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thelingodingo · 20 days

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Haikyuu Characters' Informal & Formal Speech

Something I find interesting about different languages and cultures regarding sociolinguistics is the entire idea of formality. Of course, there are ways to sound more formal/polite in English and ways to sound more informal/rude depending on word choice (synonyms). But with a language such as Japanese, it's the grammatical structure itself (verb endings, vocab) that changes to convey varying levels of formality.

An example would be:

大丈夫? (informal) vs 大丈夫ですか？(formal) = Are you ok?

daijoubu vs daijoubudesuka

これは本だ (informal) vs これは本です (formal) = This is a book.

korewahonda vs korewahondesu

In a school setting, the younger grades (kohai) will use formal speech with the older grades (senpai) as well as teachers: meaning 1st years will be formal to 2nd and 3rd years, 2nd years will be informal to 1st years but formal to 3rd years, and 3rd years can be informal to both 1st and 2nd years.

This is easily shown in basically any anime but this post will focus on Haikyuu since it's the one I'm most familiar with.

Karasuno: Kageyama and Tsukishima definitely hold a very high level of politeness towards their senpai as they always speak formally towards them and also always call them "full surname-san" (Azumane-san instead of Asahi-san, Sugawara-san instead of Suga-san, Sawamura-san instead of Daichi-san, Nishinoya-san instead of Noya-san). It makes sense for them since in general their personalities are quite strict and rigid. Hinata also speaks formally to his senpai but calls them by their more usual names (Daichi-san, Suga-san, etc) and he tends to forget to speak formally out of sheer excitement (not because he's trying to be rude) so he ends up adding on the formal desu copula to quickly change his informal sentence to be formal at the last second. You might think that Tanaka and Nishinoya are pretty relaxed when it comes to formalities due to their crasser personalities but I would actually say it's more the opposite. They're both characters that really like upholding the entire senpai-kohai relationship and it shows in that they are always respectful to the 3rd years and use formal speech (it's also shown in how they both loveee being called senpai and specifically Nishinoya's relationship with Asahi). They still call the 3rd years by their more common names so they aren't as rigid as Tsukki and Kageyama when it comes to names though. The scenes in season 1 when Noya and Asahi were fighting (specifically the storage room fight) were surprising in particular due to Noya changing to informal speech while arguing with Asahi (his senpai).

some other random formalities I've noticed in the other characters: as mentioned in the anime, Kenma doesn't like any of that hierarchy stuff which is why Hinata is able to continue comfortably speaking informally to him even though Kenma is a senpai. The shock and immediate apology of Hinata when he finds out Kenma is older than him is sensible in the cultural context since there are many people who would get quite offended and angry if a kohai were to be speaking informally towards them. Although Kenma is never shown directly talking to any 3rd years (other than Kuroo, which he speaks informally to since they're childhood friends), I assume he would still speak formally since even though he doesn't find formal speech necessary he would still be aware that others would care about it. When it comes to Mad Dog, a small part of me expected him to be completely informal to everyone since those kind of characters are usually like that in anime but he still keeps a pretty formal tone when talking to his senpais which pleasantly surprised me. As far as I remember watching season 4, I don't think the Miya twins use formal speech when talking to Aran. They don't call him Aran-san or anything either, just Aran-kun, which could be another example of childhood friends not needing formalities even with the age gap.

EDIT: i just remembered that Kageyama is so damn polite that he doesn't even differentiate between the Miya twins by their first names, he calls them both "Miya-san"!

If anybody wants a particular character/school to be discussed in detail then just send me an ask and I'll try!

side note: this post isn't proofread so if theres any mistakes or corrections in the info please tell me (✿◠‿◠)

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nihongotravel · 1 year

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Workplace

Common workplace greetings in Japan include a western handshake, especially when dealing with foreign entities, or a bow. There are two type of bows in Japan, the standing bow (seiritsu) and the sitting bow (seiza) for more formal or traditional settings. From the Cultural Atlas “The depth and length of the bow often indicates the level of respect. For instance, in semi-formal situations, people tend to bow at about a 30-degree angle for one to two seconds. In more formal situations, people often bow at an approximately 45-degree angle for three to four seconds. Finally, in the most formal situations, people will bow at a 70-degree angle for about two seconds and hold the bow for longer.” Not only that, btu the type of bow you give can vary depending on the age, social status, and relationship you have with a person. According to the site, however, most are happy to stick with the western handshake if you are nervous about doing it properly and initiate that instead. The site also mentions to only produce a business card of good condition, in both hands, and a slight bow. If you receive a business card, lay in on the table in front of you. From there, the host should take the rest of the meeting, and all should be well as long as your practice humility. It is also good to know basic phrases like “Basic greetings include saying, “ohayo gozaimasu” (good morning) when you arrive at work and “osaki ni shitsurei shimasu” (excuse me, I’m leaving now) when you leave,” and ““osewa ni natte orimasu” (thank you for your continued support) when addressing clients and “otsukaresama desu” (thank you for your hard work) when addressing colleagues. “

Conversations can be hard to navigate in Japan, and it depends on the circumstance. For example, I’ve found that “Inquiring about a person’s family, praising the hospitality you’re receiving, and Japanese history are good conversation topics.” Outside of this, it is good to keep work talk and talk of time outside of work separately, as the two are hardly mixed. It would probably be best to let the host or higher-up run the conversation and to just follow along. Always refer to honorifics, never use first names, and remember your P’s and Q’s as often as necessary, which in Japan means all the time!

It is important in Japanese culture that you look the part of your job and that you look good. Your credibility and ability to preform is often tied to your look, so showing up crisp and professional is important. In the words of tsunagulocal: “people will make judgments about your credibility based on how you look. Most Japanese companies expect their workers to look smart and tidy rather than fashionable.” The fashion for work is very similar to that of what we see in our own business attire here in America. Suites for men, dress pants, skirts, and blouses for woman, etc.

Gift giving is also extremely important in Japan. In a business setting, it is considered rude to present a gift at the beginning, as it seems to rush proceedings. It is better to wait until the end. It is also a little funny, but important not to give gifts is a set of four or nine, as “The Japanese word for four, shi, also shares meaning with the Japanese word for ‘death,’ while ku, or nine, also means ‘suffering.’” These gifts are considered unlucky. I’ve also found that it’s actually polite to modestly refuse a gift twice before accepting it. It is a general rule of thumb there that “The emphasis is on the ritual itself rather than on the content of the gift.”

Communication challenges will always present themselves when working in foreign places. If you are working in Japan, the first barrier you might face is the language barrier. This can be even more difficult when knowing that there is a separate work language you use when interacting that is highly specific and you probably won’t know when first going in. Second barrier could be attributed to cultural differences, and many were touched on above. Bright side is that there seems to be an unwritten rule there, where, and especially in the case of Europeans, you get sort of a free pass for minor incursions, as long as you’re new and remain polite. Japanintercultural says that, “two of the largest differences are social situations within the company and communication between employee and supervisor.” And this can include things like when to speak up, if to speak up (which is not often done,) and what to speak up about. In Japan it’s expected for supervisors to monitor your work, so bringing things to their attention can run you into the awkward position of either offending their ability to take care of their business or undermining their authority. You can bring things up over a beer, and that might go either way, as the Japanese also see work conversations typically done at work, and recreational conversations done outside of it. Speaking of, it’s very common to go to parties outside of work to build relations, and if you are invited to karaoke, you are expected to sing no matter what! Third barrier comes in the form of ethnocentrism, which is viewing things in the lens of your own culture. We could combine this with cultural differences, but this bit has more to do with personal attitudes and ignorances as opposed to simple misunderstandings. It is important to go through every interaction with an open mind and know that you probably will not know everything about them, same as they won’t know everything about you.

If I were faced with new worker form a foreign country, I would try my best to make them comfortable. I think, above all, helping a new face navigate a work environment in your country starts with putting a little effort into understanding the one they came from, and manage expectations from there. There are some work environment procedures and tiny nuances that we can’t even begin to guess from a foreign country, as it has never been a problem here. There are also things that may come up, that we never realized were rules of our society, until someone does something to break them and we begin to feel uncomfortable by it. None-the-less, I think that a lot of this can be fixed with some pretty basic empathy and patience. We can learn things about their workplace environments either by researching it ahead of time, but it may be more accurate, and make it easier to get to know a person/make them more comfortable just ask them what their preferences were and work from there. I also think this would help work go a bit more smoothly if we both know what to expect, and make every indication that we are there to cooperate, not to watch them sink in an environment that no doubt is going to be new to them.

#japan #japanese #business #workplace #travel #education #intercultural

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jewishgir · 2 years

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queen.

#i genuinely laughed out loud at this #so basically in japanese when asking a question you would use a second person pronoun #in english it would always translate to you #but there are many different words for you in japanese that vary depending on formality #the formal and proper way to refer to someone who isnt your friend would be just using their name instead of a pronoun #which is why you often get a situation where a person who doesnt know someone says like #'oh thanks very much... um...'#because its rude to refer to someone you arent casual with with anything other than their name #'anata' is the safer bet but its somewhat endearing and can be construed as condescending if you dont know the person even though its formal #so in japanese im guessing sora called her 'omae' which is rather rude #and then backpedaled and went with 'anata'#and this is the funniest possible way they could have translated it #this is a fan translation im wondering how they did it in the official release #but it couldnt possibly be better #sora #larxene #kingdom hearts #shiv.txt #khcom #edit: ur right he probably used kimi not omae im mixing up his manga personality with his game one lmao #still the same

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asparklerwhowrites · 2 years

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writing high fantasy: a series ~ part 1; language

navigation - rules - masterlist

am i using this an excuse to rant about my new fixations? yes.

I genuinely feel like linguistics is SUCH a cool worldbuilding aspect but it just isn’t?? explored enough?? LIKE GODAMNIT do you not understand the possibilities of different dialects and just differences in regions? imagine character a asking a question in dialect A and character B giving a long-winded explanation in dialect B which character A just nods along too, but when asked to explain to the other members of their team they're just like “bold of you to expect me to understand that”

disclaimer: this is stuff my mom and i talk about while watching gujarati cooking shows im not a linguist and this is my own personal experience!!

