Going my way
One of my favorite words of Japanese is actually wasei eigo or “made-in-Japan English.” It’s the phrase “going my way,” and it refers to people who live life in their one way without being overly concerned with society all around them, free to ignore social rules as they choose. As with the (Japanese) word “my pace,” it’s used as a fixed phrase no matter what the subject is, which makes for some strange sentences like, “That person over there is really ‘going my way.’”
Another word that changes when imported into Japanese is “free.” While the term most often has to do with absense of cost in English, in Japanese it’s more about freedom of choice, so a “free ticket” here would be a ticket that let you go on any attraction rather than one that didn’t cost you anything. A shirt that says “free size” will supposedly fit anyone (although large gaijin like me know better), and when a Japanese person goes to sell something at a flea market, in his mind he’s really going to a “free market” where anything can be bought or sold freely.
Are you an “about” person? The Japanese use this English preposition as an adjective meaning vague or imprecise.
Messing up English can be fun!
Affirmative (to your question).
and to add something to those adjectives that you used..vague/imprecise
it’s more about being “craftily evasive”..
remora
May 9th, 2008 at 12:44 pmWhen I first came to Japan somebody at an enkai asked me, “Did you come in ‘my car’?” I didn’t know that “my car” was a fixed phrase implying the possessive and it really confused me because I thought that he of all people should have known that I didn’t ride to the party in his car.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:19 pmI like to invent my own Japanese words. Like
May 9th, 2008 at 4:23 pm“Ariga-dozo” a mix of Arigato and Dozo.
for closing on the last 8/9 days there have not bean any Engrish Posts
why not?
*robinora*
May 9th, 2008 at 4:24 pmOwn Japanese words?
How about “dozo-yozo”?
May 9th, 2008 at 4:28 pmMy wife tells me that I am an “about person” all the time!
May 9th, 2008 at 11:39 pmI’d say that the ‘free’ market is originally just a japanese pronunciation of flea. coz they also say ‘nomi no ichi’ - nomi being a flea.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:28 amWell, they also try to write it and invariably write “free” “flee” or “frea.” I don’t think I’ve once seen the correct version. Not that “correct” is important, since by the same token, we’re taking words from Japan and France and what not and making them “wrong” by changing the meanings and pronunciations.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:57 amI once had the term come up in a translation, and it took me quite a bit of time to convince the customer that the proper English is “flea market” rather than “free market.”
May 11th, 2008 at 10:37 amEdward, now that must have been an annoying conversation. He probably called his sister who married a Marine and studies English in San Diego to check up on you.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:49 amMost Japanese even don’t know what ” Nomi no ichi (Flea Market) ” means. They just know “ Free Market ” as the place where anything can be bought or sold freely.
May 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pm