Please talk to yourself in English, and leave.
Others don't need to give a response.
Pirates attacked a Japanese ship on Monday night as the boat was sailing to Myanmar. Even today pirates exsit. I was very surpirsed to know that.
I am on jet lag. This means I can't help but go to bed around 7 AM each day. I have to get accustomed to a better sleeping schedule again.
I just read about that pirate business. They were armed with rocket launchers. I would find it amusing, but a few people were taken hostage.
A question to English-speaking people:
When you read, your internal voice echoes in your head?
It's interesting. Say more specifically. Oh, 300.
What's interesting?
What is the internal voice?
>>302
Which may echo in your head when you're reading.
I googled it for you.
Read it if you want to know what I meant:http://www.enter.net/~ronblue/finger.htm
>>299
If I am reading a small line of text, a sign or a single sentence; then no. As far as I know my mind just looks for the words, puts them together and makes sense out of it. However if I am reading something longer than a sentence, or instructions than yes I will "think" in English.
As a person learning Japanese I find that with basic words or sentences that I will think Japanese, however when I have difficulty my mind attempts to translate the things in the sentence I do know, and then I try to piece them together to get an idea of what the sentence is about.
Think in russian!
I like her. She likes me. But if I try to kiss her, what will happen. I'm afraid of it. So I can't
>>305
I'm afraid I don't know about ABC of Russian language.
As a Japanese I love to use the language as a means to express my emotions such as（ﾟдﾟ）ﾏｽﾞｰ. But I couldn't guess at all what д means. Can you tell me how to pronounce it?
>if I am reading something longer than a sentence, or >instructions than yes I will "think" in English.
Thanks. I somehow see what's happening in your head when you're reading. Just to make sure whether I'm right or wrong, your voice sounds in your head when you read an ariticle or something, ok?
>As a person learning Japanese ・・・・
I find it intersting that what you said often happens to Japanese people learning English. I often hear them say the same thing you said.
Д=D,Deh, Di
something like that
As English is not my first language, I tend to formulate it in my head sometimes, but mostly when speaking. When reading or writing, the desire to pick up a dictionary is what echoes mostly in my head.
Many thanks, everyone. But, hmmm, now I feel I have trouble getting my meaning across in English or wasn't able to get your meaning...
Please let me explain again.
For example, after you listen to the Beatles, you can hear Paul McCartney singing songs only in your head(though you don't actually put the CD on) so nobody except you can hear him, can't you? I called it the internal voice(I'm afraid it's correct in English, however). And what I wanted to ask you was: when you read a book, you can hear such voice which belongs to somebody(maybe yourself) only in your head?
Ahhh, English is hard for me to learn... I'm a little sick of it.
>I'm afraid it's correct
No, I made a big mistake. I wanted to write "I don't know whether it's correct or not". Very sorry..
I'll go.
Confusing "if" and "whether" is a common mistake among non-native speakers of English. Don't worry about it, just double-check in the future.
And I am afraid I do not share your experience with you. I very rarely "audialize" something in my head.
Recently I've got nothing to speak of. I don't feel like talking. It depends on the day.
>Results 1 - 10 of about 469 for your internal voice -
>http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22your+internal+voice%>22&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t&fl=0&x=wrt
Never, ever tell lies in this thread, idiot.
Were you saying the words silently to yourself as you read? This habit of saying the words to yourself while you read is called "subvocalization". While this habit in itself is not the sole cause of slow reading. The "small, still voice" we hear while reading (subvocalization), is natural and is required for all reading below 900 words per minute. The average college graduate reads "basic" level of difficulty material at 250-300 words per minute, with 70% comprehension, therefore they subvocalize until they reach speed reading, which begins at 900 wpm.
Kakuta was beaten by Akebono. Akebono got the first victory. But many people say that it was a fake game.
>>313
Read this website:http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/whether.html
>1. When both choices are given, we generally use whether >rather than if:
>I don't know whether she's coming or not.
>(It would be possible to use if here, but less common.)
The explanation made me think you were confusing "if" and "whether". What do you say?
When I speak easy English, I don't have to think it in English. When I feel something, I can express it in English like my native language, Japanese. But when it comes to a long or a difficult sentence, I have to think it in English. But the words English-speaking people don't know or understand, I don't usually know how to translate. I don't think I should translate such words into English. Because even if I translate such words into English by looking up the words in a dictionary, English-speaking people can't understan them.
When I speak, I feel something. It may be the inner words, which is not a concrete language such as English, Japanese, German and so on.
My pronunciation is too bad. I have to give up.
English Grammar helps.
I sometimes feel so sad. I've got burn-out syndrome.
Live door won the mergers and acquisitions battle with Nippon Broadcasting System.
I wonder if I will ever be man enough to build up a family on my own.
I don't know whether you can make it or not.
I get good mileage out of my car. It runs 15 kilo meters per litter. What mileage does your car do per litter?