#1. If there’s a nationally spoken language, it ORIGINATED from a certain region

so, basically, spoken (and written) language differs over regions. mostly, the region where it originated from will have the most “pure” and “original” version of the language, with a lot of high-level words other people may not understand. this is so useful for comedy because a lot of people may just go ??? like what are you saying man use simpler language.

#2. Vocabulary!! and Accents!! Differ!! Depending!! On!! Where!! You’re!! From!!

if there are multiple languages spoken in your country/world, its ineviable that languages will mix. words from another lanuage may be modified and added to another one. it really annoys me when languages are treated as untouchable “wholes” as if they aren’t growing changing evolving things?? some examples of books where different languages aren’t written that well are the Grishaverse. inej learnt kerch but she NEVER used suli words in it by mistake?? or the fact that ketterdam a motherfucking PORT CITY never had misunderstandings due to different accents and vocabulary?? wild. unrealistic.

#3. the implications of language

okay. lmao. there are studies that show how you literally think differently when using different languages (re: the movie arrival) and ITS SO COOL. maybe a character switches to a different language when bargaining with murderers and talking to their s.o?? or maybe they choose to speak really formally in one language and only knows slang in another. its extremely varied and fun to experiment with!

#4. SOCIOLINGUISTICS and honorific systems

essentially, the way society affects language. when is formal language used? when is informal language used? do women talk differently from men? how many levels of politeness/rudeness are there? additionally, honorific systems are some of my favourite things - an honorific system exists in some languages like Japanese, for example, in which a suffix is added to the name of a person for formalness and is a social norm. there are so many implications of it, and can be used in so many different ways.

#5. an example (last point i swear)

one of my favourite books that incorporates language SO WELL is these violent delights by chloe gong. the incorporation of different Chinese dialects, switching of languages between English to Russian to French, all with diffrent connotations and implications. it was a DREAM reading it, because i have literally never seen a book have so much detail in languages.

anywayyyyy be glad i deleted all my rants of my personal experiences witih the amalgamation of gujarati and marathi, you really dont want to know.

#writing #creative writing #Writing tips #writers block #writers #writers on tumblr #female writers #writersofindia #writerslife #fantasy #writing fantasy #high fantasy #writing advice #writing languages #worldbuilding #fantasy worldbuilding

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rigelmejo · 3 years

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Some listening resources I’ve been using to various degrees lately:

DeFrancis Chinese Reader audio. the books and audio don’t have English for the most part, but it’s like “graded listening” practice since it starts very simple and matches the book text reading, and introduces and integrates new words, and in general has the learner material benefit of being easy to follow. The audio isn’t great, but I did realize finally listening though it that the audio files do have some notes in them! Like audio file 1 goes over tones and tone pair drills, which I found useful. If you do use these Readers, or want easy background listening, these work well. I’ve been using them lately as background listening practice. It’s good for lots of comprehensible input that varies in difficulty. Again audio is Not great but it’s useable. http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31539&PN=16&TPN=3

Bilinguis - this site has parallel texts in multiple languages which is nice. I’m currently using one of the parallel texts with audio (some have audio recordings). If you Did want to do listening reading method, these setups are ideal. If you want to read with an English parallel for help, also useful. I’ve used this site for French and chinese. It has several books and many languages. It has audio for some.

Bilinguis French Alice in wonderland (with audio): http://bilinguis.com/book/alice/fr/en/c1/

Bilinguis Japanese Alice in wonderland: http://bilinguis.com/book/alice/jp/en/

Bilinguis Chinese Alice in wonderland (simplified, traditional is also available): http://bilinguis.com/book/alice/zh/en/

Bilinguis Chinese Sherlock Holmes: http://bilinguis.com/book/baskerville/zh/en/

FSI courses - they’re free. I’ve been digging into how many words they contain and people seem to suggest the FSI French has 3000 vocab and takes you to B1-B2, the FSI Chinese has 2000-3000 vocab takes you to HSK 3 (if it’s that beginner material wise I’m sad ahh, even tho the vocab count suggests it would go further). There’s also a Japanese course, and many other (I do worry formality standards might make more of a difference in the Japanese course though.. whereas for chinese I know even in my 1930s textbooks a lot remains similar except for a few words, and you still might run into them if you read/watch a lot of things). Also heard complaints that the French course seems to contain very little tu usage despite in modern life tu being used quite often. That said, I’ve been listening to some of them and this is what I’ve been doing with the courses: I just press play on the audios, and progress through them. I do not look at or read the text. Mainly because I’m using them as simple comprehensible listening practice/drills I can do. These courses apparently sometimes have quite useful explanations in text. However as I’m using them, I am just using the audio material - like a replacement for pimsleur. Notes: the audio is not great, again useable though. The Chinese audio sounded a bit worse than DeFrancis audio, but I could still hear tones which is good enough for me. In particular I appreciated the tone drills. the Japanese one sounded fine (but I have clearer Japanese audio resources I use so this is more like reinforcement/drills than initial exposure - for initial pronunciation examples use any modern resource, I like Japaneseaudiolessons.com and Nukemarine’s LLJ memrise course audios and Genki). I haven’t heard the French yet. I heard these courses can feel miserable if you hate dry language, drills - so I can’t say how using a full course feels. But for drilling audio practice only? To me these feel the same as pimsleur except I feel I am sometimes covering more vocab per section than in pimsleur (which is pimsleurs weakest point to me - not enough vocab). I’ve only listened to a few Chinese audio lessons of FSI so far but things I do like about it - it mentions English translation in the audio enough you can listen to it without a book, it has a whole pronunciation section, tone pair drills, uses dialogue to introduce new info, and explains some grammar and usage points in the lesson (which some audio only resources do not do). When it presents vocab lists it also mentions the English translation so again you can rely on audio alone like me if desired. It reminds me of a combo of Genki opening dialogues, pimsleur drills, and then a little grammar explanation and word definitions. Dry as a textbook lol but useable. The benefit here over DeFrancis Reader audios, is the DeFrancis audios have very little English translation of the material so you either learned it already or you’re drowning unless you can recognize on your own the new words and guess them from context - so to learn NEW material you’d want the book or an outside resource. The audio is definitely book dependent or else it’s just practice for you. In contrast, the FSI audios seem to be useful even used on their own because they provide enough info.

FSI Chinese: https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/FSI/fsi-chinese-mandarin.html

FSI Basic French (a note there’s other French courses): https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/FSI/fsi-french-basic.html

FSI Japanese headstart: https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/FSI/fsi-japanese.html#

DLI Language Courses - also free online, also old with iffy audio. Also probably good for listening practice of easier materials and drilling. Downsides I noticed with the Chinese version: not a lot of English definitions in the audio so it may require a book to follow if you don’t already know the words, audio is also the worst quality of these resources (though Listening is doable if you desire to use them). Like DeFrancis audio these seem to teach new material best if you’re using the book in combo. I am guessing unlike the Defrancis books, the DLI books have more English explanations (DeFrancis Reader books are also mostly in chinese and you learn through context, they just have some word definitions and key things highlighted in each chapter before having you extensively read). I listened to the DLI chinese and probably won’t use it again since it doesn’t suit my needs, but I could see it being useful to someone. If using the books too (unlike me) then DLI is better for covering 500 hanzi, when the FSI Chinese course is entirely pinyin (with DeFrancis of course being best with a ton of Hanzi and words and extensive reading in Hanzi).

DLI Chinese Mandarin: https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/DLI/DLI-Chinese-Mandarin.html

Cours de Langue et de Civilisation Françaises by G. Mauger - 3 volumes seem to go to at least B2 which is nice. I found audio of it on YouTube and it’s exactly like what I was looking for. It teaches French in French, so similar to Français Par Le Method Nature book I like. In fact this textbook looks a lot like an “easier” version of the nature method textbooks (easier meaning it’s all in the target language with pictures and short dialogues, where as more intensive nature method textbooks would be Lingva Latina and Le Français Par Le Method Nature where it has some pictures but immediately dives into paragraphs and chapters of text in the language where the writing gives you context to learn most new words and grammar within these readings - it does not limit itself to small dialogues and necessary definitions to look up). When you look up the nature method style textbooks, you’ll find ones like this French one (and Poco a Poco for Spanish). And you’ll find more in depth ones occasionally like Lingva Latina. This textbook might go more in depth later though. What I do like about this as an audio resource: I found it on YouTube with the text in video, and it’s a good way to get some simple pronunciation with comprehensible input. The vocab ans way it presents itself matches up well with Le Français Par le Method Nature book, and the big weak spot I had with that book is NO audio to go with it. So seeing a presentation of similar material, with the same “English approximate pronunciation guide” under the words as the Method Nature book uses, is helping me get an idea how pronunciation corresponds to that guide. And just in general I need more clear basic textbook pronunciation drills and examples ToT. If you look up the book and or audio yourself, you may be able to find it as it’s old enough. I would say the audio is hard to use it completely on its own since this entire thing is in French. But that’s nice for listening. https://youtu.be/EN9UB64e02M

UPDATE SOMEONE HAS A REFERENCE PAGE OF COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT LANGUAGE MATERIALS! https://github.com/IvanovCosmin/awesome-natural-approach

Of particular note:

Français par le Method Nature AUDIO (Im so happy right now this is literally EXACTLY what I wanted! I didn’t think it existed): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf8XN5kNFkhdIS7NMcdUdxibD1UyzNFTP

Poco à Poco Spanish audio (a simpler but nice nature method textbook for spanish - the text itself is on archive.org): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf8XN5kNFkhe4D2BPBKaUb2JvDHuzAGPI

Learn Italian by the nature method audio (another book written by the person who made the Français Method Nature book, I also love this one, so to see it has AUDIO I am so happy!): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf8XN5kNFkhfQonvCySTrKEUV742WzshJ

#rant #reference #resources #april #april progress #listening #listening resources #fsi #dli #defrancis #DeFrancis reader #audio #comprehensible input

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terrible-horrible-mind-of-aspen · 3 years

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Aspen rambles about trans anime characters again

Some of my thoughts about Ruka are rambly nonsense but I had some bigger picture thoughts again. Apologies in advance for the wall of text.

