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[clav]

Control Panel --> Under Clock, Language, and Region click "Change display language"

On the next screen there is an option "choose display language" with a drop down box. Change to the language you want, and it will prompt you to log out and back in to your user profile (no need to restart)

BTW you have to have downloaded the language pack from Windows Updates of the language you want.

Do you know if this will work for Vista Business users?

 

[Brofist]

Do you know if this will work for Vista Business users?

oops I just checked, it may be an Ultimate only feature

 

[Axalon]

Another happy note is I am able to catch words in anime that I learned...even break down sentences.. It's not Gibberish anymore..

It's still jibberish to me. :S I can catch words, but not break down sentences, save for hearing the verb at the end. It's the fault of my currently nonfunctional vocabulary for not being able to pick out anything that defines the structure (like particles), because it all sounds like a creamy blend of syllables.

But I do smile a bit when I see kanji I know in places. While it doesn't make me read any better (doing Heisig, so no readings yet), but seeing "real world" usage does at least tell you "hey, I'm making a bit of progress here!" and that does it's job as a motivator.

 

[Hitokage]

It's still jibberish to me. :S I can catch words, but not break down sentences, save for hearing the verb at the end. It's the fault of my currently nonfunctional vocabulary for not being able to pick out anything that defines the structure (like particles), because it all sounds like a creamy blend of syllables.

Don't be too hard on yourself though. What you're studying is likely basic formal japanese, but what you're hearing is likely casual speech with colloquialisms, contractions, and slang.

 

[Kilrogg]

I've been studying Japanese since 2002 and I am pretty much at a native level. My pronunciation is definitely at native level and my reading speed / comprehension skills are up there as well. My handwriting skills still leave something to be desired, though. Because I have always been using computers and electronic devices, I have little opportunity to write using a pen / pencil and thus my skills have suffered in that aspect. I'll often find myself unable to remember a particular Kanji when writing with my hand even though I would instantly recognize the Kanji if I saw it. I notice that my younger Japanese friends experience similar problems as well.

Isn't that what they call the "waapurobaka" syndrome ?

Anyway, Zoe, don't believe what your professor said. At least, don't think you'll never be able to master reading (or any aspect of the language, really). Unless you're really not gifted when it comes to learning languages, you'll be fine, as long you work hard and/or immerse yourself in the language like Zefah does.

Zefah, living in Japan obviously makes things easier for you, but what would you advise somebody to do if they weren't living in Japan?

Oh and by the way, if you don't want to mess with your OS and install the Japanese font, there's software that allows you to type in Japanese. I use NJStar Communicator, which is better than nothing. Despite the shareware nature of the thing, you can still use it after the trial expires, it only takes like 2 minutes to load, and then you're good to go.

 

[Hitokage]

Oh and by the way, if you don't want to mess with your OS and install the Japanese font, there's software that allows you to type in Japanese. I use NJStar Communicator, which is better than nothing. Despite the shareware nature of the thing, you can still use it after the trial expires, it only takes like 2 minutes to load, and then you're good to go.

We were talking keyboard support, where apostrophe is shift+7 and @ is the key next to P.

 

[Kilrogg]

We were talking keyboard support, where apostrophe is shift+7 and @ is the key next to P.

I know, but for those who don't want/can't install a Japanese OS or font, software like NJStar Communicator can be a good alternative. The point being that it's extremely easy to run and understand.

 

[Hitokage]

If you simply want to input Japanese, Microsoft does have their own freely available IME.

 

[tnw]

I do so much more reading in Japanese than English that I think my Japanese vocabulary might actually be bigger than my English vocabulary.

I've been studying Japanese since 2002 and I am pretty much at a native level. My pronunciation is definitely at native level and my reading speed / comprehension skills are up there as well. My handwriting skills still leave something to be desired, though. Because I have always been using computers and electronic devices, I have little opportunity to write using a pen / pencil and thus my skills have suffered in that aspect. I'll often find myself unable to remember a particular Kanji when writing with my hand even though I would instantly recognize the Kanji if I saw it. I notice that my younger Japanese friends experience similar problems as well.

