Learning Japanese

[yezhanquan]

Looks interesting, KSJ. Well, I'm not expert at kanji, so I'll go by what the kanji means in Mandarin.

Sure you know the Showa era reference at the beginning. Line by line,

1: There's something about a dictatorship being built.
2: "Western" culture eroding (?) the "traditional national spirit".
3: The kanji stands for "protect"
4: Something about the government crumbling....

In short, we have "undead" (or immortal) beings invading Tokyo, killing civilians en masse, and establishing a new regime. What series is this?

[Kang Seung Jae]

Originally Posted by yezhanquan

Looks interesting, KSJ. Well, I'm not expert at kanji, so I'll go by what the kanji means in Mandarin.

Sure you know the Showa era reference at the beginning. Line by line,

1: There's something about a dictatorship being built.
2: "Western" culture eroding (?) the "traditional national spirit".
3: The kanji stands for "protect"
4: Something about the government crumbling....

In short, we have "undead" (or immortal) beings invading Tokyo, killing civilians en masse, and establishing a new regime. What series is this?

It's from a RPG game from Nitro-plus.

[yezhanquan]

Originally Posted by Kang Seung Jae

It's from a RPG game from Nitro-plus.

Sounds dystopic to me. Of course, my translation is... crap. But, I don't think it's far off the mark. Now, if you'll excuse me....

*googles Nitro Plus*

EDIT: I give up. The name of the game, please?

[Saleh]

Originally Posted by yezhanquan

Sounds dystopic to me. Of course, my translation is... crap. But, I don't think it's far off the mark. Now, if you'll excuse me....

*googles Nitro Plus*

EDIT: I give up. The name of the game, please?

The image is from Sabato Nabe Nitro Amusement Disc.
Visual Novel database link - http://vndb.org/v436

[yezhanquan]

Hmmm... The Amusement Disc is made up of 3 stories, and this one links to Hanachirasu. No wonder I couldn't find it.

but the title: " Sacred Capital Curfew". Yeap, it's creepy alright.

[LiberLibri]

Spoiler for English translation:

Ishijima Kaigen

She established a military dictatorship by coup-d'etat in Shouwa period and tried to exclude any western cultural influence in order to save the traditional national identity. Everyone believed that she passed away soon after the ruling collapsed, which turned out to be false; she appeared again in Blockade City Tokyo in the year Keido 8, with a troop of dead soldiers called "Bushi (Undead)", to commence a monstrous war. Some armed groups such as Takigawa Corporation and Hokodome Association resisted hard against her, but finally she expelled them and declared victory. Without hesitation she slaughtered all civilians in Tokyo by a nuclear bomb, then turned their corps into Bushi Guardians. Her ambition to forge an immortal, eternal homeland came to reality there. She also resurrected the Emperor as a symbol of the Nation, under whom she calls herself a Governor-General and reigns the Tokyo Undead Empire .

武士 (samurai soldier) and 不死 (undead) make a pun. Probably Keido 景道 can be a fictitious period name that would come after Shouwa 昭和 (in reality, it is 平成).

[Kang Seung Jae]

Originally Posted by LiberLibri

Ishijima Kaigen

She established a military dictatorship by coup-d'etat in Showa period and tried to exclude any western cultural influence in order to save the traditional national identity. Everyone believed that she passed away soon after the ruling collapsed, which turned out to be false; she appeared again in Blockade City Tokyo in the year Keido 8, with a troop of dead soldiers called "Bushi (Undead)", to commence a monstrous war. Some armed groups such as Takigawa Corporation and Hokodome Association resisted hard against her, but finally she expelled them and declared victory. Without hesitation she slaughtered all civilians in Tokyo by a nuclear bomb, then turned their corps into Bushi Guardians. Her ambition to forge an immortal, eternal homeland came to reality there. She also resurrected the Emperor as a symbol of the Nation, under whom she calls herself a Governor-General and reigns the Tokyo Undead Empire .

