Welcome to Gaia! ::

Forgive me for skipping most of the messages..
I'd say this thread is pretty useless. I know Aiko is definately NOT a stupid person, but hey, who are you people to tell what's wrong and what's right?

I am not a Japanophile, and I don't like anime and manga. Still, I like Japan and Japanophiles.

I think that if someone loves Japan because of anime, that person should have the right to say it without being ashamd. There is no "right reason" to love something. Later on that person will understand that Japan is much more than just anime, and maybe meanwhile that same person will be laught at. Still, that person will be living his/her passion with hope (that will maybe be broken later).

My university is full of Japanophiles and especially, there are 2 girls who adore Jrock and dress like "japanese punk/goth". I don't feel like breaking their hopes, I rarely even say I've already been to Japan several times and that I'm going there soon again. Those girls may look ridiculous and childish, not to say ignorant to some people, but somehow I envy them because they have a passion and a great hope.

Sorry if this seems to be off topic, there are more things that need to be said and that we need to talk about, but now... I'm going to eat something^^

i gotta say that, before I go on to rant about some things, I just have to say that even people who are taking japanese for the sake of learning the language use some adjectives from japanese in their english. it's just something that some of us do.


I completely agree with you. some people may move to japan to see what kind of people created the anime that they so dearly love, while others might like the people, language, religion, et al.


couldn't agree more.
僕も日本語オタクでございます。
Also, I got into anime after I started learning Japanese, not the other way around. which is a common thing for some people at my high school. (i'm an alumni now.) Anime is a great source for practicing listening to the language. Learning from a native speaker is probably the best way to learn Japanese. (from personal experience)


I completely agree. It's not as simple as learning the language, but rather that learning where some things come from, traditional arts, necessity-driven traditions, how the culture developed because it was isolated, then suddenly pulled head-first into the 19th century, among other things, and also how the language changes over a given time period, and how certain words/concepts didn't exist before a certain point in time.
I think that a language reflects the culture and where it came from.

[end rant]

those old words are of no use.

i explained that they are not used for purpose like verbs and adjectives, but like new things, sex words and such.

also, katakana is used to show that the word has strong meaning (ダメ　is almost always written that way)

besides, what your saying has nothing to do with katakana taking over japanese WHICH THEY ARE NOT.i dont know if you read my thread on it or not.

Yes, I did read your post, and I responded directly.

First, I know that there are many different uses for katakana. However, when someone says, "Japanese is being taken over by katakana," they are probably talking about loan words.

Second, what I was saying absolutely has to do with katakana taking over Japanese. The main point of that quote is that older people in Japan are becoming confused because of all the new katakana words that young people are using.


Yes, if you noticed, I also said this directly.

Furthermore, the best way to help someone learn about Japan is to be polite and explain your experiences. Please remember that many people who use Gaia are still children. Telling them that they have no right to talk about something they have heard is not being fair.

You said in your original post that you hate Japanophiles that say things like, "Japan is being taken over by katakana." I am explaining why they are not entirely wrong.

No....

if it was "not entirely wrong' as you say, english loan words would be used for things like:

~adjectives
~verbs
~replacing japanese words like "flower"

but they can replace words like

~the old word for coffee
~the old word for cigarette

As you see, your version as what constitutes to taking over a language, is not the same as mine, (or many others for that matter)

What drives me insane are the people who call themselves "whatever~chan". I have yet to hear ANYONE refer to themselves with an honorific here. At all. Ever.

So why do Japanophiles do it?