>>328
Whether or not you understand the difference between 'if' and 'whether', if you use one consistently it won't confuse people. Americans tend to use both 'whether X or not' and 'if X or not' interchangeably. But at the start of a phrase it's always 'whether or not X' and never *'if or not X'.
>>329
リトルは英語でliterです。そして、キロメートルはkilometerとかkiloとかklickです。私の車は一ガロンに付き30マイルがあります。
In what units do Japanese people count? Do they use the metric system?
I don't know whether if is right or not.
Please enlighten me.
>>331
All of Japan is on the metric system, except for the measurement of square area of living spaces, which is measured in the size of tatami mats. There is a pre-metric system for measuring things like cloth for kimonos, swords, etc; this is the shaku-sun-bu (尺寸分） system. Also the wooden sake box (ます) is a measurement as well, a single ご of rice.
> at the start of a phrase it's always 'whether or not X'
I'm confused. Please help me out. What's explained in the site is wrong?:http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/whether.html
“Whether” works fine on its own in most contexts: “I wonder whether I forgot to turn off the stove?” But when you mean “regardless of whether” it has to be followed by “or not” somewhere in the sentence: “We need to leave for the airport in five minutes whether you’ve found your teddy bear or not.”
I've just consulted a grammar book, and found this sample sentence: I don't know whether to go to the party or not.
Is that wrong?
Even now I can get along with my wife, and have sex almost every other days. I married her 11 years ago. It's usual or unusual?
I wish I could live in Switzerland.
Ogura Yuuko make me happy. she is an angel for me.
10.6 kilometers per liter is not too bad, but not so good. In Japan some cars get 18 kilomers per litter. Japanese cars are small. That's why some cars get such good mileage. But my former car got only 7 kilomters per litter.
It's been one month since I bought a new car. Time flies like an arrow.
Softbank Group will work with Fuji Television Network to block its hostile takeover by Internet service provider Livedoor. Livedoor and Fuji TV are in a stock-buying battle for control of Nippon Broadcasting System radio.
Thank you for your explanation.
Today is Saturday. Most businesses won't be open for long today. And they will all be closed on Sunday (except bakeries and such) and Monday (holiday). So I will have to buy my groceries in the midst of a huge crowd. I dread the thought already.
These holidays seem to come up so suddenly, and the world of commerce will happily reinvent itself for each of them. It seems so fake. I feel old and cynical.
I wonder whether Fuji TV and Livedoor will get along well or not.
>>339
She's famous for her vanilla fart.
I'd say vanilla smells good, and if her fart smells like vanilla, it means her fart also smells good. Very logical.
What should I do today. I can take five days off. But I have not plan now. I'm tired of many things. After all it is it that I can be interested in. If I had a lot of money, I could travel around the world.
Sometimes I can speak English so fluently that I feel English is next to my native language, but othertime English expressions don't come to mind, so I have difficulty speaking English. It's like riding a seesaw. How many times had I felt depressed so far?
Please let me ask you a question.
Which do you think sounds natural to you English-speaking people, "we found our sorting through sth looking for sth" or "we found ourselves sorting through sth looking for sth".
We are discussing it in 2ch.
the latter
>>350
Thank you. You're of great help to us.
Great help to me, too.
It's rainning today. I feel bad. I have a slight headache. I've listened to the radio too long. Human realionships are so complicated and difficult. I'm so tired out. But I have to go on ahead. I can't stop because of such and such.
Karen Carpenters said rainy days and Mondays always got her down. Guess many people feel the same way.
Maybe you also listened to the radio waiting for your favorite songs.
I watched Lord of The Rings, first part today. The battle scenes still amaze me.
What would come to mind when you hear "Static can put you in an awkward position."?
Denpa?
>>358
Well, the sentence is being discussed in 2ch. Could you discribe what it means, please?
The grammar is fine, but that sentence by itself isn't enough to understand the situation. Many things can receive "static", so it's hard to guess what the "awkward position" would be.
Thanks a lot. I guess you always help us out. We are thankful to you.
I have something I'd like to ask. The previous question does not really address the issue being discussed on 2-Ch. I hope you can shed some light on this.
Some insist that the phrase "Static can put you in an awkward position" cannot be applied to static electricity. Their reasoning is that since awkward only applies to a very distressing situation, it cannot mean simple electrical static. I don't agree with them.
This reminds me of an American TV commercial of the 80's for an anti-static spray used on clothes. What is your take on this.
>>362
I can't tell whether you are serious.
But I think that phrase is fine, especially regarding a situation like you refer to. "Static [cling] can put you in an awkward position"--like if you're a woman and your skirt sticks to your blouse. Or if you are installing computer equipment and get a shock from static electricity, destroying important data. "Awkward" does not mean "very distressing," anyway--more like "uncomfortable."
