他のスレッドで見つけた英語表現について質問するスレ ッド

[Kyoko_desu]

Originally Posted by Mikawa Ossan
One of the stereotypes about Mormons is that men have more than one wife.

Ah! I got it then!
私は、他のフォーラムにも行くということを、「浮気をする」のように受け止めていたから、浮気を宗教に結びつけるって？？？？ って混乱していたんです。
他のフォーラムにも行く＝一夫多妻制 これなら納得！ です。

よくわかりました、どうもありがとうございました、Mikawa Ossan.

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

In the United States, polygamy (marriage to more than one wife) is illegal. Every once in a great while, a polygamist gets caught, but it is rare, because with marriage licenses and record-keeping it is difficult to get away with. Mormons are (somewhat unjustly) infamous for polygamy, because it is permitted by their religion.

Mormonism is an offshoot of Christianity founded by Joseph Smith, claimed by some to be a one-time confidence artist and reformed criminal. They call themselves the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is believed by Mormons that he discovered tablets containing the Book of Mormon beneath a hill in the eastern U.S. The book describes a migration of ancient Hebrews to the Americas where they founded kingdoms that were subsequently destroyed before the coming of the Europeans. The book also describes a voyage that Christ made to the American continent.

Mormonism is considered anacronistic by some scholars. Mormon university archeologists who attempt to "prove" the existence of the kingdoms of the Book of Mormon in the Americas are considered disreputable by many secular archeological departments. Many biblical scholars criticize Mormonism from a historical standpoint, claiming that anyone who wrote the Book of Mormon had little understanding of ancient Jewish customs and laws, and also point out that nomenclature in the Book of Mormon is not Semitic.

Despite these heavy criticisms, the church of Mormonism is still thriving and growing today, especially in parts of the Southwestern and Eastern United States.

 

[ricecake]

the church of Mormonism is still thriving and growing today,especially in parts of the Southwestern and Eastern United States.

Mormon polygamists with harem have enclaves near the Utah and Arizona borders.

 

[Kyoko_desu]

GodEmperorLeto-san and ricecake-san, thanks for the input.

Now I wonder if the Mormonism is thought to be a cult.
Does the word "cult" generally have a connotation that the religion is bad? or just not established?

 

[nice gaijin]

cult definitely has a negative connotation to it, and usually infers that the organization encourages or requires its members to completely abandon their lives (and wealth/belongings) and devote themselves (and their money) to the cult. It can also infer that the group is willing to commit violence to protect its secrets or forcefully keep members from leaving. The most benign interpretation is that it's a group with radical ideas, usually religious in nature.

I would not consider Mormonism a cult; it has no more closely-guarded secrets than Catholicism, and while there are some pretty wild beliefs, it's ultimately just another church. Also, polygamy has been outlawed by the Mormon tabernacle, and those few who still practice polygamy are not considered to be Mormon.

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

Keep the questions coming! I really like this thread. Anyone with questions about phrases and idioms in English should post their queries, not just Kyoko. And it's fun to think about these things and answer questions about them.

So, more questions, please!

 

[Kyoko_desu]

OK, nice gaijin-san, いつもとってもわかりやすい説明をありがとうございます！

The Japanese word カルト got widely spread in Japan when オウム真理教 "Aum Shinrikyo" murdered so many people in Tokyo.

Since the word カルト reminds most of us Japanese of Aum Shinrikyo, it has a super negative connotation here. However, lots of imported Japanese words (foreign-originated Japanese words) have different meanings and connotations from the original ones, I thought I should ask that question. Anyway, many thanks, nice gaijin-san. You always help me so well!

Originally Posted by GodEmperorLeto
Keep the questions coming! I really like this thread. Anyone with questions about phrases and idioms in English should post their queries, not just Kyoko.

Yeeees, this thread is not RESERVED FOR KYOKO ONLY. As I said in my first post, anyone can use this thread for asking questions about English. So, if you do have any questions, please feel free to use this thread.

 

[Kyoko_desu]

thread title
Japan's fear of Brazilians

Post #3
White and Black men have larger appendages while Japanese woman too resent their lemon pads. aka ....shower envy

What are "lemon pads " aka (aka stands for "as known as", right?) "shower envy"? I checked everywhere I could think of on internet but could not find out their (lemon pads and shower envy) meanings.

moyashi-san was talking about the fascination some Japanese women have towards Western guys there. As I didn't know the meaning of the word "appendage", I checked my dictionary and it said it's a 人間の腕 in American slang. So my wild guess is "lemon pads" refers some body part that some Japanese people think theirs are inferior to those of Westerners or something. But what would that be???? Height? tits size? muscle?
Maybe I'm totally wrong.....

 

[nice gaijin]

appendage is a general medical term for an arm or leg, or can also be used for the penis. It's the same as "limb."

I haven't heard of lemon pads before, but I'd wager it's a reference to breasts.

