

It may have been spelled that way centuries ago when Middle English was the type spoken in English-speaking countries in Europe, though I am not entirely sure.

I checked my etymology dictionary and it says that 'One' was originally pronounced like the 'on' part of 'only' or 'un' but the now-standard pronunciation "wun" began c.14c. in southwest and west England (Tyndale, a Gloucester man, spells it 'won' in his Bible translation).

There was nothing interesting about 'win', but in my medieval english dictionary it lists three 'wones' as a completely different words meaning "as accustomed to doing"; "a dwelling" and "an abundance"

[yumyumtimtam]

Originally Posted by Columbine

I make dumb mistakes in Japanese all the time. I spent almost a month calling the 洗濯機 a 飛行機 until someone pointed out i'd gotten it mixed up. >_<;

hahaha, wow Id love to see a 洗濯機 flying! or many 洗濯機 flying!
oh now I remember about my ex.
He once said to me
you are my にんじん.
and I went like
later we found out he meant にんぎょう
but... actually I wasn't happy to know that he though I was his doll??
Is that a common thing for boys to say to their girlfriends?
anyway we were both young and that relationship didn't last long... about 3-5 months I think...I don't even remember!

That's one idea! I'm trying to find a part-time job in my hometown right now so I could afford the plane ticket. Even if I didn't find a job, I want to visit my friends in Japan again.

Im looking for some fun job here too.
I have my own school but it's a really really small school and can't make money...I feel like I have been doing a volunteer work... so I think I need some job.お互いがんばりましょう！

Sounds good! I'm going to a place near Wales in April that's famous for it's wild autumn fruits. They should be all flowering by then. Maybe i'll take some pictures too.

Oh, it sounds lovely!
I have visited UK once... but it was more than 15 years ago now
I really enjoyed there.The people I met there were really nice.

We have the same problem with seagulls. I don't live anywhere near the sea but too many people leave food in the park and now there's hundreds of these huge seagulls everywhere. They make an awful mess everywhere and raid other birds' nests so there's now a law that if you catch a seagull you can't put it back into the wild and they fine people if they drop food.

I think it's good idea to fine people who drop foods and rubbish.
There are too many rubbish at the beach, on the road...
I believe in Kalma, people throw rubbish wrongly, they would get more rubbish back in the end.

Hah! That's right, it's so confusing. あめ　あめ　あめ　あめ

you know them alright though right?
Q "Everytime I have あめ I can't help biting it"
Is this あめor あめ ?

I can read and write a little under 500 漢字 and I can read about maybe 700 or more kanji but not write them.

wow...you good!

Thank you! When I have questions, i'll be sure to ask you.

I thank YOU!
Yes, please!
Im looking forward to your questions!

[yumyumtimtam]

Originally Posted by Koir

Yes, they sound the same. "Won" and "one" sound the same but have different meanings.
It may have been spelled that way centuries ago when Middle English was the type spoken in English-speaking countries in Europe, though I am not entirely sure.

I see.

It's more obvious when using "a" or "an" to describe a single object.
Example:
a orange
and
an orange
If you sound out both, the first one is more awkward and does not sound correct to an English speaker. The second has a consonant "n" that connects the two words together, sounding correct to an English speaker.

なるほど　I see.

"the" is pronunced differently when the words begining with vowels comes after right? Why is that?

Practice, experience, and immersion in situations where English is the only language spoken are the best ways. Eventually, you will not need to concentrate as much on the rules of grammar and instead on how you heard it spoken correctly in past experiences.

Yes!
There is no short-cut right?

At the moment, having the learning materials (audio CDs and Nintendo DS game) in the same room as me, and checking this forum daily. Not much, I do admit.

Nintendo DS?!
What's your recent favourite? ("recent favourite" sounds OK?)

[yumyumtimtam]

Originally Posted by Columbine

I checked my etymology dictionary and it says that 'One' was originally pronounced like the 'on' part of 'only' or 'un' but the now-standard pronunciation "wun" began c.14c. in southwest and west England (Tyndale, a Gloucester man, spells it 'won' in his Bible translation).

There was nothing interesting about 'win', but in my medieval english dictionary it lists three 'wones' as a completely different words meaning "as accustomed to doing"; "a dwelling" and "an abundance"

Interesting...
Thank you very much for the information!

It's interesting to know how the words changed or changing...

Can you tell me how to explain this properly?
"When the time goes by the languages change" makes sense?

[Koir]

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

"the" is pronunced differently when the words begining with vowels comes after right? Why is that?

The examples I listed were ones that involved "a" or "an" before the noun they modify (that begins with a vowel). "The" ends in a vowel sound and so does not have the same rule use.

Nintendo DS?!
What's your recent favourite? ("recent favourite" sounds OK?)

The most recent game I had bought was "Disgaea DS", but I don't play it much. I had bought it because I had the money and Chrono Trigger was being released on the DS and not the older GameBoy system I had at the time.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

hahaha, wow Id love to see a 洗濯機 flying! or many 洗濯機 flying!
oh now I remember about my ex.
He once said to me
you are my にんじん.
and I went like
later we found out he meant にんぎょう
but... actually I wasn't happy to know that he though I was his doll??
Is that a common thing for boys to say to their girlfriends?
anyway we were both young and that relationship didn't last long... about 3-5 months I think...I don't even remember!

Hee~ like this? http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs40/f/20...aylorsmith.jpg

That is a little bit of an odd thing to say. I don't think 'doll' is a very common term of endearment. At least not as far as I know.

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

Oh, it sounds lovely!
I have visited UK once... but it was more than 15 years ago now
I really enjoyed there.The people I met there were really nice.

It's an interesting place. It looks like this on the lowlands: http://www.strettonfestival.org.uk/w...iperstones.jpg but when you climb just a little higher, it turns into this mountainous looking scenery: http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/gallery_im...nes_35_mid.jpg

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

I think it's good idea to fine people who drop foods and rubbish.
There are too many rubbish at the beach, on the road...
I believe in Kalma, people throw rubbish wrongly, they would get more rubbish back in the end.

It's a shame; I remember Japan being really clean and tidy in the cities, especially compared to London, but people didn't look after the countryside so well. I don't think it's because they don't care, but perhaps they don't know what the right things to do are.

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

you know them alright though right?
Q "Everytime I have あめ I can't help biting it"
Is this あめor あめ ?

I think so. that would be 飴...and it's Kanto ben, so the answer is あめ でしょう？

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

I thank YOU!
Yes, please!
Im looking forward to your questions!

では、今度少し日本語で返事します〜

Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam

Interesting...
Thank you very much for the information!

It's interesting to know how the words changed or changing...

Can you tell me how to explain this properly?
"When the time goes by the languages change" makes sense?

No problem. I would say "As time goes by, language changes." or "Language changes as time goes by."