Ruka is almost certainly transgender in all world lines we see, except the one where she’s born female. I will be referring to Ruka with female pronouns in this post. I think that Ruka is trans, but doesn’t know that’s a thing that you can be. What I mean by that is that Ruka feels, to some degree, decidedly not a boy. If she’s transfeminine nonbinary or completely (for lack of a better word) MtF isn’t something I’m really going to go into here. But she is certainly trans in some way. I saw on her wiki page how she uses a masculine personal pronoun, which I think honestly supports this. My formal education in Japanese is...limited and not great, but I believe that the personal pronoun “boku” which is the one Ruka uses, is seen as less masculine than some others. Which I think could totally be a conscious choice on her part, gender related or otherwise. Anyway, getting on to some other things on this. I’ve seen it in other media a bit, and I think the whole “character realizes they’re queer after discovering that feeling this way is an experience that other people have too” idea is fantastic if handled properly. And I’d love to see it with Ruka. Because I think Ruka legitimately doesn’t know there are words for how she feels. That there are terms for this, and other people feel how she feels too.

And now moving onto a different anime (with a canon nonbinary character!!) is where I got the last part of that idea. Stars Align - Yu Asuka. Yu is having the experience that I imagine for Ruka. They didn’t know before meeting Maki that there were words for these feelings. They didn’t know you could identify as a different gender than your assigned sex, or that there were genders other than male and female. I would like to see Ruka have a similar experience, and be able to sort out her own thoughts on her identity and what it means to her.

Not entirely connected but some more trans anime thoughts if y’all are interested

I also really like the experiences in Hourou Musuko. Cause these kids don’t have the words for how they feel, but they’re all still authentically themselves. They don’t really know what it means to be transgender, or what dysphoria is called, but they sure as hell experience it. It’s an interesting idea to me, because that’s not what my experience has been like at all. I had the terms, and I had the internet access. I knew what things meant before I knew that they applied to me, and any questions were a search away. These kids don’t have that. What they have is more like: “Huh. People call me a boy but I feel like a girl. Guess this is just how I am.” or “Hmm, boobs. Don’t like those. Would like to not have those.” Nitori and Mako don’t know that what they are is called “male-to-female transgender” anymore than Takatsuki knows what “dysphoria” is called. These are just the experiences they’re having. Stealing Maho’s dresses, wearing hoodies in shorts and t-shirt weather. Wearing a boys’ uniform to school when you were given a girls’ uniform. Being immensely happy about getting to be a girl in a school play. But a lack of knowledge isn’t a lack of understanding. Nitori and Mako know that they aren’t comfortable as boys, and Takatsuki, at least for a while, knew that they weren’t comfortable as a girl. (Takatsuki may have sorta detransitioned later in the manga which is a completely normal experience that some people have however I personally think it was kinda odd to do to the only transmasc character we got) These are their experiences, and they know that. They’re trying to grapple with what this all means. Like when Mako wonders out loud “do I want to be a girl because I like men?” That’s a big idea to deal with and definitely something that many queer people have dealt with. “is this identity actually one of mine or is it actually me dealing with this other one?” The answer will vary depending on the person, but in Mako’s case, she is a trans girl that’s mostly attracted to guys.

It’s late, and my brain isn't quite working, which is why I’m cutting this off suddenly. But if anyone would like to discuss any of this with me/would like to see more please let me know!

#my ramblings #hooo boy lotta stuff going on here #Steins;Gate #Stars Align #Hoshiai no Sora #Hourou Musuko #A Wandering Son #I low-key started rambling about Mako at the end there #I like her a lot ok #it's the queue for yueue

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allenwalkerbitch · 4 years

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D.Gray-man characters and language

So this is by no means an original idea for a post, but I wanted to share my own headcanons for what accents/languages the DGM characters speak in because I've been thinking about it a bunch lately. Long post imminent, so it's under the cut.

I accidentally deleted this post earlier so please give this one some love :(

I bring up details of stuff with the fourteenth once or twice, so here's a spoiler alert just in case.

Allen

Of course, we all know Allen is British, but that still leaves a lot of variety in accents. Now as far as I'm concerned, it's pretty much canon that Allen speaks in a stereotypical "posh" received pronunciation accent most of the time. He speaks very formally/politely in Japanese, and I feel like that's the best translation. But! that sure as hell doesn't cover young Allen, or what he starts to slip into getting a little bit casual. For that, I've always liked to imagine him as sounding very northern, or maybe Scottish. At first, my only justification was that it would be a fun contrast between his two voices, but I've since realized that Campbell is a Scottish name, and since we don't know how the hell Allen was tangled up with the Campbells way back when or where they met, I'm using that as my excuse.

Also, since he spent so much time traveling around the world with Cross, I imagine that he probably knows a few key phrases in a lot of different languages, but he's only really fluent in English.

Lenalee

Since Lenalee grew up at the European branch of the Order, she probably also speaks British English with an accent pretty close to Allen's received pronunciation, just because that tends to be what's in dictionaries/what gets taught in schools. But, since she spends so much time around people from all different parts of the world, I imagine that there's a lot of miscellaneous words that she's learned from specific people in their accents, so her vocabulary sounds a lot more varied than Allen's.

I don't think she'd have a Chinese accent since she was brought to the order so young, but she can still speak it decently well. Once Komui joined her at the European branch, the two of them began to have some of their private conversations in Chinese, just for the sake of keeping up with it.

Kanda

To be honest, I'm not really sure what Kanda would sound like. On one hand, he grew up in the Order like Lenalee, so you could make a pretty good argument for him sounding the same as her.

On the other hand, though, he seems to have been born knowing how to speak rather than learning slowly like a normal kid, so his accent/dialect might depend on whoever he was in his past life. And if that were the case (assuming that his past self had a Japanese accent), would he keep it or would he lose it over time as he spent all his time around Europeans?

OR, since he has an artificially generated body, would his voice maybe also be programmed in from scratch? And if that were the case, would it be standard received British received pronunciation like what Lenalee was taught, or would it be something else?

In other words, I have no idea what the fuck Kanda would sound like. The only thing I can say for certain is that he speaks English and probably knows a few miscellaneous phrases in French from spending so much time with general Tiedoll. Other than that, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Lavi

As part of his Bookman job, Lavi would have to be very good at chameleoning his speech. There's no telling what accent he spoke in as a child in the same way that there's no telling what country he was born in or what his birth name was. I'd bet he's fluent in about ten languages, and he knows some basics in many more than that. He speaks however he needs to in order to blend in with whatever group he's with. At the order, that probably means something similar to Lenalee. Just a nondescript, textbook sort of British accent with whatever extra words and phrases he's picked up on his travels mixed in.

Bookman would, of course, be much the same, but even more advanced in his adaptability. He's been doing this for eighty some years.

Miranda

Miranda is German, and you can hear it. I imagine she learned English growing up, but she never had much reason to speak it, so she wasn't really what you could call fluent before joining the Order. Due to this, her accent was very thick at first. Over time, though, her vocabulary and accent both improve, and she's pretty fluent by this point, since she now has to use English for the day to day. Still, I imagine she's relieved on the rare occasion that she can speak to Link or Marie in German like she's back home.

Marie

Marie grew up in Austria speaking German, but he's also been with the Order for at least a decade. He's a pretty smart guy, so he's quite fluent in English at this point, but he still has a bit of a German accent. In a way, though, it kind of suits him.

Krory

Given his affluent but secluded upbringing, I imagine that Krory learned to read and write in English growing up, but he never really spoke it before meeting Eliade. As such, his accent was pretty thick for a long while, to the point of being almost incomprehensible to many people, and his speech wasn't very smooth/fluent. However, between speaking English with Eliade and at the Order, he's gained much more confidence speaking and his accent has been reigned in quite a bit.

In addition to English, it seems likely that he would have also learned the textbook version of another language, maybe Spanish or French.

Timothy

Timothy speaks French, but he was taught English as part of his schooling. He wasn't what you'd call a great student, though, so his English was pretty crummy until he was brought to the Order. He can speak it decently well now, but he'd still much rather speak French when given the chance.

Running with the Krory knowing a little French thread and the fact that he tends to big brother younger exorcists, I imagine that he probably goes out of his way to speak it with Timothy. Reviewing a language that he used to study gives him something to think about besides concern for his friends, and it gives Timothy a way to feel a little more at home there.

Chaoji

Seeing as he worked as a sailor in a big coastal city, I imagine that Chaoji was used to dealing with people from all different places. He knew enough English to get by in simple conversation before joining the order, but he wasn't quite what you would call fluent yet. He's been working hard on learning since joining, however, and though he still has an accent, he can keep up with just about anyone speaking nowadays.

I'm stopping for now with just the exorcists done, but expect sequel posts to this in the future.

#D.Gray-Man #dgm #allen walker #lenalee lee #yu kanda #lavi #mirdanda lotto #noise marie #arystar krory #timothy #chaoji #reblog please!

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keenstarlightmusic · 3 years

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Are Slot Machines A Game Of Skill

Video games and slot machines converge to create a new casino experience

Skill Slot Machines For Sale

Are Slot Machines A Game Of Skill Play

Commonwealth Court in Pennsylvania confirmed that video game machines manufactured and distributed by POM of Pennsylvania are considered “slot machines.” The questionable games, bearing the name ‘Pennsylvania Skill’ are produced by Pace-O-Matic and Savvy Dog Systems.