If you make an effort and immerse yourself you can learn any language to fluency. It just takes a lot of time and dedication.

I've been studying Japanese since about 1992 or so? I think. Junior High school. I studied Chinese in high school, but went to Japanese camp in the summer.

Anyway, it was a lot more about osmosis when you're that age rather than strategising/studying hard, etc. Probably most of what I learned up until college could have been done relatively quickly.

Ugh, I'm tired of japan...... :l

 

[YYZ]

Ok so I'm done the hiragana now.

Question about the Katakana. Do they just represent more sounds than hiragana? Why are there are some overlapping hiragana and katakana (same sounds)?

 

[Blackace]

Ok so I'm done the hiragana now.

Question about the Katakana. Do they just represent more sounds than hiragana? Why are there are some overlapping hiragana and katakana (same sounds)?

same sounds... exactly the same


Just for the most part when you see them it means "THIS WORD IS NOT JAPANESE!"

 

[Axalon]

Ok so I'm done the hiragana now.

Question about the Katakana. Do they just represent more sounds than hiragana? Why are there are some overlapping hiragana and katakana (same sounds)?

It's merely a different alphabet, roughly analogous to upper and lower case, in the sense that they're different symbols for the same sounds. Though, there are some extra little things you can do with them to make sounds that don't exist in Japanese. As stated above, they're mostly used for foreign names and loan words. Imagine an English word pronounced in a crippling Japanese accent, and that's katakana. :lol

The word it's based on can go from obvious to obfuscated. To illustrate:

ダウンロード - daunroudo - download
テレビ - terebi - television
ワープロ - waapuro - word processor

 

[bigmit3737]

Sorry for asking something that seems to be asked...but I am really confused as to how you guys type in Japanese.

I installed the Japanese Font, from my windows CD, so now I am able to at least see the characters....but how exactly would I type them?


Thank you

 

[YYZ]

oh I see, pretty clear difference then.

Next question, do I need to use Katakana to make a "ng" sound (like the common Vietnamese name)? I couldn't figure out how to make that sound using hiragana.

 

[Blackace]

It's merely a different alphabet, roughly analogous to upper and lower case, in the sense that they're different symbols for the same sounds. Though, there are some extra little things you can do with them to make sounds that don't exist in Japanese. As stated above, they're mostly used for foreign names and loan words. Imagine an English word pronounced in a crippling Japanese accent, and that's katakana. :lol

to be fair, you can do the exact samething in Hiragana. It is not like katakana can magically make new sounds

ぱあてぃ

パーティ

same sounds

 

[Hitokage]

In onomatopoeia though, katakana is for sharp, punctuated sounds while hiragana is for softer, continuous sounds.

 

[Manabanana]

... went to Japanese camp in the summer...

;O where? What if I know you...

Edit:

I see you mentioned Minneapolis last page, so I'm gonna assume you went to CLV. What year?

 

[Blackace]

In onomatopoeia though, katakana is for sharp, punctuated sounds while hiragana is for softer, continuous sounds.

That could be true. I noticed that hirakana is used when the sound word is based from a real Japanese word as well.

Also a lot of it these days is art, for manga and other writings..

 

[bigmit3737]

Katakana's

Shi and Tsu look identical!

The only difference is the the direction of the two 'drops' it seems.
One seems more downwards.

 

[Hitokage]

Katakana's

Shi and Tsu look identical!

The only difference is the the direction of the two 'drops' it seems.
One seems more downwards.

Tsu has the longer line run down and in a little while the line in shi runs across and up a little. Totally different!

 

[bigmit3737]

Tsu has the longer line run down and in a little while the line in shi runs across and up a little. Totally different!

Ahh, I see that now. Less of a curve with Shi.

 

[YYZ]

How are the hiragana and katakana for "so" anything alike? Heisig says that the the katakana form drops the final stroke, but they don't look anything alike as shown in the book. The hiragana looks like a 7 on top of a "te" and the katakana looks like a broken letter "y".

