Punk’s Reviews > Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar : A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Japanese > Status Update

Punk
Punk is on page 57 of 160
"a woman who looks like she might be someone's wife or mother"

Oh, and what does that look like?

Apparently in Japanese complete strangers will call you [a] "wife" or "mother" if you look like one, but adult men will only be called "uncle" or "grandfather."
Mar 15, 2022 08:52AM
Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar : A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Japanese

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Punk’s Previous Updates

Punk
Punk is on page 102 of 160
Example sentences that show uses for "suru" that involve having form, shape, sound, smell, etc, but turn into an uncomfortable found poem if you leave out a few:

That child has a healthy body, doesn't he?
It made a suspicious noise.
It tastes like strawberries.
It feels a little strange.
Apr 23, 2022 11:02AM
Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar : A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Japanese


Punk
Punk is on page 79 of 160
But why, book, would I want to turn a "true adjective" into a "quasi adjective"? Feels like a downgrade.
Apr 03, 2022 05:11PM
Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar : A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Japanese


Punk
Punk is on page 36 of 160
Some of these example sentences are unnecessarily ominous:

* I wanted you to eat the vegetables.

* He is about to phone the police.

* Let's push it up to the top of the hill.

* I ate dinner and don't remember what happened afterwards.
Feb 27, 2022 11:23AM
Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar : A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Japanese


Punk
Punk is on page 18 of 160
This book's whole attitude is like, "Okay, in order to land the plane," and I'm like, "But I don't know anything about planes!!" And it's all, "First select one of seven buttons."

I just have to keep reading and hope it eventually explains why I'm doing all of this.
Feb 15, 2022 07:33AM
Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar : A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Japanese


Punk
Punk is on page 9 of 160
Excited to learn Japanese only has two irregular verbs.

Less excited about the four levels of formality.

This book describes the "abrupt" level as "speaking 'down' to children, animals, and other social inferiors," which is both upsetting (we don't talk to people like they're dogs!) and hilarious (specifically identifying animals as "social inferiors").
Feb 10, 2022 10:04AM
Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar : A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Japanese


Comments Showing 1-4 of 4 (4 new)

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message 1: by Mauri (new)

Mauri Oh no no no - straight up calling someone 'wife' or 'mother' without knowing their status would be weird. Women get 'older sister', 'aunt', and 'grandmother', men get 'older brother', 'uncle', and 'grandfather'. (And there is much gnashing of teeth the first time some little kid calls you 'auntie/uncle' instead of 'older sister/brother'.)


Punk Oh thank god that's not true.

Did it used to be that you could call an unknown woman wife or mother or is this book straight up wrong?


message 3: by Mauri (new)

Mauri Wife, maybe? Very 1950s vibe to it. Mother, literally never heard that. Lots of husbands calling their wives "mother" and women who mainly know each other via their children using "Yoko's mother" or "Riku's mother", but there are so many other, better possibilities for strangers. Including my favorite: avoiding using any of them at all.


Punk All right, thanks for the knowledge. This book's on notice.


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