Enslavement of Vowels On a Rocky Outcrop
In case your not up to date on the happenings of the current events situation within parts of the Far East, here is a little rundown:
Japanese Person (JP)-- Those islands are called Takeshima, they are our islands and we are taking them back.
Korean Person (KP)-- This is a direct attack on the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea. Those islands are clearly ours and have been for thousands of years. According to the agreement's set in 1945 those islands and the fishing rights are ours.
JP-- Nonetheless, we legally annexed them from you during our occupation of your country and are re-claiming them.
KP-- This is outrageous, I will now protest your embassy and cut off my finger to protest!
JP-- Do what you must, how do you like our new textbook?
KP(now down to 9 digits)-- It says that the Japanese occupation was a good thing for Korea! This is malicious, you must remove this at once!
JP-- We are just trying to put history into a different perspective.
KP-- But you raped our women, stole our names, and committed numerous other atrocities!
JP-- Yes, but if not for that you would have been part of the communist bloc.
KP-- I hate you and will now cut off my other finger!
JP-- Can I can still count on you to vote for us in the UN Security Council?
The above translates into an abbreviated version of the mudslinging that has been going on between these two countries. Several people did cut their fingers off in protest. The textbooks are real. The island fighting is real. I find the most remarkable part of the current hostilities to be that this is all taking place during the "40th Annual Korea-Japan Friendship Year". Hah, now that's just good comedy.
I made a trip to the Korean Independence Museum on Sunday. A very interesting place where I was able to gain a large amount of historical knowledge about the history of this land. If for some reason in the above imaginary dialogue it seems that I favor the Korean person, this only due to the opinion I have formulated from my extensive research into the subject. Japan did alot of horrific things to Koreans (not only Koreans, but British, German, French, Chinese, Vietnames, just about anyone that was in Eastern Asia from 1874-1945) and is very reluctant to admit misdoings. While some reparations have been made, like most situations of slavery and occupation, monetary reparations hardly compensate the attitudes of the society. Irregardless of these reparations, you can kind of understand why Koreans would be a little chapped at some Japanese schools using a textbook that says the occupation was an eventual beneficial thing. Imagine the Germans saying that if they hadn't killed
millions of Jewish people then there would be no Israel! Now you get the feeling of the Koreans.
Outside of the crazy current events situation, life is moving along well here in the ROK (I like to throw that in there every now and again, sort of a USA vs. America) I was given a computer by my school (ok, I paid $30 to get it fixed) and got myself connected to the internet. I went to the store and bought myself a pair of speakers, man do they ROCK! I have a small little shoebox, so it doensn't take much sound to fill the place up, but for $35 my little speakers and subwoofer shake this apartment complex with some good ole fine pickin and heavy beats. I really dig the streaming music thing, and one of the other English teachers is coming by tommorrow (today?) to install Windows in English (Englishee in Konglish).
You see I have an operating system in Hangul (¼Ø¤µ³ë¤Á¤À¤Å¤¿¤·). I tried to change the language, now whenever I get a random window it seems to be in German, Spanish, or Korean. I'm so global. It's rather entertaining. Thank goodness I know how to use a computer or it could be really frustrating, I really dig the German Hotmail site, auch zermiden neine! Or the Spanish installation wizard...uno momento por favor, los computadores necisito varios minutos.
So as I was telling the Duog monster, this language has an infatuation with the usage of vowels. It's obviously due to the English language usage of silent vowels. When you learn to read a language first (as opposed to learning the word first then reading) you have a natural tendency to phoneticize things. Hence the following:
sausage = sausojee
orange = oranjee
large = larjee
And the list goes on. But it does not seem to stop there:
bus = busa
ice cream = isa creamu
cellphone = handupone (handphone, I really like this one)
Still, that's what happens to languages, they get altered as they travel. I still like the Engrish tendencies that happen when someone translates something literally. It works both ways, just ask Coke. But I saw a great sign they other day outside of a clothing store:
have, to
What? What the hell does that mean? Not even a Hangul translation. This was the name of the store. In big pink and white letters. That stuff is just precious. Well that's all for now from life from this side of the pond. I hope you liked my little 4/1 joke. May the force be with you.
Mash
Smash
RED
Steve
Stephen
la cabeza roja loca
der verrückte rote Kopf
¹ÌÄ£ »¡°£ ¸Ó¸®
la testa rossa pazzesca
the crazy red head
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -Raoul Duke
Japanese Person (JP)-- Those islands are called Takeshima, they are our islands and we are taking them back.
