Comments | little_details: Japanese folklore and language questions

darkestnova in little_details

Japanese folklore and language questions

Sep 26, 2010 22:07

Hi, all! Just a couple of quick questions.

I have a character, a young Japanese woman going to college in the United States. She speaks English fluently, but sometimes slips into her native language when she's upset. At the moment, I have another character address her by a nickname she hasn't used since childhood, and she answers in Japanese, " ( Read more... )

japan: folklore, ~religion: shinto, ~languages: japanese

Comments 19

anonymous September 27 2010, 19:20:20 UTC

When I get upset my English becomes Engrish or childish. I can't speak Japanese in presence of native English speakers because it was hammered into me since birth it's incredibly rude. I bite my tongue if I'm too upset or too drunk! to speak English. When very upset I tend to refer myself in third person. It's so embarrassing ( ... )

darkestnova September 27 2010, 19:32:38 UTC

Thank you very much! That's very helpful.

yumekutteikt September 28 2010, 03:06:32 UTC

1. My suggestion is "sonna hito wa mou imasen!"(which literally means "there's no such person anymore", which sounds more natural since we don't use the expression "someone is dead" in order to imply "someone has changed" in Japanese language) or "XX(nickname) wa mou imasen". BTW if the person addressing her is a very close friend or one from her family, you may tweak it "...wa mou inai wa!".

2. Your comment about concerning nekomata is reasonable, as I myself can picture the true identity of nekomata and bakeneko as always a cat and never being the other way around. Meanwhile, I don't think yukionnna has to be always a 'ghost', as I have no problem to see her having a working human body and bearing children; and your description of her sounds very much of a yukionna.

anonymous September 29 2010, 11:53:42 UTC

I'm American living in Japan married to a Japanese man. If you wanted foreshadowing, I think she'd just say there's no such person "sono hito inai wa" (or where I live, "oran de"), but most likely if she were really startled she'd say "eh?" or "nan ya?", some exclamation of surprise. It would be easiest to write in English: "Mi-tan," he said, and she snapped "She's dead" before she could stop herself. A moment later she realized she'd said it in Japanese and was relieved; she didn't want him asking difficult questions....