By Rob Wiser

The impact of video gaming has not been lost on slot manufacturers. It’s impossible not to notice how the machines have shifted towards flashier, arcade-style presentations, with plasma screens, booming speaker systems and sophisticated graphics. With titles such as Star Wars and Top Gun, the experience is practically cinematic

Today’s young adults have grown up with the Internet, gadget-packed cell phones, iPods and other devices that often leave parents scratching their heads. But the high-tech phenomenon that has really exploded with the younger generation is the video game industry. Though video games have been around since the 1970s—whether in the arcades, or played at home on your Atari—their popularity has soared due to blockbuster game titles released for the PlayStation, Xbox, and other state-of-the-art home consoles.

Video games have, in fact, begun to dominate the U.S. entertainment industry, generating nearly $20 billion in sales last year (including playing consoles and accessories). Back in September 2007, the game Halo 3 grossed a staggering $170 million in U.S. sales in its first 24 hours, making it by some reports the largest debut in entertainment history. By comparison, the biggest Hollywood blockbuster that year, Spider-Man 3 generated $151 million over its opening weekend.

Skill Slot Machines For Sale

Targeting the Next Generation

Casino guests are getting younger. In Las Vegas, ultra-hip nightclubs draw thousands of young people to the Strip every weekend—and they travel with plenty of disposable income. Yet slot floors remain pretty predictable, if only because slot players, who tend to be older, demand a certain level of familiarity. The randomized spin is still the standard game after more than a century. Technology inspires innovation, but underneath it are the same devices we’ve been playing for years.

What will happen as the older generation of players is replaced by younger customers who have different expectations when they spend money on entertainment? Can the allure of a Blazing 7s machine compare to playing Halo on a giant home theatre system? Or can the two be merged?

Behind the scenes, this question is already being addressed. Skill-based (or “fully interactive”) games, which combine the thrill of chasing jackpots with a video game-style experience—in other words, rewarding manual dexterity or mental acuity—are on their way. This defies a long-standing misconception that all slot machines must be games of chance. Most people are under the impression that skill-based video games would not be allowed in a gaming floor.

Early attempts at skill-based slots (the more accurate term is “perceived skill”) have included titles like Battleship from Progressive Games International (formerly Mikohn), which arrived in casinos back in 2000. With this machine, the internal random number generator selected a field of several possible results, and the player used his wits to find the best bonus. As in the famous board game, ships were placed in predetermined locations on a grid, and the player had to find them and sink them to win the bonus amount. In Progressive’s Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! game, correct answers to multiple-choice trivia questions yielded higher bonuses.

Games like these gave the illusion of being skill-based. The outcomes of the bonuses were predetermined, and you had to be lucky to reach the bonus round in the first place, so it wasn’t as if being a trivia wiz or a great board game player guaranteed you a profit.

Amusement game laws vary by jurisdiction, but usually prohibit wagering on the outcome of a game. You feed coins into the machine simply for the experience of playing; if it paid out winnings, it would fall under the category of a gambling device. Slot machines, however, are gambling devices—each state designs its regulations to ensure a fair gamble, and even defines what constitutes a “gambling device.”

Historically, this has meant that slot machines are games of chance, and video games involve skill—but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is illegal to combine the two elements. Most gaming regulators are receptive to slot machines that include a skill component. In Nevada, Gaming Control Board member Mark Clayton remarked that he was “dumbfounded” that manufacturers hadn’t yet presented skill-based video games for consideration, in light of the soaring popularity of home video games. “There is no formal policy that would preclude skill-based games,” he says.

Are Slot Machines A Game Of Skill Play

Fact is, the slot manufacturers have already gotten started. Last year, Bally introduced a slot machine version of the classic Atari game Pong, in which players knock a ball back and forth between two paddles. The casino version plays like a typical slot machine until the player reaches the bonus round. This triggers a 45-second game of Pong, with the player competing against the computer. The amount of the bonus depends on how well you play.

This simple bonus feature, based on the most primitive of video games, is an industry milestone. Pong is the first slot machine that allows hand-eye coordination to affect payout. It was approved by Michigan’s Gaming Control Board and installed in Detroit’s casinos, as well as Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun. Before the Nevada Gaming Commission approved it, they wanted to make sure the bonus round offered some type of minimum payout, regardless of the player’s ability. That only seemed fair for a bonus round, after all.

Bridging Two Worlds

From a technical standpoint, incorporating a skill element wouldn’t be a big leap for slot manufacturers. Some of the biggest names in the industry have been involved with both types of games for years. Bally Technologies originated with a pinball game called Ballyhoo, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s, its former subsidiary Midway Gaming brought to the United States two of the most popular arcade titles in history: Space Invaders and Pac-Man.

Bally has kept up its involvement with traditional arcade games, but its focus is on slot machine development and casino management systems.

The Konami Corporation has also had success with both gaming formats. The Japanese-based company originally rented and repaired jukeboxes in the early 1970s, and over the following decade it developed classic video games for the Nintendo console, including Contra, Metal Gear and Castlevania. Konami entered the casino world in the late 1990s, applying its creativity and technical know-how to supply popular slot machines.

IGT, the biggest slot manufacturer of them all, has never been in the video game industry, though it has introduced many of the high-tech innovations that have made slot machines more of an arcade-style experience. The company has secured several patents that relate to “perceived skill” games, which appear to reward players based on how well they perform a certain action, although the outcomes are predetermined. Last year, IGT partnered with Sega Gaming, a major video game developer, to create a slot game called Three Kingdom Wars. We could see more of these partnerships in the future.

Cyberview Technology is another company that is actively developing video-slot games. In one of its titles, called Galaxium, the buttons normally used to draw or hold video poker hands are instead used to move a spaceship from side to side, or forward and backward. In another pinball-style video slot, The Big Score, the buttons are used to control left and right flippers. With these two games, the player purchases a set amount of time. As the pinball or spaceship comes into contact with various objects, the machine registers a win or a loss. The goal is to keep racking up points while your credits tick down for every second that elapses.

A highly skilled player is not guaranteed to make money—these are still slot machines. By playing well, you experience an average result closer to the odds of the game, while less skilled players will experience more volatility.

Another Twist on the Technology

Las Vegas-based Shuffle Master has also combined slot technology with a skill element, but in a different way—by installing random number generators in table games. Titles like Rapid Roulette, DigiDeal’s Digital 21, and Novomatic’s TouchBet roulette combine the excitement and social interaction of table game play with the high-tech graphics and automation of slot play. Some of these electronic blackjack and roulette tables feature a pre-recorded, life-size image of a dealer, while a random number generator determines the cards you are dealt or the outcome of the spinning wheel.

Although they play like tables, the technology behind these games makes them slot machines. This has enabled casinos in states where regular table games are not allowed to offer a table-playing experience.

As slot machines take on more arcade-like qualities, one aspect will remain constant—all of the new concepts and titles will be subject to strict testing and oversight. This makes it unlikely that we’ll see any dramatic leaps forward in the near future. There is also concern among gaming experts and manufacturers that players will need time to grow accustomed to the idea of skill-based slot machines.

It’s going to require a considerable amount of time before skill-based slots make a significant impact on gaming floors. Patenting, developing and testing these games of the future—and getting them licensed—could take years. But once these games begin to arrive, it could be a watershed for the industry. For future generations of slot players, the reel spinners we enjoy today might seem as primitive as Pong.

Video games and slot machines converge to create a new casino experience.

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gravitydefyingtears · 5 years

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RE: Forms of address in Chinese vs English

(More translating thoughts continuing from this.)

In English, the ways we address people are relatively simple. But in Chinese...there are SO. MANY. DAMNED. WAYS!!! AAHHHHH. So while translating, one choice we often have to make is whether to keep the original pinyin or simplify it in English. Should we just use “brother/bro”? But there are so many small differences.

Example: “Ge” and “gege” and and “xiongzhang” all mean “older brother” but all have different connotations.

(Not gonna lie, I laugh everytime I see “bro” used in a serious situation. Bro Wei!)

That’s why my own preference is to keep the pinyin in these cases. Yes, that means the audience has to do a little memorizing but if y’all can do it for Japanese (-san, -chan, -sama, -sensei, -dono, etc.), you can do it for Chinese!! ;P

Also, according to what I’ve heard from some of you, some official subs for The Untamed replace any form of address with the character’s name. E.g. it’ll say “Xichen” instead of “brother” or “xiongzhang”. This is probably catering to a Western audience where it’s fine to address people by their names. However, it can be pretty shocking and rude in the period setting.

In fact, naming conventions are very important in ancient Chinese culture so if the subs take that away, isn’t it sort of disrespecting the culture? Idk. Like. I’m not expecting “xiongzhang”, but it’s not hard to use “elder brother”, right?

But there are also times where it seems unnecessary. See: aunt. In Chinese, the address depends on the family relationship (dad’s sister, mom’s sister, in-laws...) and then varies by formality and region. But often there’s no real significance in specifying the family relationship so I’ll just stick with “aunt” across the board.

Consistency is a constant struggle fml.

This is all just my opinion though. I totally understand if people would rather not spend the effort to learn all the Chinese words since there’s quite a lot. If you’re new to Chinese media or if you’re just watching casually, it may be a nuisance. With that in mind, I’ll try to translate directly as much as possible and only keep the pinyin if I really don’t want to lose the nuance.

Let me know how you feel about pinyin in translations!

#mo dao zu shi #the untamed #scum villain #translation notes #radish rambles #radish translations

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redsamuraiii · 4 years

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What is a Kimono?

The word "kimono" literally means "thing to wear." It was considered a daily wear for the Japanese. Kimono help us to understand not only the local fashion sense through time, but also to better capture the lifestyle and culture of the specific periods it was worn in. In this sense, kimono represent a fundamental piece of Japanese identity.

Kimono History: 1,700 Years of Kimono Culture

The first prototypes of what would become the kimono were introduced to Japan from China during the Kofun period (300-538 AD).

