The big problem with these quick-and-dirty teach yourself ultrafast courses is, there comes a time when they simply decide it’s time to learn a lot of vocabulary by heart.
And so, here’s lesson four – places, family and animals, here, there and everywhere.
So now, having greeted our host and asked for food, we can introduce ourselves – and our closest relatives – and affirm that, yes, that’s a cat – are wa neko desu.
And no kidding.
In 1999 I was on the verge of taking my belated degree in geology, and I was working as quality control manager in a call center – doing nights.
To most, this mix may mean sleep deprivation, caffeine overdose and increasing hatred for our fellow humans.
But to me it also meant a small but steady income, and – soon – reason to celebrate.
And what’s the best way to celebrate the finalliberation from the increasingly oppressive University of Turin, but to plan and execute a long trip?
At the time, I had a good friend living in Hong Kong with the family.
So, what about saving money and taking a trip to that city?
After all, it had been one of my dream cities since I was ten or thereabouts.
And what about taking the trip by train? Continue reading
Food!
A long list of food-stuff, and how to order it.
So now we can wander in a Japanese restaurant, greet the people there (as per lesson two – no eye contact, no smile), and then go Sandoicchi to sarada o kudasai… which should get us a sandwich and a salad.
Starvation is no longer a proble.
On to lesson four!
Sunday.
Kick back, relax.
Listen to the radio.
Here’s the september 15, 1941 Lux Radio Theater version of Lost Horizon, from the James Hilton novel and/or the Frank Capra adaptation.
The show features part of the original movie cast, including Ronald Colman in the role of Robert Conway.
Enjoy!
Second lesson – greetings.
This is a great classic of self-teaching language courses.
Maybe you can’t speak the lingo, but you can at least be polite enough to greet those you meet.
So, Konnichiwa, Konbanwa… but also Dozo Yoroshiku.
The best bit is the half-page primer on meeting the Japanese – bow low, don’t make eye contact, don’t smile.
Oh, c’mon…
Just stumbled on this short little free essay about Chinese influence as a hub for the Silk Road and beyond.
I’ll review it soon, but in the meantime…
It’s called The Effect Of China On Korea And Japan In Pre-Modern Asia, by Corey Walden.
Course materials – Giapponese in 30 Giorni (Italian edition of Berlitz/Langenscheidt Japanese in 30 Days), a pencil, a wad of post-its to fill the handbook with annotations. MP3 Reader for listening practice.
First lesson.
A handful of pages: Hiragana & Katakana, how to pronounce Japanese, the dread long vowels…
So far so good.
Karavansara 