I think the point of the post was to point out an inferiority complex some Japanese might have because it seems that foreign men have bigger "appendages," and foreign women have bigger breasts. At least that's how I interpret it. The term "shower envy" must refer to, say, being in an onsen and glancing at other people in order to "size them up," so to speak.

 

[Kyoko_desu]

Ohayou gozaimasu, my dear sensei!

As for appendage, I would be a liar if I said I didn't guess it a ....eerrrr. you know what. Why I ended up figuring it an arm is the word was in a plural form. You know a man has two arms, but only one chinx2. The subject "white and black men" sure was plural, but you know, each of them has only one.

As a matter of fact, I have been many times unable to figure out which form (singular or plural) I should use when speaking or writing in English.

Let's say there are 4 girls here.
Megumi's T-shirt is white.
Reiko's T-shirt is red.
Namie's T-shirt is pink.
Nozomi's T-shirt is also pink.

OK now, how should I say in English about them? I mean, after stating like "Megumi has a white T-shirt, and Reiko's is red", which of the following sentence is proper to follow the first one?
(1) Namie and Nozomi have pink T-shirts.
(2) Namie and Nozomi have a pink T-shirt.

The subject of the sentence refers to two people, which is Namie and Nozomi, and since they have one pink T-shirt for each, the T-shirts I am talking about are 2 in number. But.... couldn't the (1) sentence suggest that those girls have more than one T-shirts for each?

Now please take a look at my comment I posted somewhere else the other day.

My post in an other thread
I agree. It's not the chemical or the fat fast food holds that drives those girls sex addicted. If it were, there's no need for viagra.

In my opinion, eating fast foods all the time means their mother doesn't cook for them and that could mean their mother is too busy with something else and doesn't have time to cook for her family, to take care of her children, or to listen to them. Or, maybe their mother does cook, but for some reason, those girls don't feel comfortable at home and don't want to eat at home. I really think those girls are feeling like they are rejected and forlorn by their parents.

When making sex, guys say "I love you" and stuff and by being kissed and held, or by hearing those words, those lonely girls can finally feel they are loved or needed by someone. It's not always true though, especially when he is just a one nighter. Poor girls.

In the 2nd paragraph, I wrote "their mother" instead of "their mothers" because those sex addicted girls have one mother for each, but after seeing this "appendage thing", I started thinking I should change them all into "their mothers". Does the way I wrote the post make ppl think I was talking about some sex addicted sisters because I kept saying "their mother" instead of "their mothers"?????

Singular/plural forms, particles, and countable/uncoutable nouns......awwwwwwww... they all drive me nuts!

 

[nice gaijin]

"Namie and Nozomi have pink t-shirts" sounds like they both have at least one (and probably more) shirts apiece.

"Namie and Nozomi have a pink t-shirt" sounds like there is only one shirt between the two of them. hmmm...

I guess the clearest way to say it would be "Namie and Nozomi each have a pink t-shirt."

Does the way I wrote the post make ppl think I was talking about some sex addicted sisters because I kept saying "their mother" instead of "their mothers"?????

I understood your meaning just fine, though you might be right. You could also say "mothers," but you would have to change "does" to "do." And yeah, 第二ヶ国語として英語を勉強してる友達ができるまで、「countable nouns」や「incountable nouns」のこと全然聞いたことなかったよ。

 

[Kyoko_desu]

Originally Posted by nice gaijin
"Namie and Nozomi have pink t-shirts" sounds like they both have at least one (and probably more) shirts apiece.
"Namie and Nozomi have a pink t-shirt" sounds like there is only one shirt between the two of them. hmmm...
I guess the clearest way to say it would be "Namie and Nozomi each have a pink t-shirt."

Hmm, OK, then when I really need to make the number clear, I will use another expression like you did. And I will keep a close observation of people's posts and check how they use plural forms.
Arigatou gozaimashita, nice gaijin-san!

Originally Posted by nice gaijin
第二ヶ国語として英語を勉強してる友達ができるまで、
「countable nouns」や「incountable nouns」のこと全然聞いたことなかったよ。

うわぁ、そうなんだぁ！
でも、よ～く考えてみると、母国語って、文法なんか勉強しなくてもわかっちゃっているから、第二ヶ国語として勉強している人から聞かれる質問にびっくりさせられることってよくありますよね。
外国人から、日本語の、主語の後ろに付ける「は」と「が」の違いを説明してください、とか言われると困ってしまうんだけど、これらの扱いを間違えることは日本人にはほとんど無いんですよね。おもしろいですよね。

 

[Kyoko_desu]

thread title
Japan's fear of Brazilians

#9
the word, redneck, refers to many southern american(USA) people since they got red around their neck from sun burning.

#10
most Americans who use the term "redneck" employ it in a similar manner akin to "hillbilly", "country bumpkin", "cracker", or perhaps similar to "inakamono", the Japanese term used to describe country people (not in a flattering way).

