Nihongojouzu

Kanji extensions for internet domains: .日本 from 2009

The Asahi Shimbun had an article this morning about the introduction of non-alphabet internet domain extensions. In response to demands from countries where the roman alphabet is not used, ICANN decided in November last year on a policy allowing non-alphabetic extensions. The example given in the article was kanji: from 2009 it will be possible to have a URL which looks like this:

http://OOOOOOO.日本

Since 2001 it has been possible to use non-alphabetic characters for domains, eg:

http://日本.com

So from 2009 this will be possible:

http://日本.日本

The details of the policy will be hammered out this year. Though the article focused on Japanese, naturally these changes will also allow the use of Arabic, Devanagari etc.

NB According to the TV news, Japanese seniors will find the changes helpful, as they haven't really taken to those newfangled roman letters.

Facebook: Kanji Box

Users of social networking wunderapp Facebook know that not only is the site a great way to waste whole days throwing sheep and zombie-biting people but you can also keep tabs on all of your friends. I spend more than enough time online and ignore anything on Facebook except messages (so if you have been wondering why your ninja invitation lies unanswered - now you know!) but I am only human, and when I noticed an app called Kanji Box my curiosity was piqued. Kanji Box is a simple quiz application which operates within Facebook. It allows you to choose an ability level (grasshopper through to JLPT Level 1) and then test yourself on kana, kanji and vocabulary. Once you have trained up via the drill function you can sit a quiz and then get feedback in the form of stats: having a score is a great motivation because it gives you a clear target to beat next time you sit the quiz. The stats page also shows your progress in terms of both JLPT level and 常用漢字 - General Use kanji (plus the 人名用漢字 - kanji used in personal names). I gave the quiz function a try. Fast, straightforward and fun - if you are going to blow off some time online at least with Kanji Box you are learning something (not that zombie-fighting isn't a useful skill......). The best part is the social networking aspect - you can invite friends and compare scores. Nothing quite like the motivational factor of "OMGWTF! - Tom scored 1076 points on JLPT Level 1! My score is pathetic - better start drilling." (cue Rocky theme song)

Since we are all wont to visit Facebook at some time or other I recommend Kanji Box as a way to harness the power of constructive procrastination. The only downside - at some point your concentration will waver and you will start seaching for that girl who used to sit next to you in kindergarten. And it's a minor bugbear, but I like kanji for either the singular or plural - "kanjis" sounds like a type of fruit or a venereal disease.

(I'm off to see if I can match Tom's score.)

Google Docs, rikaichan and translating anywhere

I have been playing around with Google Docs and I am impressed. No longer do I have to email myself files or carry around a USB drive if I am going to be working on multiple computers - Google Docs lets me access a translation from wherever I am. I can even let clients review documents online. Normally if I had to translate a document on some anonymous Windows box I would have to download the Word file and then go through the rigmarole of cutting and pasting any unknown terms into ALC or GLOVA - time-consuming and frustrating. Uploading a document to Google Docs means that you are working within the browser, so browser tools like rikaichan and Moji are available. Well, at least rikaichan works  - Google Docs takes command of the mouse right-click commands, so the function "LookUp Word in Moji"  is no longer available, and for Moji you are reduced to cutting and pasting. However the rikaichan mouseover function (see image) works normally, and if you select a word or character it is still possible to search using the rikaichan toolbar. Naturally this will never replace my beloved combination of Mac PowerBook and JEDict, but it is a nifty hack for those times when you find yourself without your familiar translating toolkit.

All Japanese All The Time

Sorry for the post paucity - I have translating coming out of my ears. Here is something to keep you going in the meantime - All Japanese All The Time - the blog of a fellow styling himself Khatzumoto, whose learning approach focuses on three basic techniques:

1. Learn how to write the 2000 or so basic use kanji (yep - Heisig time)
2. Learn to read by learning words/kanji in context, ie in SENTENCES, using spaced repetition
3. Do EVERYTHING in Japanese ALL THE TIME.

I think Khatzumoto's approach to maximising and repeating input is spot on, and when I think of my halcyon days as a JET, with no cable, no Amazon Japan, no Google, and no other gaijin, I was fortunate enough to have, and make use of, the "all Japanese all the time" environment. Although I picked up speaking and listening to a decent level, I definitely didn't apply myself as well as Khatzumoto, whose approach is not only characterised by sheer dedication but also by wit and refreshing honesty. Reading AJAAT will not only give you some great tools for learning Japanese, it will give you a gentle kick in the arse and make you WANT to learn:

No one is saying you’re going to be amazing at it on your first day, or even your first month or even your first year. But you know what? The surest way to fail is to quit doing it. If you can’t skate, or program, or speak a language, it’s not because a supernatural white ball of gas in outer space doesn’t want you to. It’s not because of your parents — leave them out of it. And it’s not because of the task itself — don’t be a wusspot. It’s because you haven’t done it enough.