>>363
It is hard to believe but I am serious. I was in Hell in 2-ch. They use this kind of daunting tactic to gang up on people who try to point out that they might have made a mistake. It is impossible to have a calm reasonable discussion. I was trying to explain their mistakes in both English and Japanese (including the question about "awkward" that I asked here). I said basically the same thing you said, and you can't believe the abusive treatment I got. What kind of place is 2-ch anyway? Well, thanks for talking to me.
I went to Expo. It was less crowded than I had expected. But it was so windy and cold. I had a slight cold.
>>365
Good for you. I guess you walked around everywhere you wanted to in the place since it was less crowded. How did you find it? The frozen mammoth is exciting?
And take a rest and sleep off the cold.
Expo would be wonderful because we can learn or enjoy the progress of science and technology mankind has achieved. But on the other hand we have to prevent destruction of nature. A lot of trees were cut down to make the Expo sites. We should control runaway scientific and technological development.
Agreed. But come to think of it, I found it silly to have cut down the trees in order to construct the buildings of the Expo/to develope the site.. I thought the theme of it was coexistence with neture or something like that. Very ridiculous...
>>363
Don't take what he said seriously. He's out of his mind. He tlanslated Static into trouble. Have you ever refferred to static as trouble? Nobody insisted awkward only applies to a very distressing situation. If he sticks to his misleading comment, we must refer to him as Denpa/DQN. What's been discussed is that if you hear "Static can put you in an awkward position", it's not common to translate static into trouble without any context.
He insisted that "Static can put you in an awkward position" mean "Electricity makes a skirt's shape very odd." I don't think it's true, though.
Is static a skirt?
Oh, there is a slang expression in which you can say someone is giving you static, and you mean trouble. I think static --> interference on TV or radio channel --> interference with you --> trouble. It's street slang, and would almost certainly not fit the formal sentence "Static can put you in an awkward position."
>>371
Are you talking about me? If I insisted anyhthing, it was only that the phrase cannot be translated to "A person who causes trouble will be put in a difficult situation", but it does not mean that I am insisting that the other option is true all the time. I merely mentioned that there are contexts such as the anti-static t.v. comercial.
>>370
Are you also talking about me? It's confusing. Are you backing me up or calling me a Dempa?
Anyway, it was confusing on 2-ch where you don't know who is posting what. If you want to talk about this here to clarify, in a different venue, you're welcome to.
You're always complaining.
I was flamed on the 2ch english board for posting a reply entirely in English. Is this common?
Not if you stick to a rule of the thread you posted in.
The demand for improving speaking skills in English has created a boom for English conversation schools in Japan. But I wonder how many people have been able to achieve their goal.
To my surprise I wasn't reimbursed my travel expenses. Our president is very stingy. But it is due to his excellent management that our company is well-run. Should I give up?
The problem is that when I see her legs I become erect. I'm tempted to touch her legs. I don't want to get into trouble. to
There have been lot of big earthquakes recently. I live in the area where scientists say there will be a big earthquake sooner or later. I have to know how to evacuate our apartment when a big earthquake happens.
I don't know what to do with myself.
I guess her age at 30. You've guessed it.
I spend too much time distracting myself from what I should I do. This is why I am always late with my duties.
"Static [cling] can put you in an awkward position."
The phrase is somewhat unusual; it is unsurprising to hear that it is a marketing slogan for laundry fabric softener. One might say "static cling is irritating," or perhaps "static cling is troublesome," but is static awkward?
The key is that the words "awkward position" connote embarrassment. Have you ever been caught with your fly down? Skirt up? Certainly you can agree that nobody wants to be embarrassed like that in public! Therefore, in order to avoid embarrassment you should buy and use Brand Name Fabric Softener. Presumably, in avoiding embarrassment you will attract beautiful people of the opposite gender like flies to honey, thanks to your newfound powers of static-free sexy attractiveness.
It seems as if the tendency in Japan towards poor English education stems from the utilization of archaic, unworkable second language teaching methodologies and misguided support from the bureaucracy. Introduction of the language at earlier ages along with hiring competent speakers for teaching positions and use of modern curricula focused on conversational competency rather than development of translation skills would enhance English fluency and encourage the use of the language in natural settings outside of the classroom. Teacher hiring is an essential problem because the educational hierarchy is biased towards local hire rather than hiring based on competence. If foreigners were hired for teaching positions--rather than for advisory capacities--then the quality of education would increase dramatically. However the widespread bureaucratic xenophobia and OB network serve as significant stumbling blocks in the path of hiring changes.
I heard Yukorin's fart smells like vanilla. So we believe her fart smells absolutely good.
I hypnotized her, and tried to open her legs. But as a matter of fact she made believe to be hypnotized.
There is no accounting for taste. After all only when we like it, we can make progress in it or get a lot of money by doing it.
The more I practice, the less confidence I have. I feel sad.
To have a lot of guts is the most important. But now I'm getting older, so I can't have the guts to achieve something valuable. It's the biggest problme for me.