The Heian period (794-1185) saw the presence of some recurring elements, such as multi-layered kimono for women, colors that were used to represent ranks in court for men (the deeper the color, the higher the rank), and specific combinations of colored layers to represent the seasons and plants.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the sleeves of the kimono grew in length, and the "obi" (sash) developed from a hidden tie into a visible sash which was longer, wider, and which needed its own accessories to keep it in place. From this point onwards, the basic shape of the kimono has remained unchanged.

Meisen

In the Taisho period (1912-1926), Meisen (a cheaper, more robust type of resist-dyed silk) started to be used to produce kimono. Meisen is characterized by bold, bright designs unseen before in the kimono history, so it answered the need for colorful, cheap kimono during the economic depression and had a similar role to jeans in Western countries.

Furisode

A furisode is the most formal type of kimono for young, typically unmarried, women. They have very long sleeves (between 100-110 cm) and are decorated with colorful patterns across the entirety of the garment. Furisode are usually worn at "Seijin Shiki" (Coming of Age Ceremonies) or weddings, either by the bride herself or by other unmarried young female relatives.

Kurotomesode

A kurotomesode is the most formal kimono for older women. They have a black background, a design along the hem, and between three and five crests. Kurotomesode are worn to formal events such as weddings, usually by the relatives of the bride.

Homongi

Homongi are semi-formal kimono that stand out for their motif placement. The motifs flow across the back of the right shoulder and sleeve, the front of the left shoulder and sleeve, and across the hem, higher at the left than the right. Often, friends of the bride will wear homongi at weddings. They may also be worn to formal parties.

Komon

Komon are casual kimono that have a repeating pattern. These kimono are suitable for daily errands, a stroll around the town, or small celebrations.

What Are the Accessories for a Kimono?

Obi

The obi is the kimono sash, which does not actually keep the kimono closed, but has more of a decorative function. Informal obi are narrower and shorter, while formal ones are longer, wider, and richly decorated. There are different ways of tying an obi depending on the occasion and formality of the situation.

Hakama

The hakama is the traditional Japanese trouser-skirt, worn together with a kimono. Hakama are still utilized at graduation ceremonies (sotsugyoshiki) for women, as wedding attire for men, and in general for traditional Japanese sports such as kyudo (Japanese archery), aikido (a Japanese martial art), and kendo (Japanese fencing). Finally, they are part of the uniform for those who work at a shrine. Particularly famous is the outfit of the miko (shrine maiden), which consists of a white kimono and bright red hakama.

Haori

A haori is a kimono overcoat or jacket. It is worn open over the kimono or kept closed by a string that connects the lapels. Haori are usually jacket length, but full-length versions can also be found. In winter, haori are a mandatory element of the kimono outfit, while in warmer months, people either wear a thinner haori or don't wear one at all.

Geta and Zori (Sandals)

Geta feature an elevated wooden base held onto the foot by a fabric thong.

Zori are flat, thonged sandals made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or synthetic materials.

Tabi

Tabi are toe-divided Japanese socks that are worn with zori. The most common color is white, which is also the color worn in formal situations. Colorful tabi or tabi with patterns can be worn for casual occasions.

What Is a Yukata?

"Yukata" literally means "bath clothes," although their use is no longer limited to bath wear. It is the most casual unlined traditional garment, usually made of cotton, linen, or hemp for summer use. Yukata can be worn by everyone, men or women of all ages, for many informal occasions.

The History of Yukata: A Hop Back to the Edo Period

The yukata developed to become what it is today from a single-layered silk kimono worn in the bath by the upper class. In around 1800, priests began to bathe in water for purification. The samurai and noble class followed suit, but since silk was not suitable for getting wet, people started to wear cotton or linen-like fabrics instead. Finally, the custom spread to the middle and lower classes, too, and public bathhouses opened in Tokyo. People who had to walk from their homes to the bathhouse began to desire fancier yukata to wear while in public view, and this is how the modern-day yukata emerged.

Yukata vs. Kimono: What Are the Differences?

Material

Kimono are usually made from different types of silk, while yukata are generally made from cotton or polyester. This reflects the fact that in general, kimono are more luxurious and formal. Yukata are cheaper, more casual, and made to be cooler since they are worn during the summer months.

Composition

Kimono usually have a lining under the patterned silk layer, while yukata don’t.

Sleeves

The sleeves of a kimono vary according to different factors, from the wearer's age to the formality of the occasion. Furisode kimono, for example, can have sleeves so long that they touch the ground! The sleeves on the yukata, in contrast, are shorter and are never longer than around 50 cm.

Seasons

Yukata are associated with summer and summer activities. They are worn in other seasons inside a ryokan (japanese inn) or onsen (hot spring) building, as they are handed out to guests for use, but they rarely will be worn outside in colder seasons. A kimono has more layers and it can come with all sorts of accessories to make it suitable for all the seasons.

Occasions

Yukata are worn in ryokan or onsen, to attend matsuri (Japanese festivals) such as fireworks festivals, for other summer activities, or just strolling around. Kimono, on the other hand, are most commonly worn for more formal situations, such as ceremonies at shrines and temples, weddings, or graduation ceremonies.

Accessories

Yukata are easier to wear because they don't require as many accessories as a kimono. You don’t have to wear a specific undergarment with it, and you need just one or two strings to close it, while a kimono needs three or four strings. Yukata is paired with a casual obi, which is easier to tie. Since it is more acceptable to play with an informal obi, Japanese girls often tie it in self-invented and original styles. Kimono are usually paired with a formal or semi-formal obi, depending on the occasion. The yukata is worn together with geta and bare feet, while kimono is paired with zori and tabi.

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hoodoo12 · 6 years

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Patience head canons

A few things came to me regarding my favorite of @dorklyevil‘s Virtue Ricks: Patience. I combined them with my favorite writing challenge, which is a list of random words you need to use in a sentence. I’m tagging @porkchop-ao3 too because she is stellar at brainstorming.

Be forewarned that these aren’t worth much. Some do have further explanations, and need further exploration. Some are dumb. Some are nothing. But character building is like that . . .

SFW. Patience Rick/reader. Snippets of thoughts, which means not everything is explicitly explained (although if you’re curious, please ask!).

⁂

Veganism “A double cheeseburger, please.”

You did a double-take, which he took in stride.

“You eat meat?”

“Yes. Is that a problem? Are you a vegan?”

“No, no--I thought you were!”

Patience shook his head. “No. I like steak and char sui bao and cedar-grilled salmon. I’m not a vegan. Never have been.”

You filed that away under things that surprised you about him.

Stuttering “Most Ricks,” he explained quietly, “allow their minds to shatter with thought, speeding in a hundred different directions all at the same time. I, however, try to focus and be more deliberate, which is why I rarely stutter or trip over my words. Not that it can’t happen, to be sure, in the heat of a moment . . .”

What does he wear under those robes? You laughed in surprised delight one night, early in your relationship, when you discovered Patience wearing nothing under his yukata. You made a joke about him “being ready for action!” and didn’t think anything more about it because other, more physical things demanded your attention.

It wasn’t until the next time, and the time after that, and again, that you realized he routinely didn’t wear undergarments.

He laughed at your shocked reaction to this revelation.

Scar “Are you ever going to tell me what happened? How you got that scar?”

Patience smiled down at you. “Maybe someday . . .” he teased.

“Come on!” you needled and he laughed, then said,

“You should’ve seen the other guy.”

Your insistent teasing faltered as the meaning of his answer seeped into your comprehension. He sounded like he was joking, what he said was what guys typically said, but you couldn’t help but ask, “You . . . you got it fighting?”

“Finishing a fight,” he corrected.

You tried to wrap your head around this information. This was Patience. He was calm and composed and more likely to wait until the oceans dried up before resorting to physical violence--

He lifted an eyebrow at the expression on your face. “That surprises you.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it does!”

“Just because I strive to live life slowly doesn’t mean that everyone else is kind and gentle with me, or that I am incapable of defending myself. Or . . .”

He paused and his brow furrowed. His hand went to the very scar you were talking about; the one that when it happened must have split open his forehead and left him blinded by the blood that poured from it. More quietly, more ruefully, he added,

“It doesn’t mean I haven’t made mistakes or gone against my nature. Or that I’ve always been as you see me now.”

It was still difficult for you to fit this information into the puzzle of his life. He saw your continued confusion and gave you a smile. “Is it so odd that occasionally we aren’t ourselves? Wrath’s volatile nature has been tempered somewhat, when he is accompanied by Kindness. No one thinks that is a bad thing. My only fault is that my lapse . . . ended like this.”

He briefly touched his scar again. His smile was melancholy, you realized, because what he called his ‘misstep’ would be considered a grievous mistake, while Wrath’s would be lauded.

Tea “I drink all flavors tea. Black, green, oolong, white, pu-erh. I like kombucha as well. There is a delightful milk oolong that I purchase sometimes, and a cream Earl Grey that is a special treat. I will also occasionally imbibe with what they call herbal teas--”

Boring “--which are not technically teas at all! They should more correctly be called tisanes. Only one plant, Camelia sinesis, produces all the aforementioned flavors of tea; what differs and creates the varying flavors is the processing after the tea leaf is harvested. Black is the most heavily oxidized. White teas are the least, and everything else is in between. To get the highly prized bright green color and intense flavor of matcha, the leaves are shaded so their chorophyll is concentrated, and once collected and dried, they are ground to a powder. Gyokuro are those same leaves, unground, and they are delicious to eat, after the tea they’ve made has been consumed.

“Regarding the herbal tisanes, most any plant can be used, but depending on which part of the plant--leaves versus roots, for example--perhaps an infusion would be a better descriptor for the process. I am partial to a chamomile tisane sweetened with lavender honey before I retire for the evening. Herbals don’t have the caffeine like tea does, and yerba mate is an excellent choice if you wish to avoid the stimulant.

“I have several books on the subject and have taken classes with fellow tea aficionados. I also have a wide variety of loose leaf teas; would you like to try them? I can set up a tasting and explain each one, including the process by which it is made, the correct temperature at which the water should be to brew it correctly . . . I could even set up different types of the same tea--green, for example, and we could explore Japanese versus Chinese, single estate versus something more commercially produced.

