2009年12月16日水曜日

Japanese English!!

Japanese English is meanings to the English words. It sounds like English but it doesn’t express English. These words doesn’t get through in English block people. I would like write about these words. There is a lot of Japanese English in Japan. I sometime use words that I think are English, but people who use English can’t understand me. When I use words of “concent” in Japan, it expresses the plug’s entrance that receives the plug from an electric cord. However, English doesn’t use this word. When you want to say “concent” in English, you should use “outlet” Why did the difference happen between English and Japanese? Some people say” concentric plug” as English became “concent plug” in Japanese. As a result it became “concent” So Japanese people use “concent”. This word can be understood only by Japanese people.
Another Japanese English word is “cunning”. This word is used when student cheats an exam. Cunning is Japanese English too. In Japan, “cunning” is meanings to “cheating”. Originally, cunning means crafty or sly in English. For example, “He is a cunning man.”, so I think the word started to be used to describe cheating an exam.
If you want to drive in English speaking country, you should use “Gas Station” If you say “Where is a gasoline stand?” You will be said “Are you crazy?” by English block people. They will think “Gasoline is standing?” In this case, gas means gasoline. I searched on the web and I found it that native people image small scare when the word “stand” heard. For example, shop which sell ice-cream or drink with small table and umbrella in the road side express ice-cream stand. In British use petrol instead of gasoline, so they say “petrol station”. Thus the word differs widely between Japan and British and American. It is very interesting that each country has different expression.
I’ll give some synonym of Japanese English next. In this case, synonym means another meaning of the same word that is used in Japanese and English. There is “fried potato” : a word as good example. This word express such as McDonald’s potato when Japanese people use it. American don’t use the word fried potato, they say “French fries”. To my surprise, the word of “fried potato” existence in English. However, a meaning is not same. In English it means a fried whole potato.
How about “baby car”? Similarly, this word is synonym, but a meaning different. Japanese people use as car to carry a baby. If you use “baby car” when you go to foreign country, it means small type car in English, because baby means small or little. A vehicle to carry a baby is a “baby carriage” or “stroller” in English. You should be careful when you use these words in foreign country.
Besides the ones I showed above, there are many other Japanese English in Japan. You will not know these words meanings if you lived in Japan for a long time. I think that we have to understand difference of really English and Japanese English

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