 

[Blackace]

How are the hiragana and katakana for "so" anything alike? Heisig says that the the katakana form drops the final stroke, but they don't look anything alike as shown in the book. The hiragana looks like a 7 on top of a "te" and the katakana looks like a broken letter "y".

not really supposed to look the same...

here is the chinese that Hiragana came from

and here is katakana

I just remembered the katakana and hiragana (not these crazy ass kanji list)... I didn't try to match them to each other

 

[Axalon]

to be fair, you can do the exact samething in Hiragana. It is not like katakana can magically make new sounds

ぱあてぃ

パーティ

same sounds

True, but it's not really done in practice, as far as I know. Then again, I don't "know very far".

 

[Zoe]

Katakana's

Shi and Tsu look identical!

The only difference is the the direction of the two 'drops' it seems.
One seems more downwards.

If you were to write it out with the proper stroke order, it would be easier to understand the difference. Same thing with ン and ソ.

 

[tnw]

;O where? What if I know you...

Edit:

I see you mentioned Minneapolis last page, so I'm gonna assume you went to CLV. What year?

Anata wa doko kara?

KITA

kita doko?

MO RI NOIKE MO RI NOIKE

anyway, I was at the white earth village (dent sucks, lol) between '92-'95

 

[Manabanana]

Anata wa doko kara?

KITA

kita doko?

MO RI NOIKE MO RI NOIKE

anyway, I was at the white earth village (dent sucks, lol) between '92-'95

:lol they still have the same cheer! You're way before my time, though. I was a 4-weeker in 2001, skip forward to this year and it's my sixth year on staff, and third year running the kitchen at Dent. Dent has gotten a lot of renovation. They got a completely new dining hall 5 years ago. Maybe you knew Masumi? He's dean second half this year.

 

[zoku88]

not really supposed to look the same...

here is the chinese that Hiragana came from



and here is katakana

I just remembered the katakana and hiragana (not these crazy ass kanji list)... I didn't try to match them to each other

Huh, I did notice some of those (like, the Ta on for katakana) but I didn't actually think it was from Chinese >.> I thought it was just a coincidence.

 

[Blackace]

Huh, I did notice some of those (like, the Ta on for katakana) but I didn't actually think it was from Chinese >.> I thought it was just a coincidence.

some coincidence huh?? :lol

 

[zoku88]

some coincidence huh?? :lol

SHH!!, if you only notice for one or two characters, it kinda makes sense>.> I mean, I'm sure the chances of making identical looking characters to some other language isn't that small... maybe... *cough* >.>

T_T

 

[Blackace]

SHH!!, if you only notice for one or two characters, it kinda makes sense>.> I mean, I'm sure the chances of making identical looking characters to some other language isn't that small... maybe... *cough* >.>

T_T

well English and Spanish!

Spoiler

trying to help you out here

 

[YYZ]

Is there a reason why the kana go:

sa si su se so
ta chi tsu te to
na ni nu ne no
ha hi fu he ho
ma mi mu me mo
ya yu yo
ra ri ru re ro
wa wo
n

? Chi and fu don't seem to fit. Is fu with the '' mark pronounced with a "b" sound or is that just for 'ha, hi, he, ho'?

Also, are the second part of diphthongs written smaller than normal? Same question for the double consonant indictator (tsu)?

 

[Zoe]

'fu' is just what 'hu' has evolved to. You may hear some older people still saying 'hu.' And yeah, it turns into 'bu.'

Also, are the second part of diphthongs written smaller than normal? Same question for the double consonant indictator (tsu)?

yes.

 

[Blackace]

Is there a reason why the kana go:

sa si su se so
ta chi tsu te to
na ni nu ne no
ha hi fu he ho
ma mi mu me mo
ya yu yo
ra ri ru re ro
wa wo
n

? Chi and fu don't seem to fit. Is fu with the '' mark pronounced with a "b" sound or is that just for 'ha, hi, he, ho'?

fu is really hu.