“And did you know that some teas are better after their second or third brewing? There is a specific oolong that is best brewed five or six times! There is so much to explore regarding teas and tisanes and I could go on for a very long time about it--”

Feet Patience’s feet weren’t ticklish. He rarely wore shoes, and his soles were calloused and less sensitive than someone who did. Even through the streets of the Citadel, he went barefoot.

“I would rather walk,” he replied with a shrug, when you suggested a portal gun would get the two of you to your destination more quickly. “Portalling is convenient, but then we miss out on so much along the way.”

Fog It made you nervous, so you clutched at his hand and tried to match his long strides. He, sensing your unease, slowed his steps for you. He also shook his hand out of your grip and slipped his arm around your waist. You’d have a hard time explaining your fear, walking in this fog--you’d be loathe to admit it was because you had played too many survival horror video games!--but luckily, he simply understood and didn’t question it or mock you.

Believe “Believe me, he would put my vow to the test ,” Patience chuckled quietly, with a nod to the Wrath, who was simultaneously ranting about something and brushing Kindness’s locks. “‘Ness has some special power, I think.”

Tradition “I may prefer to wear a yukata or kimono, and it may be tradition, but I am not wearing a fundoshi!”

Snow “Look at the snow! It’s really coming down out there.”

“It’s up to your knees out there . . .”

“I guess I should start getting home.”

“Baby, it’s cold outside . . .”

“ . . . you do know those aren’t the lyrics to that song, right?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe just a half a drink more?”

You snorted your laughter at him as you nodded your head.

Adorable He had several thousand hair ties. On very rare occasions he wore one with a tiny bell attached to it, which you found ridiculously adorable.

Pattern “Walk with me?” he asked, so you did.

It was a winding path, with sharp cut backs and turns. It looped around and around on itself; if you closed your eyes and let him lead you by holding your hand, you grew dizzy. Sometimes he made an observation, sometimes you did. At one point it felt right to go up on your tiptoes and walk with your arms stretched outward, like you were balancing on a tightrope.

There were no walls on this path. It was marked by bricks in the ground, and at the very center of it was a small bench. Anyone who didn’t know the path was there would have thought you looked like fools traipsing back and forth, instead of just walking to the bench and sitting down.

But labyrinths were made with twists and turns in a very specific pattern, Patience explained as he sat next to you. They lead into a center, and then back out again. They were a mediation tool, and he hoped you liked it.

Sun You’d walked a labyrinth with him, and let the sun warm you gently while he continued to explain, “Mazes are for getting lost. Labyrinths are for finding.”

Red Patience had several, and of course he had some that he preferred over others, but your favorite yukata that he owned was monochromatic in red, with a very subtle dragon and phoenix motif woven into it.

White His robes may have been different colors, but his belt was always white.

Watch “You never wear a watch.”

“And you always do,” he countered.

Walk Your paces were different—yours brisk and businesslike, his deliberate by habit—but eventually walking together felt natural.

Run “—go! Put your head down and just go!” The deadly serious tone in Patience’s voice scared you more than anything yet tonight, until you looked in his face and saw the same severe, alarming expression there too. It was a look more at home on Wrath’s face, not Patience’s. He grabbed your upper arms in a grip that was so tight it pinched and gave you a push. “Run! Don’t stop, don’t look back—just run!”

Formal The fact that Patience kept a formal, neatly attended miniature Zen garden in his room did not surprise you.

Short Patience was tall and you were short, but the height difference never seemed to be a concern or a hindrance.

Horizon Habitually he was up before the dawn, and habitually you wanted to sleep late. But occasionally, Patience would gather you up—swaddled in blankets and all—and carry you out to the porch steps so you could watch the sun creep above the horizon together.

War Those who knew him bought him books on feudal Japan and war; those who really knew him bought him books on Japanese art.

Sarcasm He didn’t use it often—he thought it was rude and he should be above it—but when Patience resorted to sarcasm, it was worth it.

Speed “Nope, never tried anything—not pot or speed or coke.”

Coffee You never saw him drink it, although it didn’t surprise you he had the talent for making some of the best French press coffee you’d ever had.

Oil A sharp, astringent odor assaulted your nose. It took a second, but when you untangled your fingers from his and raised your hand to your face, the smell wafted more strongly to you.

Patience saw the disgusted and perplexed expression on your face and he immediately got up and left the room to go to the kitchen. Over the sounds of running of water in the sink and hands being scrubbed he called out an apology.

“I’m sorry, dearest. I neglected to wash my hands of the gun oil.”

You had gotten up to follow him, to wash your hands too, but stopped short at his explanation. Gun oil? Gun oil? You knew what it was, but couldn’t make it stick anywhere with anything; those two words and Patience didn’t match. Your heart was suddenly in your throat, and you were chilled out of the blue by a cold spike of fear.

Hands His fingers were long. He kept his nails neatly trimmed, and his fingertips were very lightly calloused. He had a faded scar at the base of the third finger on his left hand. The mark was very small, running perpendicular to his digit. He never told you what it was from, but your suspicion was it made by a ring that had cut him when it had been pushed too far back on his finger. He didn’t wear a ring now, and you weren’t sure how to ask about it. So you didn’t, but you wondered a lot.

Laugh Patience’s laugh was full and deep, and unlike some men, he wasn’t shy about it.

#fanfic #head canon #Patience Rick #Virtue Rick #fic based on awesome art

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lilicriticallanguages · 6 years

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What To Expect When Studying Korean

So you’ve decided to study Korean! That’s awesome! But let me just give you a cautionary warning. Despite what you may have been told by numerous language learning websites that are attempting to sell you their services, Korean is not easy. I have studied Japanese, Chinese, French and Korean for years and I can assure you, Korean is easily the hardest. At least it is in my opinion. Why? Well, I will give you exactly the answer to that and what you should expect while embarking on the journey filled with blood, sweat and tears towards fluency in Korean. (Yes that was indeed a BTS reference)

Speaking Language vs Writing Language

Korean has an incredibly simple writing system, but don’t let that lure you into a false sense of security. While the writing system is notoriously easy, there’s a catch- it is essentially a separate language. In written Korean, certain words and conjugations are used in lieu of the ones used in spoken conversation. The conjugations may not be that difficult to remember, but remembering which words are only used for writing and which are only speaking can get tricky.

Tip: Regardless of which one you learn first, you need to treat these as essentially two languages. I recommend starting with speaking first but it’s up to you.

How To Express Yourself: Re-Learning How to Think

I want you to do something for me. I want you to close your eyes, clear your mind and pretend that you are an infant with no knowledge of language at all. Difficult isn’t it? Well, yah it is because you’re an adult and your brain has already developed using a certain language already and it’s harder to get another language in there, but that’s exactly what you’ll need to do if you want to learn Korean. Gone are the days where you can stick an English expression into a translate and get a coherent translation in your target language. In Korean, things are expressed in an entirely different way than you would expect and you must realize that they are all culturally based. Even saying ‘goodbye’ will require you to think about who you’re talking to and, interestingly enough, if you’re saying goodbye to someone leaving or if you yourself are leaving and they’re staying.

Tip: Try not to memorize things in terms of their English translation. Do your best to remove your dependence on English because it will only cripple you. In fact, the English translation of many grammatical points and vocab will not entirely encapsulate the meaning of that vocab word or grammar point. The true meaning you will have to learn through a fully immersive baptism. In that light, you will be learning most of Korean experientially instead of through rote memorization.

Learning how To Be Polite

Politeness levels are very trial by error as well unfortunately. The levels themselves are categorized for you, but their actual usage varies and will have to be figured out as you go. Keep in mind that there are only three most important politeness levels that you need to know:

합쇼체 or formal ( example: thank you/감사합니다),

해요체 or polite (example: thank you/고마워요),

and 해체 or informal (example: thanks/고마워).

Tip: After you master the conjugations correlated with each politeness level, you will need to learn code switching, or switching between politeness levels of speech quickly in a normal conversation. Say you come from having a conversation with your boss then your colleague asks what happened. You’ll have to switch from a higher level of politeness to a slightly lower one (assuming you and your colleague are about the same age).

Spelling

I have always hated spelling in grade school because English often doesn’t follow a logical structure when it comes to spelling words. It’s just totally arbitrary sometimes! When it comes to Korean, however, one would think that it would be easier to sound stuff out in Korean since they have easier phonetic sounds, right? Well, one would be wrong! I struggled spelling even basic words in Korean at first and I couldn’t simply sound it out. Spelling is often difficult to nail down because there are certain characters that sound the same ( like ㅐ/ae and and ㅔ/e) and there are particular spellings for words that you’ll just have to memorize. There’s really no way around it but to buckle down and get to memorizing.

Learning Grammar Based on Context

Just like how you need to change the way you think, you need to get into the habit of attributing certain grammar points to specific contexts. Grammar in Korean is very context specific. So don’t assume that because you learned one way to say the word ‘and’ that that is the only way to say the word ‘and’. In fact there are a few ways to say the word ‘and’ that are context specific so be careful.

Tip: When you learn a grammar point make sure to pay attention to the context of how to use it and make a note of that. You will probably learn another way to express that idea anyway, so make sure to keep all your notebook super organized and understand how to use that grammar point fully before moving on to the next.

Hope this helps guys! Lemme know if you need any further help or advice!

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007vatsalya · 3 years

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FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS

Enhancing the beauty of flowers with artistic arrangement is the art of flower arrangements. Flower arrangements are an important part of the ambience on any occasion, weddings, birthdays, parties or any other events in life.

Flower arrangement is an organization of design and color towards creating an ambience using flowers, foliage and other floral accessories. Flower arrangement is not an art to be reserved only for special occasions. A few flowers on the kitchen table can be as important in their own way as a full scale decoration for a big ocassion. Flower arrangements beautify homes and offices alike and are also used as centerpieces for a table. Flower arrangements are made out of fresh cut flowers, dried flowers and artificial flowers as well.

