I think I’m really thinking about verb conjugation. I do think there are class issues but they’re pretty minor since even highly educated people speak very casually. And wealth is really nothing to do with any of it in terms of the language. Since a lot of entertainers are really wealthy but they speak in a real law register I think.
Yes, I was raised in Honolulu! How very cool that you are taking hula lessons! I only ever did hula in school, I literally took Japanese dance for years, my mom imposed the Japan of 1960 on my entire childhood, it was pretty weird!
You will get your Japanese back, the way I got my algebra back when I homeschooled my kids! You learned Japanese properly, unlike me, so you have all the structures in your head. I’m nonstop amazed at what I don’t know or had been misunderstanding my entire life, because heritage learners are just different and when I was in grad school I was excused from language requirements. It’s only with all the online developments that I’ve been able to really start studying in earnest (and finally got the kids off to college lol). In 2022 I’ve been able to order books from Amazon Japan and even read them on the kindle with its built in dictionary. This is huge for me!
I’m binging on your essays in various places right now, I promise I’m not a stalker! Just so rare to find a writer who talks about all the Japan related language issues I think about all the time. I’m in northern New England so it’s not diverse up here. So looking forward to your next newsletters!
Somehow I missed this, Maya! So you are in New England now? It must be chilly for a Honolulu girl!! My son and favorite cousins live in Honolulu and it is a place very dear to my heart! I have been wanting to explore Amazon Japan to see if more books are available on Kindle so I can use my dictionary. Do you have two kindles? When I explored this a few years ago in my translators group, everyone said it was hard to move back and forth and that the kindle is associated with one email per amazon account. It seemed impossible to believe that customers couldn't use their account and same credit card, same kindle to buy books where ever they wanted. Thank you so much for reading my essays, I saw you are a novelist I am excited to read one of your novels asap! Have you considered a Japan based novel?
Yes, I’m in New England, and I STILL do not like the cold. I haven’t been back to Hawaii in forever. I also haven’t been to Japan since 1990! My daughter is doing dissertation research there starting in January so I’m hoping to get to Japan in the near future, too.
So here’s what I do for Amazon Japan. I have an account there with a different email address, and I log into a different device with that address. I have an ancient Kindle that I read my American Kindle books on, and I have a Kindle Fire that I read Japanese books on. I also use my ipad Kindle App for Amazon Japan. It works beautifully! It cuts down on the time needed to look up kanji because you can look them up right in the Kindle. Try it! Just use a different device and it’s all seamless. Start out by downloading a book sample, those are free!
And thank you for asking about my novels! A Japan-based novel is my life’s goal! I would love to write a novel about Hōjō Masako, complete with all the weird magical mystical stuff that people practiced and believed back in those days. I would also love to write about the Japan my mother grew up in, 1930s-40s. I guess I’m procrastinating by feeling like I have to be “ready” to write about Japan, versus kicking out things that don’t feel like they have anything to do with me! But I think I’m inching closer to writing about Japan…just feels so scary!
Thank you so much, Maya!! I am going to try this asap... I have failed to manage and kind of figured that this would requite two devices and two email addresses to make sure nothing gets synched and deleted which is what I have heard happens. Are you on social media? I am going to try and look you up. If and when you need fresh eyes on your japan novel, I would love to be your beta reader. I think you should do it!!!
Thank you for these book selections! I love your newsletter so much and look forward to every one. My mother is from Japan and I was raised in Hawaii so I’m in that awkward space of being better than many Japanese learners so I get treated like I’m good when I know I’m really very deficient. I’m learning new things all the time, especially in the world of polite speech and social conventions. I’m currently slowly reading Tawada Yoko’s 地球に散りばめられて in Japanese after not reading anything in Japanese since grad school in the 90s. There’s a lot in there about language and I’m finding it really thrilling to read something by a Japanese author who doesn’t live in Japan and also writes books in German. Thank you again for this newsletter, such a breath of fresh air and right in point for my favorite hobby, studying Japanese.
Hi Maya, I can't thank you enough for your comment--it made my day! I LOVE Yoko Tawada. Many years ago, when I was just starting out as a translator, she was giving a masterclass on translation held in England or somewhere... I wanted to go so badly, as she has been a long time favorite and much admired writer. I think she has worked in German as well, if I am remembering correctly. That is fantastic you are reading her in Japanese. I don't know if you followed this link but in the post I wrote something about how easy it is to lose a language and how much my spoken and written Japanese have disappeared since I've been back. I should challenge myself like you.... Were you raised in Honolulu? I've just started hula and my kumu is from Honolulu. https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/12/japanese-and-the-empty-mind.html
English doesn't have distinct high and low varieties, but there are definitely class proprieties.
