tlitody
Well-known
If you really wanna hear "bokeh" in Japanese, I'll record and post it here.
please do. That would resolve all confusion.
ampguy
Veteran
huh?
huh?
I am not fluent, and never will be, but I grew up with it spoken, and can speak, read and write it, and did so while living and working in Japan.
I also speak Spanish. And some French, so I am told
huh?
I am not fluent, and never will be, but I grew up with it spoken, and can speak, read and write it, and did so while living and working in Japan.
I also speak Spanish. And some French, so I am told
coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
That would be very nice. Would you also record the proper way to say "Nikon" while you are at it. Perhaps you could use the two words in the same sentence.
Here you go.
Here is one saying "Bokeh."
http://suguru.net/public_images/bokeh.m4a
This is saying "Nikon."
http://suguru.net/public_images/nikon.m4a
This one is saying "Nikkor."
http://suguru.net/public_images/nikkor.m4a
And finally, I'm saying "(I) like Bokeh of the Nikkor."
http://suguru.net/public_images/nikkor_bokeh_para.m4a
Note: Some might say the intonation is wrong/different. That's because we have different intonations, sometimes pronunciations between regions. Even within this tiny country, intonations can be "opposite" sometimes between two neighboring prefectures.
tlitody
Well-known
Thank you. I think that answers the OP's question without any uncertainty.
coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
Post edited. I want to contribute to this thread.
Last edited:
antiquark
Derek Ross
Thanks for the audios. "Nikkor" was totally different than I thought it would be.
However, if the Japanese themselves can't agree on the pronuncation, then all hope is lost!
ampguy
Veteran
Hi Sug
Hi Sug
Hi Sug, well when you mention places to visit in SF that I disagree with, or you mention that you are boycotting Sony because they're not putting your favorite sets of languages into their camera menus, and have knowledge that they are involved in shady business practices, I do think you are a weird child.
No one else in my family which includes 1st to 4th generation Nihonjin or the people I live and work with in Tokyo think my Nihongo is odd.
I also thought the photo you guys took of the kid touching the ballon in SF last weekend or two was "hen na ko"
You can call me weird old person, and I won't be offended. I promise.
Hi Sug
Hi Sug, well when you mention places to visit in SF that I disagree with, or you mention that you are boycotting Sony because they're not putting your favorite sets of languages into their camera menus, and have knowledge that they are involved in shady business practices, I do think you are a weird child.
No one else in my family which includes 1st to 4th generation Nihonjin or the people I live and work with in Tokyo think my Nihongo is odd.
I also thought the photo you guys took of the kid touching the ballon in SF last weekend or two was "hen na ko"
You can call me weird old person, and I won't be offended. I promise.
Last edited:
coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
Posted edited.
Last edited:
Gumby
Veteran
d i t t o !
antiquark
Derek Ross
Nice apology.
"Weird child" sounds innocuous to me as a Canadian, but I can understand that in different languages, a phrase could be highly offensive due to the connotations the words have in the culture.
By analogy, there are phrases that might seem quite harmless in other countries, but which are insulting to Canadians.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
This thead is deep!
Alpacaman
keen bean
Now that we know how to pronounce "Bokeh" (thanks Sug, btw), what on earth are we going to do with our time?
Last edited:
Gumby
Veteran
Great question.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
antiquark, Well put, sir.
Keith, indeed.
As for the Bokeh debate, it's definitely a funny one. I couldn't believe Bokeh was used universally for this terminology when I was first told about it after I moved to the US. I'd write and "think" as Boke, instead of Bokeh. Probably many of you know "Sake" (alcohol beverages) is not pronounced like "Saki" in Japanese. You can think the same for Boke. I think the "H" came in there to avoid the confusion with "e" sound. Just replace "sa" with "bo" while keeping the "ke" part "k-eh" not "ki" (like the "wrong pronunciation of Sake), you pretty much got it.
Nikon to Naikon transformation really puzzled me when I moved here, but now I actually call Nikon Naikon myself.
Keith, indeed.
As for the Bokeh debate, it's definitely a funny one. I couldn't believe Bokeh was used universally for this terminology when I was first told about it after I moved to the US. I'd write and "think" as Boke, instead of Bokeh. Probably many of you know "Sake" (alcohol beverages) is not pronounced like "Saki" in Japanese. You can think the same for Boke. I think the "H" came in there to avoid the confusion with "e" sound. Just replace "sa" with "bo" while keeping the "ke" part "k-eh" not "ki" (like the "wrong pronunciation of Sake), you pretty much got it.
Nikon to Naikon transformation really puzzled me when I moved here, but now I actually call Nikon Naikon myself.
Last edited:
coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
OK, then how about this? What's "Summicron" pronunciation in German? We call that like "Zummicron" in Japanese, but I know It's "Summicron" in the US at least.
Even tougher one for me is "Voigtlander" It's "Foktolender" ish in Japan, but obviously it's very hard to really neil it. How do we pronounce this in the US again?
Even tougher one for me is "Voigtlander" It's "Foktolender" ish in Japan, but obviously it's very hard to really neil it. How do we pronounce this in the US again?
