6月5日
Ugly 日本語
This note may be a comment on some article(s) by Gamayauber.
Although I cannot find examples right now, he has mentioned many times that 日本語 has been diminished. Tetsujin summarized it as "日本語 has fallen from the position of LINGVA FRANCA and become a vernacular (a local language)". I want to comment on this claim.
On the point itself, however, I cannot be against the claim because I have grown up in the 日本語 world, and my thoughts must be restricted in the dimension, while Gamayauber is not a native speaker of 日本語. Here I do not want to discuss validity of what he mentioned; instead I will write down several unacceptable use of 日本語, which may be specific examples for what he wants to say. I do not have enough vocabulary and this sentence might be somewhat confusing... fortunately this is an article not in science journal but a diary...
Let me start from an example: "是非". It is very difficult to explain the meaning of this word, because it is now used very casually. It is read as "ze-hi", only two sounds, and people use this word just as an intensifier. However, the word itself has much stronger meaning, which can be told when we consult the meaning of the letters. 是 means right/virtuous, and 非 means bad/unacceptable. Therefore 是非 originally means that "regardless that it is good or bad", or "at all costs". People use the word quite often, and when I heard the word I always feel "compelled" and also I regard the person as a careless speaker, and less intelligent. I hate the word, and users of the word.
Another example is "いらっしゃいませ", a word which store clarks say to guests to express their welcome. It originally means "please come in" or "please stay in our place", and seems an antique of old-good 日本語 expressions to me. However, to my fun rather than disappointment, recently store clarks do not say other words than this word. They always say "いらっしゃいませ" as if they do not know other words. When I walk head-on into a clerk and give an way to him saying "すみません (excuse me)", the clerk does not say すみません but いらっしゃいませ. This is so strange and you will not believe even if you are in 日本, especially because this discussion is written in "written language", and that I still doubt all the clerks do so, but, however, ALL the clerks say so. Here I show one situation, but they say only いらっしゃいませ in almost all situations. I remember that this is only in recent years; ten years ago shop clerks knew other word, as I recall. (If you are in 日本, and especially if you are a 日本語 native speaker, you should check that you realized this issue. If you carelessly have not noticed that they do not say other than いらっしゃいませ, you had better pay much more attention to the word you use.)
I might have one more example, but I have just forget it. I am not confident that these are what Gamayauber wanted to say, and especially less confident that I have written correct/proper English. I realized that to discuss an issue of 日本語 in English is very difficult, but I do not want to talk about recent careless use of 日本語 in 日本語.
Poor English
One more short topic on English. Gamayauber discusses on VENVS in languages. He says that it was known in the days when LATINA is used as the LINGVA FRANCA that human being must be capable to use another language with higher idea than their personal language, and also refers that we no longer find VENVS in our house of language after English, a rustic language, plays the role of the LINGVA FRANCA. (Why do I translate sentences in 日本語 written by English native speaker...) I was impressed by this claim, and here would like to introduce the article.
I have learned eight languages (not including English). Some are only for several weeks, and some are fallen into oblivion, but actually I like to know languages, and using it is less important for me. (More precisely, I love to read and write letters. Language might be, for me, a way to use letters.) Written language is better than spoken language to know a language, and I am really excited when I touch an essence, or a soul, of a language family.
One example is "s" and "w" in Germanic languages; sollen and wollen in German, or shall and will in English. These are similar words, and as they have many meanings it is difficult for beginners to find out what it means in a sentence. However these are governed by a simple rule: "w"-word shows an will of the subject, and "s"-word expresses an will of another one. So simple that you will not impressed, but anyway I was really excited when a professor (in upper-level German class) told me this essence. Difference of only one consonant makes clear distinction; I feel breath of Germanic people who used these words for several hundred years.
Another example is the cases and conjugation in Indo-European languages. I used to curse who invented the cases when I learned LINGVA LATINA and Ελληνιστική Κοινή (now do not, because I realized they are not so naughty when I learned العربية....), but perhaps they had to invent the complex system for some reason. It might be to give higher idea to their language, or it might be for perfect understanding of what others said/wrote. Anyway it was an act with strong intentions, and it is a great invent, and relic of the people who were on the Earth.
However, modern English are forgetting these two beauties. Will and shall are merged into will, and we can hardly realize English has cases and conjugation. I feel really sad, and I want to care these heritages even if they are somewhat old-fashioned and non-standard.
By the way, the "ed" suffix in English is one of my favorite. Note that "long-lived" are not "lo-ng-li-v-d" but "lo-ng-la-i-v-d"!