I think I’m really thinking about verb conjugation. I do think there are class issues but they’re pretty minor since even highly educated people speak very casually. And wealth is really nothing to do with any of it in terms of the language. Since a lot of entertainers are really wealthy but they speak in a real law register I think.
Yes, I was raised in Honolulu! How very cool that you are taking hula lessons! I only ever did hula in school, I literally took Japanese dance for years, my mom imposed the Japan of 1960 on my entire childhood, it was pretty weird!
You will get your Japanese back, the way I got my algebra back when I homeschooled my kids! You learned Japanese properly, unlike me, so you have all the structures in your head. I’m nonstop amazed at what I don’t know or had been misunderstanding my entire life, because heritage learners are just different and when I was in grad school I was excused from language requirements. It’s only with all the online developments that I’ve been able to really start studying in earnest (and finally got the kids off to college lol). In 2022 I’ve been able to order books from Amazon Japan and even read them on the kindle with its built in dictionary. This is huge for me!
I’m binging on your essays in various places right now, I promise I’m not a stalker! Just so rare to find a writer who talks about all the Japan related language issues I think about all the time. I’m in northern New England so it’s not diverse up here. So looking forward to your next newsletters!
Somehow I missed this, Maya! So you are in New England now? It must be chilly for a Honolulu girl!! My son and favorite cousins live in Honolulu and it is a place very dear to my heart! I have been wanting to explore Amazon Japan to see if more books are available on Kindle so I can use my dictionary. Do you have two kindles? When I explored this a few years ago in my translators group, everyone said it was hard to move back and forth and that the kindle is associated with one email per amazon account. It seemed impossible to believe that customers couldn't use their account and same credit card, same kindle to buy books where ever they wanted. Thank you so much for reading my essays, I saw you are a novelist I am excited to read one of your novels asap! Have you considered a Japan based novel?
Yes, I’m in New England, and I STILL do not like the cold. I haven’t been back to Hawaii in forever. I also haven’t been to Japan since 1990! My daughter is doing dissertation research there starting in January so I’m hoping to get to Japan in the near future, too.
So here’s what I do for Amazon Japan. I have an account there with a different email address, and I log into a different device with that address. I have an ancient Kindle that I read my American Kindle books on, and I have a Kindle Fire that I read Japanese books on. I also use my ipad Kindle App for Amazon Japan. It works beautifully! It cuts down on the time needed to look up kanji because you can look them up right in the Kindle. Try it! Just use a different device and it’s all seamless. Start out by downloading a book sample, those are free!
And thank you for asking about my novels! A Japan-based novel is my life’s goal! I would love to write a novel about Hōjō Masako, complete with all the weird magical mystical stuff that people practiced and believed back in those days. I would also love to write about the Japan my mother grew up in, 1930s-40s. I guess I’m procrastinating by feeling like I have to be “ready” to write about Japan, versus kicking out things that don’t feel like they have anything to do with me! But I think I’m inching closer to writing about Japan…just feels so scary!
PS Just sent FB friend request :) Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!!
Thank you so much, Maya!! I am going to try this asap... I have failed to manage and kind of figured that this would requite two devices and two email addresses to make sure nothing gets synched and deleted which is what I have heard happens. Are you on social media? I am going to try and look you up. If and when you need fresh eyes on your japan novel, I would love to be your beta reader. I think you should do it!!!
Thank you for these book selections! I love your newsletter so much and look forward to every one. My mother is from Japan and I was raised in Hawaii so I’m in that awkward space of being better than many Japanese learners so I get treated like I’m good when I know I’m really very deficient. I’m learning new things all the time, especially in the world of polite speech and social conventions. I’m currently slowly reading Tawada Yoko’s 地球に散りばめられて in Japanese after not reading anything in Japanese since grad school in the 90s. There’s a lot in there about language and I’m finding it really thrilling to read something by a Japanese author who doesn’t live in Japan and also writes books in German. Thank you again for this newsletter, such a breath of fresh air and right in point for my favorite hobby, studying Japanese.
Hi Maya, I can't thank you enough for your comment--it made my day! I LOVE Yoko Tawada. Many years ago, when I was just starting out as a translator, she was giving a masterclass on translation held in England or somewhere... I wanted to go so badly, as she has been a long time favorite and much admired writer. I think she has worked in German as well, if I am remembering correctly. That is fantastic you are reading her in Japanese. I don't know if you followed this link but in the post I wrote something about how easy it is to lose a language and how much my spoken and written Japanese have disappeared since I've been back. I should challenge myself like you.... Were you raised in Honolulu? I've just started hula and my kumu is from Honolulu. https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/12/japanese-and-the-empty-mind.html