We want to leave it out!!

Aug 24, 2010 19:56


Japanese is the language that wants to leave it out in any case.

 From "Canadian time" in Kitayume
(あなたは)誰(ですか)?; Who are you?
(私は)カナダだよ ; I'm Canada.
In that case, these words, you(あなたは), are(ですか), I(私は), are left out. This expression sound they are on friendlier terms than when it isn't left out, even they've never remembered buddy's name in each other XD How odd! You two should remember your buddy's name, Canada and Kumajiro!!

If you use "私は(I), 私の(my), 私を(me)" in your words on every time in Japanese, it might be a bit weird for native speakers of Japanese, especially when you talk with a few persons. Japanese use these words as an expression emphasized. You might seem to be a self‐assertive person if you use these words on every time like in English. It would sound like "listen to me!? It's the time I'm speaking! Do you think who is speaking!? Me!! I'm the one who is talking to you!!" Well, it might be something harsh on the ear.

Whenever you can understand what it means, Japanese wants to leave it out.
Because we think it's good to use less words when you speak. There is a Japanese idiom,"以心伝心". This idiom is thought as very beautiful virtue by Japanese. It means you can make each other out without any words.

For that reason, we like to make a clipped form anyway.

ヘタリアキャラクター(Hetalia kyarakuta / Characters of Hetalia) → ヘタキャラ(Hetakyara)
イギリス(Igirisu / Hetalia's England) → イギー(Iggy)
アフターレコーディング(Afutarekodyingu / dubbing) → アフレコ (Afureko)
中央教育審議会(Chuokyouikushingikai / Central Council for Education) → 中教審(Chukyoshin)

I guess clipped forms seems disparaging terms in English, don't you think? In Japanese, clipped forms aren't always disparaging terms or rather they sound friendly, polishing up, well-known or something.
You can also find this character, that wants to leave out, on all over Japanese cultures. For example, you should let it go as possible when you are on Sado. Then it's thought good you take on Iromuji(plain kimono) in Sado.(Sado is Japanese Tea Ceremony, not muki-muki Ludwig.)

image Click to view


It's also thought good in Zen everything gets simple and plain. You can read manga of a bonze here if you want to know more about Japanese Zen.

I show you an extreme example in Tohoku-ben.(Tohoku-ben is one of accents in Japanese, Norway and Sweden use in Hetalia)
A:  「け。」(ke./ You can eat this)
B: 「か。」(ka./ Yes, I'm going to eat)
Oh my...you can talk in only one word...

Then, you know, we want to leave it out anyway.

japanese, ljwh, language, english, hetalia

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