Happy new year!

[devi]

What, you mean the year doesn't start on the first of September? It certainly feels like that to me. A fresh start, blank copybooks, resolutions you know you won't keep, all that sort of thing. And a new batch of students, none of whom seem to be at all stupid! Wow.

There are too few of them, though. Far too few. I have half the hours of last year, acres of time and am going 'la la la, I can't hear you' to the big shaggy Poverty Beast slouching inexorably up behind me. I've so often wished for time to write, and hated teaching IT (there's hardly anyone doing IT this year, they must have figured out it's a crap subject). Be careful what you wish for, etc.

Where the heck am I going to get money? Anyone want their tarot read? Anyone need private tuition? Or perhaps you'd like an authentic, retro 1999-style website made for you? Want me as an extra in your blockbuster movie about short people? Or have you lot got any other interesting suggestions? (Anyone who suggests prostitution will get a slap. Or not get a slap, if a slap is what you'd like.)


My new obsession is Japanese characters. I've learned some basic ones, you know the sort you get on Feng Shui candles, wood, water, earth, fire etc, but today on the tube I started finding out how to put them together to make new words. The character for "man" is made up of the characters for "rice field" and "strength". How weird is that?

Comments

[fluffymormegil.livejournal.com]

ISTR being told that in Japanese text, some kanji are assigned to words based on their meaning and some are assigned based on what they sound like in Chinese. But I could be completely misremembering/misinformed.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

There does seem to be something like that going on, but I can't figure it out yet. The bit that's making my brain hurt is that individual kanji are read as Japanese words, but if you put two or more together to make a new word, you use the "Chinese reading". I'm not sure if these are actually Chinese words or if it's just a figure of speech. Ouch, brain leaking out of ears.

[randalf.livejournal.com]

I guess I should add a comment since I'm doing GCSE Japanese this year! On the whole, kanji are remarkably literal when used to build "new" words from what I'd call "base" kanji. So for example, the kanji representation of telephone is the symbol for "electric" + the symbol for "talk".

However, as for readings. The "Kun" reading is the "on-its-own" reading and is as you surmise its meaning as a single Japanese word. The "On" readings, are as you say the combination of two or more. These spawn new words but crucially these are still Japanese words; they don't inherit Chinese pronunciation or grammar. The meanings however, stay intact between the two languages. And yes, it's a bugger to remember all these meaning and pronunciations!

Our teacher from last year (originally from Tokyo) mentioned that Chinese and Japanese tourists can do quite well without knowing a word of either's language since they can usually decipher signs, menus, etc. via the kanji alone.

If you're looking for interesting kanji, check out:

http://www.kanjisite.com/

It's a good site to simply browse :)

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

That is fantastic. I'm especially liking the ones for 'glory' and 'universe'.

[randalf.livejournal.com]

You might also like this site as well:

http://kanjidict.stc.cx/dict

It's great for looking up particular words to find its kanji, rather than with the other site which shows you the kanji and you find out the meanings as you browse :)

[tokyo-mb.livejournal.com]

You might also find these two interesting:

Wakan is free software for Windows, that has Kanji learning, dictionary, vocabulary learning and translation facilities. I'm using this quite extensively at the moment to support my learning.

Kanji Pict.O.Graphix (aside from the horrible punctuation of the title) is an amusing and interesting way to get to grips with just over 1,000 Kanji.

[philipstorry.livejournal.com]

Anyone who suggests prostitution will get a slap. Or not get a slap, if a slap is what you'd like.

What about those that simply enjoy the anticipation of potential forthcoming slap? Surely they'd be happy for a short while either way?

It's a simple fact of life - you can only delay a good pervert. You can never stop them. And for every one you do stop, two more appear in its place... ;-)

[sciamachy.livejournal.com]

But it *is* the New Year - according to the Jewish calendar anyway. Happy New Year, Jewish people!

[mooism.livejournal.com]

Also for people born on 15th September.

[elethe.livejournal.com]

I was just going to point out the exact same thing.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Hurrah, a whole culture whose year is shaped like mine!

[absinthecity.livejournal.com]

Crumbs. I hadn't realised you were in *that* department too! Is that a new thing, or were you always doing IT as well as the sociology?

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

No, I've done IT all along. W says I'm his minion. I say I'm his sidekick. I think sidekick sounds better.

[mooism.livejournal.com]

When I was at school, there was a sense in which years started in September and ended in July; August was an intermission, an intercalary month which nonetheless occured every year.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

That's how I always feel about August. This August especially. It was like I was hibernating (aestivating, isn't it?)

[gnimmel.livejournal.com]

The putting together of Chinese characters sounds similar; 'argument' being three 'women' characters under a 'roof' character is the one I remember.
Sadly, though I've heard that one may express 'surprise' by putting 'horse' in 'doorway', further investigation didn't bear this out.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

You can teach me everything you know and name your price. For example, *whispers* erm, which is which out of Marx and Engels on that statue?

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't tell either. I mean, they both have the big hair, big beard, founding-father-of-sociology look working for them. But Elise says Marx is the one sitting down.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Do I have to pay Elise for that information now?

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

If you insist, but private tutors usually charge by the hour and it took her maybe 15 seconds to impart the information, so you probably owe her a penny sweet or something. :)

[saffronra.livejournal.com]

I've long since ceased to be amazed by what new madness the study of kanji will reveal.

It's great fun when you get to the kanji which can be used on it's own to mean something, as a verb (with hiragana) and in a compound and be pronounced differently each time.

Still, it's very pretty though.