New tactic: take over the blog with short posts.
One of the more aggravating features of Japanese is wasei-eigo, English used in a way that is completely foreign to us Anglophones. For example, the word "trainer" in Japanese means sweatshirt, and Japanese people inadvertently think that's how we use the word, too. My all-time favorite wasei-eigo is "secret boots" - thick-soled shoes worn by short men to make them appear few inches taller.
I have a new past-time, finding ways to tell jokes in Japanese. A recent success:
Host father: Jemuzu, MOCHI o taberu? (James, will you have some RICE CAKE?)
Me: MOCHIron. (Of COURSE.)
Allen, are you groaning?
One of the more aggravating features of Japanese is wasei-eigo, English used in a way that is completely foreign to us Anglophones. For example, the word "trainer" in Japanese means sweatshirt, and Japanese people inadvertently think that's how we use the word, too. My all-time favorite wasei-eigo is "secret boots" - thick-soled shoes worn by short men to make them appear few inches taller.
I have a new past-time, finding ways to tell jokes in Japanese. A recent success:
Host father: Jemuzu, MOCHI o taberu? (James, will you have some RICE CAKE?)
Me: MOCHIron. (Of COURSE.)
Allen, are you groaning?
posted by James at
5:06 AM
6 Comments:
You know, I discovered quickly that I can still joke in Chinese even without knowing much of the language, because my sense of humor is really lame, so it carries over regardless of language. :)
Mushi mushi, anone, anone, anone, mushi mushi, anone, aso deska
Groan....
Lame jokes in other languages?! I don't know whether to be wildly enthusiastic or to be completely disgusted. Probably a bit of both.
Careful, Christine! Where do you two think you got your senses of humor? You've both groaned many times at your mother's humor, no?
Love you both:-D
I agree with Tom, lame humor has a tendency to translate regardless of language level.
Whoever jls is, I remember that song from Lamb Chop's Play-along.
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