Chi can be written as ti if that makes you feel better..

just like you wrote shi as si..

 

[YYZ]

just like you wrote shi as si..

whoops

Well that doesn't make sense to pronounce "chi" as "ti" since they sound different. It would cause some confusion wouldn't it? Unless you were joking.

 

[zoku88]

fu is really hu.

Chi can be written as ti if that makes you feel better..

just like you wrote shi as si..

Yea, my book does ti and si and hu. Do ppl nowadays really say fu? I always say hu like in huibin T_T

well English and Spanish!

Spoiler

trying to help you out here

Thanks T_T

 

[Hitokage]

fu is really hu.

It's pretty subtle from what I can tell. It's a soft f that isn't made through teeth contact like ffffu.

 

[RevenantKioku]

It's pretty subtle from what I can tell. It's a soft f that isn't made through teeth contact like ffffu.

It took me a good minute to figure out what the yafuu website was. "/

 

[Blackace]

whoops

Well that doesn't make sense to pronounce "chi" as "ti" since they sound different. It would cause some confusion wouldn't it? Unless you were joking.

si doesn't sound like shi does it?

 

[Blackace]

It's pretty subtle from what I can tell. It's a soft f that isn't made through teeth contact like ffffu.

depends on the word more than anything

 

[Hitokage]

Don't try to force consonants to be wrongly consistent when romanizing unless you know how to read it. Besides, there's also sound changes for ん like せんぱい.

Blackace: Probably.

 

[sasimirobot]

fu/hu is most properly pronounced as if you are blowing out a candle.

oh no. not the chi/ti shi/si stuff again. might want to read a few pages back...

 

[YYZ]

Actually ti and chi sound similar depending on how you say it. They sound the same if you mix them up like "blowing out the candle" with fu/hu. I'll just go with the most recent revisions which seem to be shi, fu, and chi.

 

[sasimirobot]

well the point is that any romanzi system is just a arbitrary representation of the "real" Japanese sound.

It just seems some people get hung up on the fact that it doesn't matter how you write it using the Roman alphabet, you have to pair the symbols (in this case chi/ti) with the actual sound, for this you need a reference ie. Japanese teacher/audio.

If you show

fu
chi
tsu
ri

to any random person and ask them to pronounce it, and then compare that sound to the corresponding Japanese one, 9/10 would get it wrong.

The spelling has nothing to do with the sound, it is just a symbol that, because we are speaking of English as a first language, we have decided to try to match (albeit non-perfectly) to sounds that the symbols closely imitate as spelled, for the sake of ease of memorization.

 

[Blackace]

well the point is that any romanzi system is just a arbitrary representation of the "real" Japanese sound.

pretty much

 

[RevenantKioku]

Well, that's part of the reason why romaji is the goddamned devil.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Don't try to force consonants to be wrongly consistent when romanizing unless you know how to read it. Besides, there's also sound changes for ん like せんぱい.

Blackace: Probably.

I totally disagree with your sound change comment regarding ん when it's in the middle of a word.

I hate it when せんぱい is romanized as "Sempai", or なんば is romanized as "Namba". I don't know what's wrong with people's ears, but the ん does not turn into an "M" sound. It is most definitely pronounced as "Senpai" and "Nanba".

 

[RevenantKioku]

I totally hear it as 'sempai' and 'namba'.

 

[Blackace]

I totally disagree with your sound change comment regarding ん when it's in the middle of a word.

I hate it when せんぱい is romanized as "Sempai", or なんば is romanized as "Namba". I don't know what's wrong with people's ears, but the ん does not turn into an "M" sound. It is most definitely pronounced as "Senpai" and "Nanba".

senpai and sensei have a different stress on the n sound..

 

[Deleted member 17706]

senpai and sensei have a different stress on the n sound..

I really don't think they do. It's just that when a "P" or "B" comes after the "N" sound it makes it sound almost as if the "N" is actually an "M", but that doesn't mean people are saying it any different.