I am chicken
May 31st 2008 14:14
Several years ago, there was a interesting commercial for a English-language school. A flight attendant asked a passenger who was a Japanese girl, on a plane,
"Which would you like, chicken of beef?"
and the girl answered cheerfully,
"I am chicken !"
Then she was transformed her face into a chicken at the moment. The narrator said, "Come to ○○language school before you get yourself into this kind of situation."
The people who learn Japanese may be able to guess why she made such a mistake (and some Japanese may guess my age. XD).
「XはＹ（です）」
is a most fundamental sentence in Japanese.
cf. 「私はたみです」 - "I am Tami (My name is Tami)"
「夫は会社員です」 - "My husband is a office worker."
「ミシガンは寒い」 - "It is cold in Michigan"
Sometimes, we use this 「XはY」 in daily conversation as a short format of some sentences, such as:
「I will order Sushi. What do you want to eat?」
「私はうなぎ！」（means: I will order eel.）
The literal translation of this sentence is "I am an eel !"
Japanese linguist call it "うなぎ文（eel sentences）", since one linguist wrote about this conversation in his book.
私はアメリカン（American coffee）。 I am American.
俺はカツ丼（pork cutlet on rice）。 I am a pork cutlet on rice.
It's funny, isn't it?
I heard that some languages have similar rule in their grammar. Does someone know which languages are?
"Which would you like, chicken of beef?"
and the girl answered cheerfully,
"I am chicken !"
Then she was transformed her face into a chicken at the moment. The narrator said, "Come to ○○language school before you get yourself into this kind of situation."
The people who learn Japanese may be able to guess why she made such a mistake (and some Japanese may guess my age. XD).
「XはＹ（です）」
is a most fundamental sentence in Japanese.
cf. 「私はたみです」 - "I am Tami (My name is Tami)"
「夫は会社員です」 - "My husband is a office worker."
「ミシガンは寒い」 - "It is cold in Michigan"
Sometimes, we use this 「XはY」 in daily conversation as a short format of some sentences, such as:
「I will order Sushi. What do you want to eat?」
「私はうなぎ！」（means: I will order eel.）
The literal translation of this sentence is "I am an eel !"
Japanese linguist call it "うなぎ文（eel sentences）", since one linguist wrote about this conversation in his book.
私はアメリカン（American coffee）。 I am American.
俺はカツ丼（pork cutlet on rice）。 I am a pork cutlet on rice.
It's funny, isn't it?
I heard that some languages have similar rule in their grammar. Does someone know which languages are?
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Several years ago, there was an interesting commercial for a English-language school.
(In the commercial), a flight attendant had asked a passenger, who was a Japanese girl, a question: on a plane,
"Which would you like, chicken or beef?"
and to which the girl answered, rather cheerfully at that,
Then she was transformed her face into a chicken at that very moment.
The narrator said, "Go to a language school before you get yourself into this kind of situation."
The people who learn Japanese may be able to guess why she made such a mistake (and some Japanese may be able to guess my age too).
is a most fundamental sentence in the Japanese language.
「夫は会社員です」 - "My husband is an office worker."
Does someone know which languages do?
I still forget to add "a" and "an"... difficult ...(ToT)
Then her face transformed into a chicken at that very moment.
People who learn Japanese may be able to guess why she made such a mistake (and some Japanese may be able to guess my age.
is the most fundamental sentence in Japanese language.
Does anyone know what these languages are?
One thing I'd like to mention is that you can't have "a most" because by definition, there can only be one thing that is the "most". Therefore, it must be "the most".
「私はうなぎ！」 haha
It is difficult for me to change a Japanese brain into a English brain. I'd like to try to live in foreign countries...like you(^_-)
To change my brain is difficult, too. If I was a student or an office worker, my English skill would be improved faster. But I am a housewife, I don't have enough opportunity to speak with American. (There are many Japanese wives here who cannot speak English.) I needed to spend lots of money on taking ESL-English as a Second Language- corses. It is not so different from in Japan, is it?
I think that people who has a passion for studying, like you, can learn no matter where you are! ^^ Of course, it is a good idea to try your skill in foreign countries. How about the short-term study abroad? I did it after marriage.
That's a good idea! But I don't have a brave. No, I'll study abroad...maybe...haha(^_^;) Anyway, I keep trying to study English in Japan.