Roses are the most popular flowers used in floral arrangements, closely followed by carnations, gerbera daisies and chrysanthemums. The use of flowers in flower arrangements also depends on the occasion for which they are made and the recipient's likes and dislikes.

Origins of Flower Designing

The Chinese were the first to put water in a container of cut flowers. So, while the Chinese were arranging flowers aesthetically in a container, the rest of the world was braiding garlands, making wreaths and flinging petals.

Japan grasped the vision of combining cut flowers, water and containers from China with such enthusiasm and inspiration that different schools of flower arrangement art emerged with masters who created philosophies and, design principles sprang into existence. The Japanese culture expanded flower arrangement into a meditative practice, which had its roots in beliefs and philosophies. Flower arrangement became an art form that inspired contemplation and transcended decorative and devotional functions.

Different Styles of Flower Arrangements

Broadly, there are three styles of arrangements in the world of floral arrangements. They are: 1) Oriental Flower Arrangements: The emphasis is on the Lines in the floral arrangement. 2) Traditional/Western Flower Arrangements: The emphasis is on the Use of many flowers as a mass in the floral arrangement. 3) Modern Flower Arrangements: There are no rules at all. These floral arrangements are based on the taste of the floral designer. But, it is more close to Oriental than Traditional style of arranging flowers in its inclination towards importance to lines.

Principles of Flower ArrangementAlthough the art of floral arrangement encompasses many principles, there are at least six important principles. They are:

Design: It decides the structural pattern of the floral arrangement. It is a visualized plan about the size and shape of the floral arrangement. The design is essentially determined by the location, occasion and the materials available.

Balance: It emphasizes on the use of materials in a floral arrangement which gives stability to the arrangement. The two most important elements of Balance of an arrangement are the form and color of the floral arrangement. Again, balance is of two types viz., Symmetrical Balance: The two sides of the floral arrangement have equal amount of materils placed on either side of the floral arrangement. Asymmetrical Balance: The two sides of the floral arrangement are not equal but still have equal visual weight. Color plays a vital role here. Dark colors give a visual effect of weight and so are used low in the arrangement. So also, lighter colors are more appropriate for the outer and upper portions of the floral arrangements.

Scale: It deals with the proportions of different components of the floral arrangement. It thus emphasises on the use of material used to that of the size of the container holding the floral arrangement.

Rhythm: It emphasizes on directing the viewer's eye along the main line of arrangement so that the whole shape of the composition is properly followed and understood

Emphasis (Focal Point): The central portion of the floral arrangement from where the flowers and foliage of the arrangement appear to be emerging from is known as the focal point of the arrangement. Hence, larger and dark colored flowers are usually used in the focal point of the floral arrangement.

Harmony and Unity: This principle takes care of the appropriate use of flowers for the occasion. It also takes care of the blending of colors of the flowers used in the floral arrangement and that of the container such that they contrast each other.

Types of Flower Arrangements

Floral Bouquets: Floral bouquets are simple and easier to assemble than a formal flower arrangement. Bouquets made of roses are the most popular, followed by carnations, gerbera daisies and chrysanthemums.

Table Centerpieces: Centerpieces are nothing but the normal floral arrangements, designed to be placed on tables when dinners are hosted on such occasions like Thanksgiving day, Christmas, etc. You can convey a theme for the occasion using a memorabilia or traditional decorations. The buffet table lends itself to an elaborate still life of flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Floral Baskets: Floral baskets are flower arrangements done in baskets of varied depths. Flowers for the floral baskets should therefore be chosen on the basis of the depth of the basket. They are very popular as gifts on special occasions like Christmas, Mother's day, etc. Cornucopia is a horn-shaped wicker basket typically filled with various kinds of festive fruits and vegetables, which is very popular as a gift on Thanksgiving day.

Floral Wreaths: A floral arrangement in the form of a circular garland, usually woven of flowers and foliage, that traditionally indicates honor or celebration. Wreaths are especially very popular on funerals as a symbol of honoring the deceased. Besides, they are also very much used on occasions like Thanksgiving day and Christmas to welcome the guests as welcome wreaths when dinners are hosted.

Ikebana (Japanese Flower Arrangement)

Ikebana

, the Japanese word for the art of flower arrangement, comes from two Japanese words,

IKE

, meaning pond and

HANA

, meaning flower, the

pond flower

. Thus, Ikebana is the art of arranging flowers in water.

Ikebana emphasizes most on measurement, the scale of floral arrangement

. The main aim of Ikebana is to bring nature indoors and make it live in the floral arrangement that is being made.

Originally, the first school of ikebana was divided into three styles.

The Shin - The formal style involved an erect linear arrangement in a bronze container, arranged on a carved teakwood stand.

The Gyo, or semi-formal school - The school features flowing, sweeping lines and the use of a variety of containers.

The So, or informal school - The school displayed flowers in bamboo vases, baskets, and natural wood containers as well as in pottery. The flowers are seated on bases of bamboo or natural wood.

Basic Designs in Making Flower Arrangements

There are three basic designs for flower arrangements viz., Line Arrangements, Mass Arrangements and Line-Mass Arrangements. All flower arrangements are based on one of these flower arrangement designs or derived from them.

Line Arrangement of FlowersDesigns composed primarily of line material have minimum flowers and foliage established in the focal area. The open form emphasizes the beauty of the plant material. A bare branch, a piece of decorative wood or a pine branch creates a well-defined line design. The addition of a few flowers and leaves is all that is needed to achieve a dramatic effect.Mass Arrangement of FlowersFull, flowing and symmetrical, a generous mixture of flowers arranged in a decorated China vase portrays the typical mass design so reminiscent of Victorian opulence and elegance. Mass designs are usually triangular, oval, and circular or fan shaped.Line-Mass Arrangement of FlowersLine-Mass creations employ the use of mass for a greater feeling of depth. Plant material is placed to form an orderly outline and massed to create a focal area with gradual changes from line at the periphery of the arrangement to mass within the central axis. Line-mass designs have an open form with symmetrical or asymmetrical balance.

Click Here for Flower Arrangements for Specific Occasions

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bunka-japan · 3 years

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What Is A Male Kimono Called? Guide To The Types Of Kimono Robe Men

Men kimono is a generic word like clothing. There are many different types of kimono for men. In the west, the Japanese men kimono is also called "Kimono Robe Men" or "men's Japanese kimono robe".

When compared with the gara/pattern of women kimonos, Men's kimonos are as varied and colorful as their wearers. There is a hierarchy of sorts, where the material used in making them often dictates which rank they're at on that scale; though there may be some exceptions to this rule depending on who made it or for what occasion.

The Japanese love and reverence for nature was reflected in the themes chosen to decorate kimono. Flower blossoms, trees, and streams were lovingly hand painted onto the surface of these robes which became a canvas for their ideas or concepts embroidered into them with kanji alluding to poems that would be written on it as well as designs not only reflecting beauty but also meaning.

Lets dive in to the explanation of kimono types

Rank Number One Kimono: The Formal Occasion Kimono

When you think of a Japanese wedding, the first thing that might come to mind is "kimono." However it's not just women who wear these elegant gowns. In fact men often dress in their own version known as "Kuromontsuki haori hakama". Such clothing is the male highest rank traditional clothing.

The haori is made with one of the most basic waves of silk, which is called habutai in Japanese. The hakama is made from silk from Japan's Sendai area which is called sendaihira, and you can also call it men's silk kimono.

The most common color for this outfit would be black because dark colors signify elegance. The combination of blue and white five-Kamon nagagi panels on the sleeves were created by dyeing threads with water mixed with different kinds of dirt or ashes from plants, minerals, animals bones etc.

The Iromontsuki haori hakama is a formal dress for various occasions other than funerals, such as weddings, age ceremonies. Compared to the kuromontsuki type above it's more casual.

Rank Number Two Kimono: Second Level Outfit For Formal Occasion

There are many types of haori in the world, but there is one that surpasses them all. This garment has a rank lower than iromontsuki and it consists of two kinds of fabric: nagagi or tsumugi.

My favourite type of clothing by far would have to be haori; it's not as prestigious as iromontsuki (in fact, its rank one level below) yet it still has 2 different fabric options such as Nagagi or Tsumugi clothings too!

The number of kamon on haori can usually between 3 - 1, the patterns are higher than those for tsumugi.

For hakama however there are many options in Sendaihira and omeshi styles with glossier fabric while matching a tsumugi robe would not be as good because it has less patterning which is more traditional Japanese style.

High Rank Informal Occasion Kimono:

You can wear a haori and nagagi to go out! Omeshi (oil-based) and tsumugi (silk) are the main fabrics for this less formal traditional outfit. If you combine these items according to your own preferences then you won't lose rank when going outside in style but without being too formal.

Casual Occasion Kimono:

Kinagashi is a traditional casual Japanese style that has become more popular in recent years. Usually, it consists of the top half-dress shirt and pants with no obi or accessories at all! This informal garb can be worn on any occasion without being too formal; walking around town or going to your local convenience store are perfect examples where you might want to wear this outfit.

Can Men Wear Kimono?

