What do you native japanese think of your language?

[kentaku_sama]

I'm just curious, do you native japanese out there think your writing system is lame because I know I hate the English writing system unless it's written in calligraphy or something. Do you guys think kanji in interesting or boring. Do you think some are a little ridiculous because of how complex they are? Also ignoring the fact that learning english is important and essential, what do you think of english? Do you think our spelling is interesting because it's so random? Or do you find our writing boring. Give me you opinion I'm curious XD

[keatonatron]

I'm not a native Japanese, but during my studies I have found that many Japanese people claim that English is "exotic and cool" while kanji is "old and boring".

In fact, I think they feel the exact same way about English that us Westerners feel about kanji

[shin1ro]

Kanji is interesting to me.
I can immediately understand if many words are listed in kanji.
If the list is written in alphabet, I need much more time to read and understand what words are written in the list. Kanji is much like a picture and recognized as a whole image (not detail) and instantly gives meaning.

Japanese people have learned kanji since 1st grade elementary school. Learning kanji may be hard but once you learned basic kanji, you can understand even words you first met by kanji meanings.

I recently read a funny manga and it shows:

- Japanese) 先天性胆道閉鎖症 = 先天的(inborn) + 性(to make a modifier) + 胆道(bile passage) + 閉鎖(closed) + 症(disease)
- English) congenital biliary atresia

- Japanese) 解毒剤 = 解く(release) + 毒(poison) + 剤(medicine)
- English) antidote

-shin1ro

[Mike Cash]

I'm just curious, do you native japanese out there think your writing system is lame because I know I hate the English writing system unless it's written in calligraphy or something. Do you guys think kanji in interesting or boring. Do you think some are a little ridiculous because of how complex they are?

You're conflating the language and the writing system. Your subject asked about the language and the body of your post gives the impression you think the orthography is the language.

[血まみれ剣術師]

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[Mike Cash]

Off-Topic Note: Let's not let this thread go into an aggressive state. :|

What prompted that?

[血まみれ剣術師]

.

[two_heads_talking]

There was a similar thread that went somewhat out of control. I'd hate to see this one get locked next.

while that is an understandable concern, let the moderators take care of that..

[kentaku_sama]

I'm not Native Japanese, but I find many things about English that are annoying. No language is perfect. Most people think another language is cooler/neater than theirs. Both Japanese and English are not perfect languages, but good languages nonetheless. I've always been fascinated with human language and it's nothing new to me. People even create engineered languages and constructed scripts. There's a lot of history backing every language (even engineered languages have some history). Did you know Korean Hangul was a constructed script? Overall, I think Japanese is a good language and [like most] has benefits over English [and vice versa].

I do that, it's for my manga I'm doing.

Mäbäi övafda mänga äk't. / I like manga very much. Written in my conlang zhunäji

[chikara]

You're conflating the language and the writing system. Your subject asked about the language and the body of your post gives the impression you think the orthography is the language.

Exactly. There were many hundreds of Indigenous Australian languages before European settlement and not one of them had a writing system but that doesn't make them any less languages.

..... I have found that many Japanese people claim that English is "exotic and cool" while kanji is "old and boring".

In fact, I think they feel the exact same way about English that us Westerners feel about kanji

Do you see many Japanese people with "Spirit Child" tattooed on themselves?

I do that, it's for my manga I'm doing.

Mäbäi övafda mänga äk't. / I like manga very much. Written in my conlang zhunäji

For the 2005 movie The Interpreter staring Nicole Kidman an entire language called Ku was created by Said el-Gheithy, the director of the Centre for African Language Learning in London.

kwambu

[furrykef]

Do you see many Japanese people with "Spirit Child" tattooed on themselves?

That's just 'cause they don't like tattoos at all. As you're surely aware, they'll happily get shirts saying "AGREE: Getting jewel from her seizure operation!!".

[chikara]

That's just 'cause they don't like tattoos at all. As you're surely aware, they'll happily get shirts saying "AGREE: Getting jewel from her seizure operation!!".

Isn't the "jewel" from a seizure operation a baby?

[kentaku_sama]

You're conflating the language and the writing system. Your subject asked about the language and the body of your post gives the impression you think the orthography is the language.

Honestly, who cares? I don't mean to sound rude but When I say language I mean as in general writing system is part of a language and Japanese's to me is the coolest on earth. Mixed script is what makes it so cool!

[furrykef]

Honestly, who cares?

That's pretty much my opinion of this thread.

[chikara]

Honestly, who cares? I don't mean to sound rude ......

That may not be your intention but that is certainly how it comes across to me.

However, based on;

.... it's for my manga I'm doing. .....

and;

... Japanese's to me is the coolest on earth. Mixed script is what makes it so cool!

I expect that you can't see how Mike-san could possibly take offence at your response.