#12
The word "redneck" is interesting because it was originally used to mock poor white laborers in the rural South. Now the usage has evolved to refer to (usually) white people who seem ignorant, conservative, or narrow-minded. In other words, it no longer refers necessarily to class or location, but to ideology*, though it is STILL AN INSULT.
*Though someone will certainly disagree, I personally characterize that ideology as the 4 C's: Conservative-Christian-Capitalist/Consumer. *coughs* Dubya *coughs*

#29
I don't count Florida as a Southern state

#31
Neither do I. . .it's Caribbean in my eyes. (maybe the very northeastern area could be, or almost could be Southern, though)

#32
There are areas of Florida that are just as southern as anywhere else.

People went off-topic there and were talking about American inaka and inakamono.

By gathering all these comments, I see Southern parts of the US are generally thought to be inaka, and I remember I asked a question about the way the people in the Southern part of the US talk here in this thread before, and figured they have some unique accent in their English. Oh and I see the phrase "deep south" everywhere and have been wondering what exact states are South because in post #29 and #31, they said Florida isn't really a Southern state even though it IS located in the most Southern part of the US.

I assume they should be located in the Southern part of the US and are also rural, farming area, that's why Florida, most of whose districts are tourist sites, is thought to be a non-Southern state.

Many American people refer to George Bush by the nickname Dubya, playing on a stereotyped and generalized Southern pronunciation of the letter W, and he is from Texas, so I guess Texas is one of the states American people think Southern.

So, which states are considered as South or deep South besides Texas?

 

[osistlk]

South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, and Kentucky are the original Confederate States aka the South during the Civil War (In order of their cessesion). These states are still considered the South today but it really depends on the local regions within each state. Parts of Florida are "redneck", like Bithlo, while other parts like Maimi are not thought of as being "redneck". It's the same where I live in Virginia. When I tell people I live in Virginia they get the idea that I'm some hick farmer but I live in Northern Virginia, close to Washington DC. We don't even share the Southern Virginia accent and everything is pretty much Suburbia, not cornfields and farms.

Deep South refers to the Southern States that are at the southern extreme of the country but I've also heard it used to describe local regions in Southern States considered to be very "redneck".

 

[Kyoko_desu]

osistlk-san, thanks so much for the answer and I hope you will keep checking this thread and help me when you can again. My sensei here including you are all so great and I really appreciate their kindness.


Now do you think the term "Deep South" is derogatory? Or is it just a normal term which describes the region?

 

[osistlk]

I guess it can be both. You could use it to say someone is from a more southern state or that someone is very "redneck" in his habits and appearance. The only time I've really heard "Deep South" used was in Little Nicky, but they didn't mean the South.

 

[ricecake]

and I rememeber I asked a question about the way the people in the Southern part of the US talk here in this thread before,and figured they have some unique accent in their English.

There is a term for it," southern drawl ".

 

[Kyoko_desu]

Arigatou gozaimashita, osistlk-san and ricecake-san!

 

[ricecake]

Kyoko-san


You can also grab vocabulary from our posts, equally invaluable as idioms ( expressions ).

Some of us mix and match simple English words creatively and effectively to spice up our writings ( or verbal conversations ), not necessarily formal.

 

[osistlk]

I like using hub for what and okdoky... But I consider those my personal idioms...

 

[Kyoko_desu]

I like using hub for what and okdoky... But I consider those my personal idioms...

Hmmm, sorry, I have no clue what is meant there...
"hub" is a central or most important part of an area, system, activity etc., right? And I think "okdoky" is the same as OK.....

And what does "those" refer to in the second sentence? My wild guess is osistlk-san's personal idioms are shown in the first sentence, but I don't even have a clue which words are....

よろしくおねがいします。

 

[nice gaijin]

I don't quite understand either, I've never heard "hub" used like that before. Okey Dokey is indeed an older way of saying OK, and I've seen a variety of ways to spell that. You could even say "okey dokey artichokey" if you wanted to be really ださい.

 

[osistlk]

By personal I mean that I am really the only one I know of that uses such expressions, and hub was just they way I said what when I was a kid. I still use it out of habit...

 

[Kyoko_desu]

Hmmmm, I still don't get.... Does the first sentence mean that you like using the word "hub" referring to "OK"?
Like instead of saying "It's OK", you say "It's hub." or something like that?

Originally Posted by osistlk
hub was just the way I said what when I was a kid. I still use it out of habit...

Oh cute, me too, I have some unique expressions I used to say alot when I was little and they still sometimes slip out of my mouth out of habit, it's sometimes embarrassing but people around me seem to like them.

Originally Posted by nice gaijin
You could even say "okey dokey artichokey" if you wanted to be really ださい.

Ahaha! ださいの？
Then maybe I should say that in the chatroom to get a small laugh... Uncle Frank might like it, hehehe.

 

[Kyoko_desu]

You can also grab vocabularies from our posts,equally invaluable as idioms ( expressions ). Some of us mix and match simple English words creatively and effectively to spice up our writings ( or verbal conversations ),not neccesarily formal.

That's interesting! Yes, I really would like to learn that too!