A lot of times we say someone is “good” at something. I think this is inaccurate. It would be more correct to say she is “accustomed” to it. We don’t get good at something so much as we get used to it. So, I’m not “good” at Japanese, I’m just accustomed to it. I’ve seen those kanji before, I’ve heard those words arranged in that sequence before, I’ve seen that sentence pattern a zillion times. When you’re “bad” at something, it’s not so much that you’re bad at it as it is that you aren’t used to it. And the way to get used to it — to get good at it — is simply to do more of it.

 

Easy-peasey, Japanesey

I have been going though my file of "things to post to Nihongojouzu" and I had a moment of nostalgia when I hit Easy-peasey, Japanesey, a page of advice on learning Japanese written by Edmund Edgar, the man behind the Three Wise Monkeys language resource page. I had the pleasure of meeting Ed way back in 2000 when he was kind enough to put me up for the night when I was passing through Saitama (you can read about that meeting in the Genki English Tour Diary). Not only a lovely chap, Ed makes good use of his grey cells and he has put together a vocabulary learner tool called Japanese Wordinator ("...because you're too lazy to write vocabulary down in a little notebook...")  which you can even use from your mobile phone. However, the best part of Ed's site is his collection of mnemonics, and his advice on how to use them:

....the more bizarre and twisted the better. And under no circumstances should you throw them away. (I made this mistake.) Or file them, which comes to the same thing. (I made this one too.) Pin them up on your walls. Sellotape them to your friends. Get drunk and hide them from yourself. (That way you will be reminded of them every time you open a book, move a cushion or try to figure out why your cornflakes aren't pouring out of the box in the usual way.)

He even has a page on Tochigi-ben.

Metropolis Directory of Tokyo Language Schools

I just took a look at Metropolis magazine and discovered that they have compiled a list of Japanese language schools in Tokyo. I can't vouch for any of these places, but the URLs are provided and for Tokyo based people looking for some formal learning, this could save you some Googling. There is also a short article on successful bilingual foreigners, but it's light on details and could be summed up in the words "knowing Japanese will increase your opportunities for success."

Advanced Idiomatic Expressions

Courtesy of the Honyaku list, a link to a wonderful collection of idiomatic expressions described as having been "selected specifically for advanced learners of the Japanese language".  It wasn't the "advanced" bit which piqued my interest, it was this caveat:

Expressions with * are considered not Politically Correct. They are listed here mainly for passive recognition.

Those with ** are obsolete expressions also for passive recognition. The judgment is, however, entirely my own.

Naturally I went straight for the politically correct expressions, which on their face didn't seem terribly offensive:

• 若いつばめ (わかいつばめ) (lit. young swallow) is an old expression for a young male lover (I assume swallow refers to the avian kind).

• 藪医者 (やぶいしゃ) (li. bush doctor) is a quack

• もく拾い (もくひろい) cigarette-butt gatherer (a slight against the poor I presume)

Perhaps when I have taken the time to do some research I will discover how these expressions fell from grace.

And one of the obsolete expressions:

• 相合傘 **   あいあいがさ sharing　one umbrella (between lovers)

I actually heard one day when a Japanese woman of advancing years giggled it to me as we shared an umbrella during a typhoon. For the purposes of clarification we weren't, nor did we become, lovers.

Toypography

No, that's not a spelling mistake. Toypography is a set of toy blocks, produced by stationery giant Kokuyo, which can spell out the names of animals in both Roman letters (yes, yes - the alphabet) AND kanji. But wait -there's more - the blocks can also form the shape of the animal being named. My favourite is fish, but bear is cool too. What a great way to spend quality time with your children and get some study in.

Even more Mac/PC ads

Learner Stories interviewee Kaoru Miki has been busy subtitling the latest Apple Mac/PC ads, and doing a masterful job of it. Check out Kaoru's blog for the others.

Joe is Japanese

Joeisjapanese is an animated series about haafu Joe McCunney's adventures in Japan - witty, dry and based on reality if you believe the advertising. At the moment there is only a single long teaser clip on the site, but well worth a look, and the English subtitles will help beginners follow along. High production values and good writing - I'll be looking out for the follow up clips.