When learning some of the Austronesian languages, I cannot help but to notice the different patterns of speech that are used when talking to friends and family compared to the speech that is used when talking to people of greater seniority or higher social hierarchy. My observation first started with Bahasa Melayu, taking notice to … Continue reading Introduction to formal & informal speech in some Austronesian languages
speech
How do we talk? — Phonation
Previously, we have looked at the various types of airstream mechanisms we use to make sounds. Most of our languages only use a couple of these in the words we speak, while there are perhaps one or two that manage to use as many as 4 or 5. Today, we will look a particular type … Continue reading How do we talk? — Phonation
How do we talk? — Airstream mechanisms
There is pretty much no denying that all modern natural languages today are predominantly spoken. It is also perhaps the one aspect of language that we pretty much take for granted, and not really paying attention to the various processes underlying how we talk. I have been wanting to cover the fundamentals of phonetics for … Continue reading How do we talk? — Airstream mechanisms
Word Bites — Why do some people say “this here” instead of “this”?
In some videos, movies, or films, you may have heard some characters or people use the phrase "this here (something)" or "that there (something)", probably to portray a more country or old-style atmosphere. However, occasionally, I have heard instances where phrases like this are spoken in perhaps some places in America. So this got me … Continue reading Word Bites — Why do some people say “this here” instead of “this”?
Japanese Speech Contest 2020/21 (日本語スピーチコンテスト 2020/21) — The translation
As scheduled, here is my translation of what I wrote, under the guidance of my Japanese language tutor, for the script used in the Japanese Speech Contest submission entry! I included the original Japanese text at the top, followed by the English translation, to make referrals to the original script a bit easier. シンガポールの消滅危機言語の復興ークリスタン語 Language … Continue reading Japanese Speech Contest 2020/21 (日本語スピーチコンテスト 2020/21) — The translation
Japanese Speech Contest 2020/21 (日本語スピーチコンテスト 2020/21) — The script
今週の投稿は少し異なる。去年の12月に英国日本語教育学会の日本語スピーチコンテストに参加することに決めた。決勝大会に選考されなかったが、この経験で書き方や話し方など色々なを身につけたと思う。それでは、書いた台本をこのサイトでシェアしたい。自己紹介や形式的な表現などの切ったところがあるが、内容としてたいてい保たれる。英語の翻訳は水曜日に出せる。 This week's post will be a little different. Last December, I decided to take part in the Japanese Speech Contest held by the British Association for Teaching Japanese. While I was not shortlisted for the finals day, I think that through this experience, I learnt a lot of stuff, from writing to speaking and … Continue reading Japanese Speech Contest 2020/21 (日本語スピーチコンテスト 2020/21) — The script
The Language Closet 