武士 (samurai soldier) and 不死 (undead) made a pun.

....................

That storyline is MUCH scarier than the original story of Hanachirasu.

[yezhanquan]

Originally Posted by Kang Seung Jae

....................

That storyline is MUCH scarier than the original story of Hanachirasu.

Possibly that's why it was only one part of the disc.

[Risaa]

Sorry if this has been asked before; I performed a very quick search (posting in between appointments ) and didn't find anything.

What is the difference between kyou 「今日」 and honjitsu 「本日」? I associate kyou with certain contexts and the honjitsu with different contexts (mostly in formal announcements and the like), but I'm hoping for a more specific explanation so that *I* can start using them in their most natural settings as opposed to only restricting myself to "kyou". Also, "honjitsu" doesn't always seem to mean "today"...

(..."in their most natural settings"... I've made them sound like animals. Well, kyou is a grazer and honjitsu typically feeds on bugs and seeds, but when kyou gets really hungry it'll eat brainz...)

[Mystique]

Honjitsu is used in formal occasions and official announcements for public events.
Kyou is used in casual conversations between friends or people.

That's the obvious difference I've noticed. I never use honjitsu unless i was making a public announcement to a bunch of people (which I'd probably die from nerves first) ^^;;
As for lingusitic differences, I'm sure someone else will add to that

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Risaa

Sorry if this has been asked before; I performed a very quick search (posting in between appointments ) and didn't find anything.

What is the difference between kyou 「今日」 and honjitsu 「本日」? I associate kyou with certain contexts and the honjitsu with different contexts (mostly in formal announcements and the like), but I'm hoping for a more specific explanation so that *I* can start using them in their most natural settings as opposed to only restricting myself to "kyou". Also, "honjitsu" doesn't always seem to mean "today"...

(..."in their most natural settings"... I've made them sound like animals. Well, kyou is a grazer and honjitsu typically feeds on bugs and seeds, but when kyou gets really hungry it'll eat brainz...)

Oh, so I'm an "appointment" now .... :P
That makes linguistic sense since kyou is faster to say when you have to shout a warning if it rampages... honjitsu takes too long, better for leisurely bug eaters.

Aye, the only time I've ever seen honjitsu used at all was in one formal business announcement I was translating a couple of years ago.

[nikorai]

Kang Seung Jae

yezhanquan
LiberLibri
Awesome translation.
Actually, first time I hear of the game. It appears to be rather old (on the other hand, I consider 2006 games rather new).
Somehow, the girl reminds me of Hagino. Or vice-versa.

The girl is building a dictatorship? With the help of army of the dead? Absolutely crazy.

You say you want a revolution
Well you know
we all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know you can count me out, in
Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright

Looks like NitroPlus is specializing in some crazy things. Their newer notable titles include 月光のカルネヴァーレ and CHAOS;HEAD.

And I'm sorry I can't bring any meaningful discussion for the topic of japanese language. I'm deep into writing my thesis and I have to put all my studies aside.
Still, got a hong kong package with haruka game. More information from me can be found in the corresponding thread.

Also, recently came across an interesing expression - 棒読み which means "reading in a wooden voice, the same way as you'd read in chinese".

[natori umi]

英語を勉強中の日本人です...

[Mystique]

you're a japanese person currently studying english.

Umm... you need to write in english too here, not everyone can read what you wrote.
(Do you wanna say 'hi'? or something?)

edit:
For a boss, i'd still use 'kyou' since it's a 1-1 interaction. I dunno the reason, but it feels off to me.
As for it meaning something else, i'd be learning something new too, times like this are when Libri comes in really handy to get the cultural aspect straight, lol

Originally Posted by Risaa

And I would normally call "scheduled lunch time with other otaku as an excuse to pass off foreign crack-pot manga" a "lunch-date" but I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, Vexx-san...! (In any case transaction complete. wtf they cut one of my favorite yuri series out this issue!? Where is my girl on girl love!?--- Said too much... )

I LOVE Fukuoka!