Korean Person (KP)-- This is a direct attack on the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea. Those islands are clearly ours and have been for thousands of years. According to the agreement's set in 1945 those islands and the fishing rights are ours.
JP-- Nonetheless, we legally annexed them from you during our occupation of your country and are re-claiming them.
KP-- This is outrageous, I will now protest your embassy and cut off my finger to protest!
JP-- Do what you must, how do you like our new textbook?
KP(now down to 9 digits)-- It says that the Japanese occupation was a good thing for Korea! This is malicious, you must remove this at once!
JP-- We are just trying to put history into a different perspective.
KP-- But you raped our women, stole our names, and committed numerous other atrocities!
JP-- Yes, but if not for that you would have been part of the communist bloc.
KP-- I hate you and will now cut off my other finger!
JP-- Can I can still count on you to vote for us in the UN Security Council?
The above translates into an abbreviated version of the mudslinging that has been going on between these two countries. Several people did cut their fingers off in protest. The textbooks are real. The island fighting is real. I find the most remarkable part of the current hostilities to be that this is all taking place during the "40th Annual Korea-Japan Friendship Year". Hah, now that's just good comedy.
I made a trip to the Korean Independence Museum on Sunday. A very interesting place where I was able to gain a large amount of historical knowledge about the history of this land. If for some reason in the above imaginary dialogue it seems that I favor the Korean person, this only due to the opinion I have formulated from my extensive research into the subject. Japan did alot of horrific things to Koreans (not only Koreans, but British, German, French, Chinese, Vietnames, just about anyone that was in Eastern Asia from 1874-1945) and is very reluctant to admit misdoings. While some reparations have been made, like most situations of slavery and occupation, monetary reparations hardly compensate the attitudes of the society. Irregardless of these reparations, you can kind of understand why Koreans would be a little chapped at some Japanese schools using a textbook that says the occupation was an eventual beneficial thing. Imagine the Germans saying that if they hadn't killed
millions of Jewish people then there would be no Israel! Now you get the feeling of the Koreans.
Outside of the crazy current events situation, life is moving along well here in the ROK (I like to throw that in there every now and again, sort of a USA vs. America) I was given a computer by my school (ok, I paid $30 to get it fixed) and got myself connected to the internet. I went to the store and bought myself a pair of speakers, man do they ROCK! I have a small little shoebox, so it doensn't take much sound to fill the place up, but for $35 my little speakers and subwoofer shake this apartment complex with some good ole fine pickin and heavy beats. I really dig the streaming music thing, and one of the other English teachers is coming by tommorrow (today?) to install Windows in English (Englishee in Konglish).
You see I have an operating system in Hangul (¼Ø¤µ³ë¤Á¤À¤Å¤¿¤·). I tried to change the language, now whenever I get a random window it seems to be in German, Spanish, or Korean. I'm so global. It's rather entertaining. Thank goodness I know how to use a computer or it could be really frustrating, I really dig the German Hotmail site, auch zermiden neine! Or the Spanish installation wizard...uno momento por favor, los computadores necisito varios minutos.
So as I was telling the Duog monster, this language has an infatuation with the usage of vowels. It's obviously due to the English language usage of silent vowels. When you learn to read a language first (as opposed to learning the word first then reading) you have a natural tendency to phoneticize things. Hence the following:
sausage = sausojee
orange = oranjee
large = larjee
And the list goes on. But it does not seem to stop there:
bus = busa
ice cream = isa creamu
cellphone = handupone (handphone, I really like this one)
Still, that's what happens to languages, they get altered as they travel. I still like the Engrish tendencies that happen when someone translates something literally. It works both ways, just ask Coke. But I saw a great sign they other day outside of a clothing store:
have, to
What? What the hell does that mean? Not even a Hangul translation. This was the name of the store. In big pink and white letters. That stuff is just precious. Well that's all for now from life from this side of the pond. I hope you liked my little 4/1 joke. May the force be with you.
Mash
Smash
RED
Steve
Stephen
la cabeza roja loca
der verrückte rote Kopf
¹ÌÄ£ »¡°£ ¸Ó¸®
la testa rossa pazzesca
the crazy red head
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -Raoul Duke
posted by Sexyredkid at 4:02 AM
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