Men involved in the traditional arts often have occasions to wear men's Kimono and may own several of them. Tea Ceremony is one of those artistic forms which require wearing these garments whereas others might only need them occasionally or not at all.

source https://bunkajapan.com/blogs/japanese-kimono-cardigan-fashion-cosplay-culture/types-of-kimono-robe-men from https://ift.tt/2VRxYhl

#Bunka Japan

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rusocialpod · 3 years

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Assimil is a dialogue based learning course popular amongst language learners. This is clearly illustrated by the 4+ star reviews on Amazon for the majority of the available courses. Assimil has a range of courses available in a variety of languages, but is geared primarily towards French speakers. Dubbed "The Magic Books” by NPR, Assimil is quickly approaching both 100 years of language teaching, and 100 languages in their catalog of courses. What is Assimil? Assimil, a French company, was created by Alphonse Chérel in 1929. It publishes several different series, their most popular being Sans Peine or With Ease. The Assimil Sans Peine courses are a combination of dialogue-based texts and audio where you learn by working through passive and active stages. In the passive stage you complete the lessons by reading and listening. While in the active stage you not only listen to and read the lessons, but attempt to translate the dialogues on your own. Compared to the apps and podcasts that many learners use these days, Assimil arguably offers an “old fashioned" approach. The method hasn’t changed much since its original release in the 1920's. So is it still a relevant learning tool? In the past, I have used Assimil to study languages I already had a foundation in - Chinese and Croatian. So for this review I decided to take on the challenge of studying a language in which I was a beginner: Korean. [caption id="attachment_20749" align="aligncenter" width="700"] My Assimil "Korean With Ease" course[/caption] Assimil’s Korean courses are only available in French, so I choose to work through Assimil Coréen Sans Peine to see how I would do. Before I started using Coréen Sans Peine, I’d categorise myself as a “false beginner”. I had dabbled in the language, but my Korean reading was precarious at best, my vocabulary extremely limited and my understanding of grammar non-existent. Having completed the course, here are my thoughts. Assimil Korean with Ease: Getting Started Each course in Assimil’s Sans Peine series includes both a book and four audio CDs (and/or an MP3 disc). The courses are available in 148 language combinations, although only 16 of these are for English speakers while 49 are for French speakers. I really like that both the audio and book are available as a complete package, especially because the audio is directly related to the text. What’s more, I like that the audio is to the point. There aren’t any fancy introductions or extra banter from the speakers that you have to endure to get to the real “meat” of the program. Assimil’s Sans Peine courses are created with beginners in mind, and it’s very easy to get started. Each book includes a thorough introduction to the language with tips on pronunciation, the writing system if there is one, and general features of the language. Following the introduction, the course dives right in. For languages with different writing systems, such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean, transliterations are included in Assimil’s courses. While I could have slowly worked my way through Korean texts, I really appreciated having the transliteration printed below the dialogues so that I could focus on speaking and listening comprehension, rather than my reading skills. Plus, the accompanying audio offers you the chance to hear how the words sound so you don’t feel like you’re guessing. [caption id="attachment_20750" align="aligncenter" width="700"] A look inside the Assimil course.[/caption] Each chapter includes a brief dialogue (although these grow longer as you progress) and notes on content. There are also exercises that give you the opportunity to use the material you’ve learned. Together with the translation that conveys the meaning of the text, a literal translation is included so that you get a feel for word order and vocabulary without needing vocabulary lists or grammar exercises. The lessons intentionally avoid going into great depth on grammar, instead offering a collection of simple dialogues with detailed footnotes on rules as they appear as well as notes on the culture tied to the language. How I Used Assimil I personally work through the lessons, reading the dialogues out loud before shadowing them once more along with the audio. The way that I use the course, the active stage starts when I repeat the lessons with the audio alone to see how much I’ve really mastered. I can then go back and review what I need with the text. I also like to try out what I’m learning as a part of language exchanges. This approach works well for my learning style, but I could understand why other learners might not be a fan of the series. For me, the process ensures that the material I’m learning really sticks, but others might find it tedious. The strengths of the Assimil method definitely lie in the way it offers context for what it teaches rather than word lists or grammar exercises isolated from how the language functions in day-to-day life. Most lessons can be completed in around an hour, so they are a manageable length. Assimil with Ease Review: What Did I Learn? Assimil Korean includes practical and relevant phrases and vocabulary for real world situations. Through the course, I learned words and phrases that were incredibly useful and applicable to daily conversations. These included: I almost forgot! What genre of books do you read most? What time do you get off work? There was nothing to eat in the fridge, so I went out to the restaurant across the way. What kind of food do you like? I really like that Assimil jumps right in and skips the laborious introductions that span several chapters in other courses. My only criticism is that you are not equipped with everything you need to give a full introduction to someone you’ve just met. While I don’t need to know how to describe my entire extended family, it would be nice to get a bit more content for introducing myself, my hobbies, and my preferences. One thing that’s really great about the series is that the dialogues vary from language to language so that they’re more culturally and geographically relevant to the language that the book teaches. But this also means that depending on the learner and depending on the language, the usefulness of the material in the books really varies. Compared to other With Ease books, the Korean course did seem much more travel/business orientated, but there was enough additional content (karaoke, seasons, food, jokes) that this didn’t deter me much. Overall, the language in the texts is relatively formal. Personally, I prefer this. I would rather be overly formal than rudely informal. Especially with a language like Korean where honorifics are important. What Level Can You Reach With Assimil? Assimil claim that their Sans Peine series will take learners to the B2 level according to the CEFR scale and that their Perfectionnement series will get you to the C1 level. I’m not entirely sure how accurate this is because while you may work with material that ranges from the A1 to B2 or C1 level, there are gaps that would need to be filled with the help of other resources. In terms of vocabulary, it was not as thorough as I would like from a course that works through so many levels. For most learners, this is fine because relying on just one course or learning tool to teach you a language is never a good strategy, but it could be deceiving for those expecting an all-in-one language resource. I will say this: Because the Sans Peine course gets to B2 level in about 71 lessons, they quickly grow challenging. The course also covers quite a bit of grammar, but it’s done in a way that isn’t overwhelming. You’re introduced to different grammar concepts on an as-needed basis. For the same reason, the course isn’t for someone who hasn’t had any prior exposure to the language. It’s a bit difficult to pick up without any experience in your target language. But it’s fantastic for those with a basic vocabulary. What Could be Better about Assimil? I did have some issues with the Assimil approach. The introductions and basic pleasantries were not as in-depth as I would have expected for a course aimed at beginners. There are some phrases that fall into this category, but the course quickly shifts into situational and culture-related dialogues. While these are useful later down the line, I thought that just two short chapters on introductions weren’t quite enough. At the same time, however, this is something you can easily find in any other resource, so it’s not a huge strike against Assimil. The one thing that I would really love to see added to the series would be additional relevant phrases at the end of each chapter. These could be phrases that might fit into the example dialogue and they would serve two beneficial purposes. One, you could role play and swap out some of the phrases so you really get to maximise the dialogues in the book. And two, you get additional vocabulary and phrases suitable to the theme of each chapter without having to figure out the grammar to piece them together yourself. My biggest complaint is about the audio. Most computers no longer have a disc drive built in, so I had limited listening options. It would be far more convenient if the book included an access code to download the files online or you were given a USB drive with the audio instead. In addition, I wasn’t a huge fan of the transliterations for the language in the book, but only because it was different from what I’m used to. There really isn’t a standard for Korean, so it’s hard to penalize them for this. Plus, since I wasn’t that great at reading Korean, it was helpful to have this available to me. Finally, the selection of Assimil courses available to English speakers is relatively small in comparison to their overall catalogue. If you don’t speak French, your options with Assimil are limited. This also makes accessibility outside of Europe somewhat difficult (or more expensive). If you do speak French (or another continental European language), however, Assimil is an excellent resource to work on laddering. Assimil Review: Did I Actually Remember What I Learned? Because it’s a traditional coursebook, Assimil really doesn’t have a way to keep you accountable. It’s up to you as the learner to monitor your progress - there are no leaderboards, progress bars, or points awarded for working through the material. That said, the lessons are short and easily digestible, so there’s not anything to keep you from continuing through the lessons on a regular basis. The only critique I had is that you do have to find the time to sit down and concentrate on the lessons, which is different from some of the other resources available that are more portable. If you don’t have the time to really sit down and study, you can always just work with the audio to see how your listening comprehension fares. I really enjoy Assimil’s approach. It was just challenging enough to hold my attention and the time it takes to complete the lessons is just right. I also like the extra cultural tidbits and language facts they add in the endnotes. It gives me a nice break from actual language learning but still keeps me in the right mindset. I was honest with myself as I completed the various exercises, working to find the answers on my own before double-checking the result against those provided. Because the lessons were so succinct, I found I ended up with just the right balance of right and wrong answers to keep me motivated (not so many that I grew frustrated but not so few that I became bored). If you really want a way to track your progress, you can do so with the exercises at the end of each chapter. You can also check how you’re doing through the review sections, by how many lessons you’ve completed and by how much of the audio you understand without the help of the text. The book contains review sections every six chapters. I was pleased with the frequency of these - neither too much nor too little. The course structure offers you the opportunity to work through the information in a variety of ways, so even though I didn’t retain everything I learned using the course, I was able to take away the things I was most likely to use in the future. Assimil: The Verdict The verdict: I would definitely use Assimil again in the future, but with the caveat of doing it my own way. Assimil brought me from having an entirely shaky understanding of Korean to being able to confidently have short and direct exchanges in the language. I am definitely not at a B2 (or even B1) level, but I would say that I am somewhere in the vicinity of A2 and that I might hit B1 with another pass at the book and by more intensively working on the translations, or active phase of the book. The Assimil method runs contrary to the Speak from Day 1 approach. It suggests that the learner take a passive learning approach for the first several chapters, then step into an active approach in the later chapters. This means that you work through the beginning of the book by reading, listening, and completing the exercises. You’re then advised to go back during the active stage and work on translating the lessons. If you ignore these directions, however, and reading the dialogues from the first lesson, you can Speak from Day 1 with Assimil. The great thing about a self-guided course is that it’s, well, self-guided. You can use it however you see fit and take as much time as you need with each section. I will use Assimil again in the future - in fact, I’m already using it for Russian. While the content of every dialogue may not be useful for every learner, I like the context that it gives the language and I find this approach much more effective than that of some of the other available course books. You can find Assimil Coréen Sans Peine on Amazon. Other Assimil courses available for English speakers: New French With Ease Spanish With Ease German With Ease Italian With Ease Brazilian Portuguese Arabic With Ease Japanese With Ease The post Assimil Review: An Honest Look at the Assimil Language Learning System appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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