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Old 04-04-2007, 09:07 PM   #11
Archaea
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In the Philippines they yell "Hey Joe, give me chocolate" which I'm pretty sure is a holdover from the WWII GIs. The full "Hey Joe, give me chocolate" is often shortened to just "Hey Joe" which you hear about 100 times a day. I never minded "Hey Joe" but I liked having a little fun with it so I would often respond "Hey Pedro". You could also tell who the smarter kids were because the ones that got the joke would laugh and the ones that didn't would sit there with a dumb look on their face thinking "My name isn't Pedro" or, better yet, "How did he know my name is Pedro?"

Well in Germany, they yell, "Hey Fuck You Yankee, Go home, Frank Zappa!"
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:08 PM   #12
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Very funny, Brian.

Now, I've forgotten all but the most basic Japanese, but I though Kore wa enpitsu desu was this is a pencil.

And I would have to insert something like anata no to make it mine. So boku throws me for a loop, but then again, I don't really know Japanese other than to irritate Japanese.
Technically speaking, you could say "boku wa enpitsu desu" in response to a question as to whether or not you'd like a pen or a pencil. The particle "wa" indicates an "as for" type of feeling (i.e., "as for me, I'd like a pencil" is a perfectly appropriate translation depending on your context). But don't get me started here. I know FAR too much about this kind of stuff and am actually one of the few people I know who not only knows when to use wa versus ga but actually knows why.
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:12 PM   #13
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Technically speaking, you could say "boku wa enpitsu desu" in response to a question as to whether or not you'd like a pen or a pencil. The particle "wa" indicates an "as for" type of feeling (i.e., "as for me, I'd like a pencil" is a perfectly appropriate translation depending on your context). But don't get me started here. I know FAR too much about this kind of stuff and am actually one of the few people I know who not only knows when to use wa versus ga but actually knows why.
I like this stuff so remind a simpleton when to distinguish between wa and ga, the emphatic subject as I understand it.
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:13 PM   #14
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Domo Arigato, Mr. Nikuman-o

(Sorry. I took Latin. It's all I got.)
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:35 PM   #15
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I like this stuff so remind a simpleton when to distinguish between wa and ga, the emphatic subject as I understand it.
Well, you've opened a can of worms there....

With the disclaimer that I'm quite rusty on the book-learnin' behind this, there's about 10 or so uses of wa/ga that are discrete. Ga is used as an object marker instead of wo with certain verbs/descriptive verbs (notably dekiru) (zo wa hana ga nagai, lit. "as for the elephant, [his] nose is long" or, as I would translate it, "elephants have long noses"). Ga is also used when indicating that the stated subject is exclusively doing X (boku ga iku, indicating that only I will go). Ga is also used as a marker for the affected party in a passive/affective setting (boku ga haha ni shinareta). In addition, ga should replace wa in all subordinate clauses.

Wa, on the other hand, can usually be consider a particle that designates an "as for X" sort of idea (see the elephant sentence above). It is also used to emphasize the noun which it follows in order to contrast it to other nouns not used (i.e., boku wa iku can be translated as "I will go [but I make no claim as to you]". Which makes sense in the "as for X" explaination.

There are a few more rules that I've forgotten but still (presumably) use in speech. I'll have to consult my old college notes to remember them all.
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:39 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by nikuman View Post
Technically speaking, you could say "boku wa enpitsu desu" in response to a question as to whether or not you'd like a pen or a pencil. The particle "wa" indicates an "as for" type of feeling (i.e., "as for me, I'd like a pencil" is a perfectly appropriate translation depending on your context). But don't get me started here. I know FAR too much about this kind of stuff and am actually one of the few people I know who not only knows when to use wa versus ga but actually knows why.
i just learned enough japanese to get by. i have no idea when to use wa and ga. i thought i heard that wa was when the subject was living, ga otherwise, but that was just some other dorky gaijin.

watakushi no nekko wa/ga jitensha desu.

i made up a joke when i was there:

boku no ha wa nan sai desu ka? (How old are my teeth)
ni-ju sai (twenty)
Questioned looks from the natives.
hatachi [rim shot]

tachi is plural, so ha-tachi, plural teeth.
hatachi also means twenty. completely different kanji.
most of the younger kids at church got it, but the grownups would try and correct me. No, it's a different kanji, then they'd start writting it down to show me.
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:40 PM   #17
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Welcome, Nikuman. Your username is making me hungry.

Arch, my parents called my brother "boku" as a nickname growing up, you only use it if you're a boy.
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:40 PM   #18
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Well, you've opened a can of worms there....

With the disclaimer that I'm quite rusty on the book-learnin' behind this, there's about 10 or so uses of wa/ga that are discrete. Ga is used as an object marker instead of wo with certain verbs/descriptive verbs (notably dekiru) (zo wa hana ga nagai, lit. "as for the elephant, [his] nose is long" or, as I would translate it, "elephants have long noses"). Ga is also used when indicating that the stated subject is exclusively doing X (boku ga iku, indicating that only I will go). Ga is also used as a marker for the affected party in a passive/affective setting (boku ga haha ni shinareta). In addition, ga should replace wa in all subordinate clauses.

Wa, on the other hand, can usually be consider a particle that designates an "as for X" sort of idea (see the elephant sentence above). It is also used to emphasize the noun which it follows in order to contrast it to other nouns not used (i.e., boku wa iku can be translated as "I will go [but I make no claim as to you]". Which makes sense in the "as for X" explaination.

There are a few more rules that I've forgotten but still (presumably) use in speech. I'll have to consult my old college notes to remember them all.

aye, yi, yi.
when i heard a wa/ga, i knew what they were saying.
if i messed it up, they knew what i meant.
good enough for me.
were you a japanese major?
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:41 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by nikuman View Post
Well, you've opened a can of worms there....

With the disclaimer that I'm quite rusty on the book-learnin' behind this, there's about 10 or so uses of wa/ga that are discrete. Ga is used as an object marker instead of wo with certain verbs/descriptive verbs (notably dekiru) (zo wa hana ga nagai, lit. "as for the elephant, [his] nose is long" or, as I would translate it, "elephants have long noses"). Ga is also used when indicating that the stated subject is exclusively doing X (boku ga iku, indicating that only I will go). Ga is also used as a marker for the affected party in a passive/affective setting (boku ga haha ni shinareta). In addition, ga should replace wa in all subordinate clauses.

Wa, on the other hand, can usually be consider a particle that designates an "as for X" sort of idea (see the elephant sentence above). It is also used to emphasize the noun which it follows in order to contrast it to other nouns not used (i.e., boku wa iku can be translated as "I will go [but I make no claim as to you]". Which makes sense in the "as for X" explaination.

There are a few more rules that I've forgotten but still (presumably) use in speech. I'll have to consult my old college notes to remember them all.

As I am self-taught, any helpers I can get I appreciate.
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:41 PM   #20
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i thought i heard that wa was when the subject was living, ga otherwise, but that was just some other dorky gaijin.
There's a set of verbs for animate/inanimate objects (not really that simple), so that's probably where the dorky gaijin (is there any other kind?) got it from.
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