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I ask it here for I don't trust google...

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kohlrak

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I'm sure some one will say "google is your friend" or something... Google is not something to trust with language sources (especially japanese) because there are way too many wanabies with the language and like to make up stuff. ok... that said...

Does anyone have a list of anomotopias (sp?), excellerators (such as "wow" and "eek"), and idioms (like "Don't get on your high horse) for japanese? Those are usually what causes problems for beginners of a new language. (I remember klingon idioms... I was like, "what?")
 
Thank you... and no it's not... Google gives out sites that speak the truth and speak the lies. I have found many lie filled sites using google.

Here's why.. One of your links gave me a conflict...

nyao
the sound a cat makes
Click to expand...

My one book (kanji and kana by Hadamitzky and spahn) points out that "nyaa" is used for meow. One of them is right, the other is (most likely) wrong (despite in this case meow might have 2 spellings in the japanese equivalent). I'll sooner trust a company that gives documentation on kanji than a random site that is written purely in romaji. And that's a simple exdample of the similar problem cause when you look up "meow in japanese" you also find "mew." Which neither the book or the site says that it's.... even used.
 
Both are correct. There are several ways to say "meow" in Japanese. Cats don't always meow the same way.
 
Indeed, just as there are several ways to say "meow" in English (meow, mew, etc.) and "woof" (bark, woof woof, bow wow) there are several ways to say "meow" in Japanese.
 
same with other sounds, indeed. To begin with each of those lists are small, but i guess they'll have to do... But, i have yet to see one professor say that "mew" is japanese for "meow." And this is commonly said on many websites, which google picks up on. Thus why i don't like google, the search results aren't always accuret, and at my stage of learning japanese, i have absolutely no way of knowing if they're right or not. Because i dont' know for sure if the sources are right, google is *NOT* my friend.

That said, i thank you all for your assistance.
 
kohlrak said:
But, i have yet to see one professor say that "mew" is japanese for "meow." And this is commonly said on many websites, which google picks up on.
Click to expand...
Are you referring to Pokemon fansites? You should ignore those google hits. They're not authoritative sources of Japanese information.
 
Sadly, not all of them are obvious pokemon fan sites, and alot of those pokemon fans are anime fans (and converse these rumors to other anime fans) and those anime fans often pretend to be professors of the language. You forget, rumors spread. That's why certain places had this rumor of a "www2". Supposedly only professors and experienced people could put information on it. Whileso, most people beleived it (as did i before i learned what i know about DNS names) and even that was a popular spread rumor thoughout the internet which never happened. But it was a rumor to prevent such rumors as mew. Mew is simply a common example of many rumors. Most anime fans (that i've talked to) claim to know japanese, but most of them that i've talked to, don't know a basketball from a book when it comes to japanese. Japan has a popular entertainment thing that spreads around america and other countries. Most countries don't have that. Because of this entertainment thing being so popular (or was so popular) breeds rumors, lies, and assumptions based on 2 sentances of a show. Klingon has this problem too, only it's worse. Look for a "klingon translator" on google. Guess what, there is only 1 klingon translator i have ever found, and not one translator for klingon can put them into proper sentance order.

Oh, and for those who are planning to learn japanese, i recommend learning klingon first. It's a nice language that'll prepare you for a few difficult things to understand in most language classes. Could take you a few days to learn the grammar rules and you'll be set, but using it properly (even with the grammar rules) is another story, for they're not documented enough. (be''a' Dun comes to mind.)
 
nice gaijin said:
google is your friend, when you know what to ask it.
Click to expand...

I swear me and google go waaaay back. Just take time to hit on the good key search words.
 
and avoid the fake stuff. It's even more dangerous when an idiot becomes half right. Google wouldn't be so bad if it was human monitored instead of automated... Then you'd know what you're looking for is correct.
 
That's why you cross-reference what you find with reputable resources like university-sponsored sources, encyclopedias, dictionaries, or even come to places like Jref to ask if the information you found was accurate. Just because some kids try to pass themselves off as authorities doesn't render the entire internet useless.
 
Indeed it dosn't, but the reson i ask here before anywhere else, is because it's possible some one might have such information bookmarked. Also, if i cross referance anything, chances are i'll jut ust the university sponsored source. Lemme point out again that some of the information may be fact that some of the page may be true, some of it may not be. Therefor, the only thing i can trust is that which has been cross referanced or met a knowledged person's approval. I always come here first, and i always hear "use google" just as i do on most sites when i ask for a tut on winsocks.h or something. Half the time, i have nothing to cross referance with, and when i do have somthing to cross referance with, i get bad results on 90% of the pages. Lemme point out that I found an assembler and a tutorial using wiki, and neither from hours of searching on yahoo and google first. It appears most of the idiots don't get ahold of wiki.
 
Google has something called "human error."
Don't think otherwise, people.

I don't trust academic sources these days. After being in college for about two years, I have become annoyed by the amount of professors who don't have a correct grasp on a language. Some people seem intelligent but they aren't intelligent.

I continue to use forums to this day because of the different opinions I recieve.
 
Genecks said:
Google has something called human error.
Don't think otherwise, people.

I don't trust academic sources these days. After being in college for about two years, I have become annoyed by the amount of professors who don't have a correct grasp on a language. Some people seem intelligent but they aren't intelligent.

I continue to use forums to this day because of the different opinions I recieve.
Click to expand...

And Google's human error margin is higher than that of wikipedia, or having some one who knows what they're saying tell you... Even more... I know what you mean... My book was written by "Hiroko Storm, Ph.D" and this guy gives out more babied translations to phrases than i can imagin.. It says thorough... It's not.. And it was based on a book by Ichiro Shirato... And as they say, "You can't teach your own language" and it is true without a doubt, and my course book is proof.
 
But, google is way over-rated. Human Error + Unmoderated computer based searching = Disaster
 
Because more people speak japanese here than the people that make those websites that are part of google's search index.
 
The people that make those websites are likely 10 times better than most of us here (a few excepted). Hey, seeing as you don't have much good information, try the website

Learn Japanese Online - JapanesePod101

It's an mp3 based learning site. You can listen to the mp3s for free and I think there's a free 10 day membership for the grammar section. It might be of help, it has been for me.
 
If you knew my dad and the internet and how dependant i am on him right now, you'd know why anything you have to pay for is not an option.

The people that make those websites are likely 10 times better than most of us here (a few excepted). Hey, seeing as you don't have much good information, try the website
Click to expand...

10 times better than people who speak the language since birth?
 
a friend recently gave me a link to www.jgram.com

it's free and quite helpful. Also, Bucko said that the mp3's on japanesepod101.com are free as well.
 
Your link is a server provider...

It's an mp3 based learning site. You can listen to the mp3s for free and I think there's a free 10 day membership for the grammar section. It might be of help, it has been for me.
Click to expand...

Insinuates that you have 10 days to download all the mp3 before they make you pay.
 
Like I said, the mp3s are free. Why don't you just check it out rather than automatically discounting it?
 
sorry, it's .org, not .com: Takoboto | Japanese Grammar

Instead of trying to infer what Bucko means, why don't you actually go to the site and find out for yourself. Even if that is the case, 10 days of free listening material is better than complaining about the material you are stuck with.
 
Oh nice site... *bookmarks* I'll check it a little later... I dont' think i'll need to check this one much though. lol

and on that note i did check out that site he sent me... i'm torrenting 1 - 20 right now.
 

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