Sorry, I couldn't resist, but to quote it for reference. :x
And we all know that Vexx is a loving, faithful husband, aren't you sir?

[Risaa]

Yes that's what I've always figured, that one is simply more formal than the other. But does that mean I would use "honjitsu" in place of "kyou" when using keigo, say if I were talking to a boss? Or is it reserved *only* for announcements made on TV and radio? What about using "honjitsu" to mean something other than "today"? I don't have an example off-hand but there have been times when "today" wouldn't have made sense in the context I've heard it used in. (Will come back with an example if/when I think of one.)

I LOVE Fukuoka!

[LiberLibri]

Originally Posted by Risaa

Yes that's what I've always figured, that one is simply more formal than the other. But does that mean I would use "honjitsu" in place of "kyou" when using keigo, say if I were talking to a boss? Or is it reserved *only* for announcements made on TV and radio? What about using "honjitsu" to mean something other than "today"? I don't have an example off-hand but there have been times when "today" wouldn't have made sense in the context I've heard it used in. (Will come back with an example if/when I think of one.)

Strictly speaking, no. Hon-jitsu, which can be translated literally as "the present day", suggests you put emphasis upon the DATE. It is why hon-jitsu is preferred in a formal/military/business context. For example, suppose it is now 20:00 of 8th Nov and you are talking about an anime aired from 01:20 of 9th Nov. You could express the anime will begin "kyou (today)" or "kon-ya (tonight)", but never say it will be "hon-jitsu". In general, "kyou" can be a subjective period which begins when you wake up and ends when you sleep in, which is often used for a joke; I once saw a man shouting "I won't go to bed because I fear tomorrow coming!".

Originally Posted by nikorai

Also, recently came across an interesing expression - 棒読み which means "reading in a wooden voice, the same way as you'd read in chinese".

It is about the pitch accent and vocal stress. For example, Fukuoka is pronounced in standard Japanese as "―￣―＿" whereas in 棒読み it is "――――" (like a bar, 棒).

[nikorai]

I've ever seen honjitsu used at all was in one formal business announcement I was translating a couple of years ago.

Huh? Vexx-san is a professional interpreter? I didn't know that.

natori umi
こんにちは。私は日本語を勉強中のロシア人で～す。よろしくお願いします。
残念ですが、博士論文を書いているので、日本語の勉強はひとまず中断したり後回しにします。
(Hmm, i'm not sure if it's meaningful. I feel much more comfortable speaking english).
私は独学ですから、日本語がひどく下手です。文法とかの間違いところがあったら許してください 。

LiberLibri

It is about the pitch accent and vocal stress.

Ah, I see. Thanks for pointing that out.

Speaking of the game I got recently. In Hong Kong shops it is labeled as
Nogizaka Sunkou no Himitsu Cosplay, Hajime Mashita (Japan, NTSC J)
春香=shunkou. Poor Haruka -_-'. Maybe it is some sort of a revenge for using on-yomi for Chinese names.

Speaking of announcements. I think honjitsu would fit in announcements like "the shop is closed"
本日は閉店 or 本日は開店休業.

[Vexx]

Well.... I get paid to do it (contract basis) and I work/review with a native Japanese speaker. When we both agree - its good. (mostly we work on japanese and english localization for a suite of diagnostic chip analysis tools).

I'd hardly call myself professional... I still can't generate conversation on-the-fly and I'm finding my pronunciation is horrible lately. I've not been able to take any classes in japanese for almost six months due to conflicts --- very bad. I'm most comfortable surrounded by dictionaries and reference books. :P

[bungmonkey]

What's the best word for phrase?

As in: 「おすすめは何ですか」はとても便利な X

言葉?
文句? Seems like this one usually means "complaint".

[richvh]

I'd suggest 言い回し.