Alpacaman
keen bean
I used to try and say Nikon like it was originally meant to be said, but my accent forces it to come out as neeeeekon, and it isn't a pleasant sound.
Alpacaman
keen bean
I say "Soomicron" (not a drawn out oo though), and "Voitlandar", but the T is affected by the G somehow, I just don't know how to type it.
oftheherd
Veteran
I am not fluent, and never will be, but I grew up with it spoken, and can speak, read and write it, and did so while living and working in Japan.
I also speak Spanish. And some French, so I am told
Sorry about the "Ten Characters" but in RFF you must have at least ten characters in a reply, and it must be outside a quote. I can see how it might have been confusing considering we are talking about language.
As to your language ability, I envy you. I used to be a sort of mid-level linguist in Spanish and Vietnamese, but having not spoken either in over 30 years, I have forgotten almost everything, especially in Vietnamese (no cognates). Back then I was pretty good in Spanish, and passably good in Vietnamese.
I used to understand a lot of Korean, but never really spoke it, even though I could read their alphabet. When I returned to the USA after my first tour there, I tried to impress my future wife with what little ability I had.
Every time I spoke she would laugh. It turns out that I had unknowingly picked up the accent of a province where we did a lot of work. It was sort of like a Korean speaking not great English but with a recognizably strong Southern accent. Even knowing the reason, I got tired of being laughed at, and her English was sure a lot better than my Korean.
ampguy
Veteran
No problem
No problem
I understand how that quoting can work. We speak about 80% Nihongo here at home, so the kids will be bilingual, or more. My wife is Japanese, and her family still lives in the center of Tokyo where I lived and worked (Meguro-ku - I worked in Akasaka Mitsuke).
Since my Japanese was older from my grandparents and parents, then a quick graduate crash course before working in Japan, it was often outdated by the time I got to Japan, plus many of the folks I would meet and work with had studied English for 8+ years, and often spent some time in the US or UK, having much better English than my Japanese. However, I would usually insist on using Japanese unless it got impossible to communicate, as that was the only way I could continue learning. The only dialects I could detect were Osaka-ben and Kansai-ben, but my wife could pick up a few others having been born there and living there for ~35 years.
I have a friend, whose mother is Korean, but he grew up in Japan. Omoshiroii katta!
My cousin, who is half Chinese and half Japanese just married a Korean American this past summer.
I only had 2 years of HS Spanish, but was able to readily communicate in it when vacationing there, but have since lost a lot of it. Ever since the kids were watching 'Dora the Explorer' I've been trying to remember more of it! and even hang out in the Mission practicing it! - "Swiper no swiping!!"
Our relatives, some now out in the country, have photographed the royal family for generations, and famous sumo wrestlers and entertainers. There's definitely some interesting history in both of our families going back some 200 years...
No problem
I understand how that quoting can work. We speak about 80% Nihongo here at home, so the kids will be bilingual, or more. My wife is Japanese, and her family still lives in the center of Tokyo where I lived and worked (Meguro-ku - I worked in Akasaka Mitsuke).
Since my Japanese was older from my grandparents and parents, then a quick graduate crash course before working in Japan, it was often outdated by the time I got to Japan, plus many of the folks I would meet and work with had studied English for 8+ years, and often spent some time in the US or UK, having much better English than my Japanese. However, I would usually insist on using Japanese unless it got impossible to communicate, as that was the only way I could continue learning. The only dialects I could detect were Osaka-ben and Kansai-ben, but my wife could pick up a few others having been born there and living there for ~35 years.
I have a friend, whose mother is Korean, but he grew up in Japan. Omoshiroii katta!
My cousin, who is half Chinese and half Japanese just married a Korean American this past summer.
I only had 2 years of HS Spanish, but was able to readily communicate in it when vacationing there, but have since lost a lot of it. Ever since the kids were watching 'Dora the Explorer' I've been trying to remember more of it! and even hang out in the Mission practicing it! - "Swiper no swiping!!"
Our relatives, some now out in the country, have photographed the royal family for generations, and famous sumo wrestlers and entertainers. There's definitely some interesting history in both of our families going back some 200 years...
Sorry about the "Ten Characters" but in RFF you must have at least ten characters in a reply, and it must be outside a quote. I can see how it might have been confusing considering we are talking about language.
As to your language ability, I envy you. I used to be a sort of mid-level linguist in Spanish and Vietnamese, but having not spoken either in over 30 years, I have forgotten almost everything, especially in Vietnamese (no cognates). Back then I was pretty good in Spanish, and passably good in Vietnamese.
I used to understand a lot of Korean, but never really spoke it, even though I could read their alphabet. When I returned to the USA after my first tour there, I tried to impress my future wife with what little ability I had.
Every time I spoke she would laugh. It turns out that I had unknowingly picked up the accent of a province where we did a lot of work. It was sort of like a Korean speaking not great English but with a recognizably strong Southern accent. Even knowing the reason, I got tired of being laughed at, and her English was sure a lot better than my Korean.
Last edited: