How many lingua franca do I know about?

How many lingua franca do I know about?

I took part in a community's Christian fellowship today.
A lecturer made a speech but it had a lot of religious words and he alternated between English and his mother language, so it was hard for me to understand. I couldn't concentrate on it for very long because he was alternating between the languages too quickly.
And then, the concept of lingua franca came to my mind and I thought about it because the Bible might have played a significant role in the formation some linguae francae .
How many linguae francae do I know about?
Aramaic, which was used in ancient Middle East.
Classic Chinese, which was used in East Asia.
Latin, which was used in ancient Europe.
French, which was used in the world before English flourished.
And English, which is virtually a lingua franca in the world these days.
I wonder if  which language would become the next lingua franca. Linguae francae can be replaced. It's been proven by history.

In regards to linguae francae, I heard an interesting story from a Chinese person.

It's known that Chinese has many dialects and that the big difference between them. Speakers from one dialect don't understand speakers from another dialect.

Anyways, the Chinese man said he learned Hakkanese for business. It makes it easy to communicate with Hakkanese business people across the world. From this point of view, I think that just because many people speak a certain language, it doesn't  mean that the language could be a lingua franca. The key is business. I guess if certain area's diasporas have a great influence on the business people in each country, the area's language would become a lingua franca.

(next day)
I thought about lingua franca again on my way home from 'archery tag.' It's really exciting, I recommend you play it.

I imagined that each area's people had a each language in the primitive age when people had no letters, no agriculture, and no livestock.
Why did linguae francae form?  I suppose people began to interact with other area's people as technology progressed. People invented agriculture, letters, transportation and more. They must have had difficulty communicating with other language speakers. The difficulty caused to form lingua franca. If so, I can say almost all languages were a kind of lingua franca(in a narrow sense) at some point in time. The languages that exist at the moment have been selected and have defeated others for the past tens of thousands years.

I think you who have read above may be aware of an interesting thing. The formation of linguae francae is opposite to the myth of Babel. Human beings have forgotten that age when we spoke a myriad of different languages, myriad of dead languages, afterward people wonder why we have hundreds of languages.

Thank you,

 Lawnis, 正, Sef

Instagram makes photos look better

Does Instagram make photos look better?

This is the first time I've ever used Instagram.

I'm surprised because my common photos look sophisticated on Instagram.

I don't know why they look much better than they look on my iPhone.

Does cropping square make them better?

Thanks

 Lawnis

 aneell

The differences in murder between Japan and the US

<The differences in murder between Japan and the US.>

I wrote it on Lang-8 comments, but It's a good chance for me, I'll post it here.

I'll talk about the type of murder in Japan and the US.

In general, the type of murder in Japan is similar to the US. Intentional murder and unintentional murder are separate.

The former is called 殺人, the latter called 過失致死. 

殺人 include 'murder' and ' voluntary manslaughter '. 過失致死 is similar to involuntary manslaughter.

In addition, there is 傷害致死 that is to kill a person as a result of injury but without  the intent to kill. 傷害致死 is similar to voluntary manslaughter.

Their main difference is the way to separate 'manslaughter'.

US law separates voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter by intention, like the intent to kill or not.

Japan law separates 過失致死 and 傷害致死 by the victim's injury, like if the defendant hurt victim or not.

Thanks,

illuzio571

Voluntary manslaughter

I learned an unfamiliar word "homicide" and other related words.

"homicide" includes "murder" and "manslaughter", the word has broad meaning.

"murder" is used generally, means to murder intentionally.

"manslaughter" means to kill a person unintentionally. In addition, manslaughter is divided into "voluntary manslaughter" and "involuntary manslaughter". In the case of voluntary manslaughter, the defendant didn't want to kill someone but wanted to threaten or hurt them. Whereas in involuntary manslaughter, the defendant didn't intend to kill, threaten, or hurt anyone. It's completely unintentional.

Moreover, there is a phrase "attempted murder". The word refers to the case where a person wanted to kill someone but failed  to kill them. (victim survived)

The way to divide of murder is slightly different from the way in Japan, so it's complicated.

Actually, when I saw the word "voluntary manslaughter", I guessed it meant the person is pleased to kill others, like a serial killer". There was a huge difference.

Thanks, Acid-and-anime and Kio

Contemporary dance in Toronto

"Germinal", contemporary play that I saw at Harbourfront center was so remarkable that I booked another one "Badke", which will be held at Harbourfront center as well.

These are a series of contemporary play or dance events that is called "World Stage".

According to the center's brochure, they invite contemporary works from across the world in this events. The next one, Bedke is from Belgium and Palestine. I didn't check the information last time, so I didn't realize that performance was a play and not dance till the play started.

Now I checked the brochure so I know this event is certainly dance!

It's based on Arabic social folk dance. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Thanks,Tashi

Nagisa Nite on the Beach

A melody from a Japanese song just came to mind.
It's called "Nagisa no Watashi" by "Nagisa Nite". The band is named after the famous movie. It used to be the song 10 years ago but I still remember the lyrics.

(lyrics)
I'll abandon the exhausted horse and go on board a sinking ship.
I saw the dream like that and then it's going to come true.
I don't know what will happen after the sight I saw.
I don't know, and I know what will happen.

ああ　疲れ果てた　馬をみすてて　沈みかけた　船にのるの
そんな夢の通りになるの　そこから先のことはもう
分からないの　分かってるの

I was humming the song for a while.
The lyrics sounds like a fantastic movie and  feels like a bit lonely.

Thanks,正

Public security here and there

I think Canada is a definitely safe country.

In my experience, the people are very polite. For example, I left my water bottle on TTC, but I was able to get it back from the service counter at a station immediately afterwards. I visited Cambodia and The Philippines 3 months ago,  and I feel much more comfortable here.

However, I realize it's a little worse than Japan's situation occasionally.

For example, my host family told me that if I hear the house bell ringing, I shouldn't answer it could be a robber pretending to be a salesperson or other trustworthy person.

Japanese public security is quite good, and it's sometimes said to be the best, but it has become worse in the past 20 years. I think it entirely depend on the area, but when I was child, we never used a lock on the front door during the day. I wonder if my parents used to lock the front door at night. I can't remember. At that time, locked doors meant the entire family went on a trip.

The first time I locked the door was in junior high school. It was Saturday, no one was home, but I got into house through another unlocked door. Nowadays I lock the door before I go to bed.

Thanks, garlogan

Why does my toy-car not work? Baby solved.

The child looked at her car in wonder. The car's horn was supposed to make some sound, but recently, her car wasn't sounding when she pushed its horn.

She turned her car over and looked at the bottom and said one word.

"Battery."

At first, her parents doubted if it would work again if they replace batteries because the other sound functions worked properly. But she claimed it continuously and pulled her dad's hand, so she had her car's battery replaced at last.

Then, surprisingly, the horn began to work again.

Sometimes things that we consider to be a rational decision doesn't reflect truth. The reason is that our observation and thinking are more limited than we expect. Therefore, people who think of themselves as rational are overtaken by people who are reckless now and then.

I wanted to write about a cute smart baby, but I don't know why I got off track.

I visited Niagara Falls

I visited Niagara Falls.
While approaching the great falls, the water splashes. It looked as if it was raining. That means it rains all year round near the falls, I think.
The temperature was far below 0 degrees celsius, so the frozen spray stuck on everything. It looked like ice sculptures. The spray on my jacket also froze in just a few minutes. I realized rain was more terrible than snow if the temperature is below the freezing point.
But the illuminated falls was really magnificent! It was entirely different from the image of falls in Japan, which is generally in the mountains and people looking up at it.

Another library in Toronto

I dropped by the library near Pepe station on the way home from the moving.

It seemed small but was larger than it looked from the outside. It was neat, I liked several modern drawings on the wall. There was a small section on art and design. However, standing in front of the shelves, I found the collection quite good.

I sighed and thought to myself that I wish I could read English freely. But It's obvious that I wouldn't read even if I could read English absolutely, because I hardly read these kind of things in Japanese libraries .

I saw a waist-high shelf that had few comics and I noticed a manga on the top of the shelf. The manga was the special one for me. I took a photo of it.

When most manga is published in North America, their book design is likely to be changed. But this book is the very same. 

I respect the decision, because the cover perfectly depicts its content. A lady walking along the banks of the river and looking up at the sunset clouds. The lady also take off her shoes. There is Japan, 70 years ago.

Thank you for the correction, Machinewashableonly, Madox, Mariel and Mushroom

Germiral at Harbor center

I saw "Germiral", contemporary play at Harbor center. I'm excited!

I didn't know anything about this play, actually I thought it was contemporary dance, rather than a play.

However, it was amazing, and marvelous. it's based on comedy, surreal and linguistics! Maybe a confusing linguistics, I think.

I've never known such a play that is intelligent and hilarious at the same time.

I can't explain it at all. For example, fist of all there were four actors on the stage and they didn't know language. While playing they obtain some words by using a strange controller led to the first explosive laugh in the theater. In the middle of the play, an actor found and hooked up the speaker under the ground with a rope and firmly hoisted it, the speaker literally broke through the floor and come up. That was really cool. I felt the acquisition of music by human being.

As I said earlier I am unable to describe it but I would highly recommend you to watch it.

It's being held on from Jan 20-23.

Thanks, San

Derek German

I've mistaken Derek Jarman for a German person all my life.

It's obvious in English. When it is written in Japanese, they sound exactly same.

Are there any famous people in foreign countries who are thought to be Japanese?

I heard European people can hardly tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese and Korean names. For me, Chinese and Korean names are a bit similar. It's like Spanish names and Portuguese names. However, the difference between Japanese names and their names is clearly distinguishable, similar to the difference between English names and Indian ones. 

Pomegranates

I love pomegranates, but they are a rare fruit in Japan.

I don't think ordinary super markets have pomegranates.

It seems like it comes from western Asia.

Because of the shape and its blood-like color, the fruit has symbolized prolificity in many culture.

You will find pomegranates have a unique structure when you open the fruit. You will also realize why this fruit symbolizes fertility.

In Greece mythology, I don't know why Persephone had to stay the underworld for having pomegranates. She had a fatality? Try not to have fruits from the underworld, even if you are starved.

Speaking of pomegranates, it reminds me of " The Color of Pomegranates". No movie has been more fantastic than that movie in my life.

Thankys, Brokensound

Moving to another neighbourhood

I'm moving to Warden this week.

I have quite a lot of stuff in my current room, but I'll be able to bring it all in 2 trips.

(I got stuck how to say "2往復したら運べる")

I have much more stuff than when I arrived here, so I bought a suitcase in Chinatown.

The storekeeper said only a few Japanese come to the store. He could speak Japanese a bit, though. I think he should put up a signboard in Japanese.

Everyone has a Dishwasher?

Am I only one who thinks about why dishwashers are not common in Japan?
They looks very helpful.
Nowadays Roomba, an automatic vacuum cleaner has become a big hit in Japan. Everybody tends to avoid doing housework recently. I wonder why dishwashers have not become more popular.
What prevents it from becoming popular? I think construction fees and the size of houses are major problems.
Actually, has it been quite popular already in Japan? Maybe only I don't know how popular the machine is.

I thought like that when I observed the inside of a dishwasher today.
"How does it works? Oh, this blade can be rotated. Ah, water spray comes from this blade while spinning. It appears it uses a lot of water, maybe someone can make it more effective." I said myself.

Thanks フィフィ, Vermilion

TTC(subway in Toronto) and question practice

I always have a hard time with asking and understanding questions, so I'd like to practice some.

The article is about TTC, transportation in Toronto.

I like the delightful TTC subway but quite a few Canadian don't like the transportation. They told me that the subway is not reliable and accurate, and the lines are too few. Certainly, considering the population and development of Toronto that 2.6million people live, just four lines looks a little inadequate. Some people might be unsatisfied.

I'm curious to know something specific: Who runs TTC, in other words, who is responsible for? What prevent from their expanding? I've heard that they have plans to expand their lines and they've never accomplished the plan. What do you think of the main problem? budget, company operating, laws, or purchase of a site for subway?

Sometimes land acquisition becomes big problem, because subway is usually constructed underneath city center where land prices are much more expensive. To avoid them, Tokyo enforced a law which the government can construct subway without paying providing the construction is carried out down to 40m below.

It's interesting to think what the problem is.

However, I think TTC is better than the people say.

but...

Even though they offer card pass, why do they provide only 2 or 3 card reader per one ticket gate?

Question practice, about animation

I always have hard time with asking and understanding questions (interrogative?), so I'd like to practice some.

This time, the theme is about animation.
Are Hayao Miyazaki's animated films well known in Canada? If so, are they known for being Miyazaki's films or Ghibli movies?
Have all of the Ghibli movies been released? For example, Gedo Senki(Tales from Earthsea) that has a bad  reputation and was not directed by Miyazaki while GHIBLIES episode2―I really like it ―is a short film. I love the depiction of a spicy curry lunch and the pleasant moving backgrounds in the bicycle-riding scene.
Most Ghibli works are set in various ages of Japan, so how do people who have never been to Japan feel when watching the movies?  I think maybe they have something that can't be comprehended. Similarly,  I sometimes see characters in American comics do things that don't make sense.
I'm curious to know who is the second famous Japanese animated film director. Otomo? Kon? Oshii? Takahata?
Come to think of it, Kirikou and a few other French animated films were introduced and released by Ghibli. What is European animation perceived in North America? I guess not much European animation has been introduced to Japan.

Thanks ,煖湲

What letters is it? Cyrillic?

I borrowed various countries music from the Toronto Public Library again.

It's really helpful to be able to borrow traditional music CDs that no shop sells in Japan, for free.

The CD I borrowed is Russian, but its printed letters don't seem to be Cyrillic or in the Latin alphabet. The letters seem to be hieroglyphic, i.e ., they represent objects by its shapes.

They looks like Dongba symbols. (Have you ever heard of Dongba symbols, which are used by an ethnic minority who is living in remote area of China? The interesting thing about the letters is not only they are hieroglyphics, but also that they are the only letters whose meaning changes depending on the color.)

However, on second thought, it appears to be a deformed alphabet. It's possible to be that they are made-up letters.

Thank you, Madox, qoppa.

Name of the band on the tip of your tongue

It's on the tip of my tongue. in Japanese, we say "喉まで出かかる" which refers to something in the throat.
When I heard "Strawberry Fields Forever"'s Mellotron tone from somewhere, it reminded me of a progressive rock I've ever listened to.
The name of the band came to my mind, but I couldn't remember it perfectly. It was on the tip of my tongue.
I thought to myself : "The name, like progressive rock bands, sounds long and strange...  It has a lot of 'M's, and it starts with the letter 'T'. Yeah, come to think of it, it's an Italian band! They style is cool; they played shred guitar and used an irregular meter over and over again. I think that a part of the name sounds like Japanese."
I remembered some other unnecessary information, but I couldn't think of the name for 10 minutes. So, finally I gave in and checked the artists list on my iPod.
It took several minutes because, in fact, the name of the band started with 'S'.
Moreover, the band was from Sweden, not Italy.
The band was Samla Mammas Manna! Phew!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDKRBrE5h4g

Thanks イアン,Braden

Gone but Not Forgotten

"In Loving Memory" and, "Gone but Not Forgotten", they are common messages on tombstones.

I see a vast cemetery through the window from commuting train every day.

Today, I took a walk in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

That was the first time I have been to a cemetery in a foreign country.

There was an enormous numbers of tombstones. Even walking a little from the road, the cemetery was very quiet.

There were some squirrels on the remaining snow.

Don't they sleep during winter?

Many tombstones were so old, it seemed they were for people who lived around here in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

They lived during the time when Monet, Rousseau, Van Gogh and others lived. 

They might have known these historical giants as current people. Whereas I only know them in paintings or books. 

I saw a tombstones of a man that was born in Europe and died in Canada. I imagined his life from his epitaph that he immigrated after WW1 and worked in Canada, and went through WW2 in his 50s.

I can't know what his life was like, but I think it is one of the history of people in Canada. 

Generally, it's hard to imagine an individual's history but I somewhat felt it. It was a meaningful place.

(Please don't mention I visited kind of place in TGIF.)

Thanks Artemiss,Treisan

The first translated book in Japan (Ryotaku Maeno)

I admire Ryotaku Maeno. He was a doctor and scholar in the Edo period, which is the 18th century.

The most well known of his achievement is the translation of a Dutch anatomy book. He and his comrades started to translate the book written in Dutch with almost no reference material.

At that time, there were no one who can speak Dutch. There were few other Dutch books, and most important thing, no Dutch dictionaries. There were no other European language dictionaries in Japan.

Despite the hostile environment, they decided to do that because they were moved by how advanced European science was and strongly realized that they and Japan had to learn the latest information in the world.

No wonder, the translation was the hardest task. Can you imagine translating without a dictionary? No one knows the meaning of almost all the words. Their work was like translating, while making a dictionary by imagination and inspection. The essential clue was anatomy illustrations in the book but they lacked knowledge of anatomy.  Dissection was prohibited in the 18th century so they had to ask for permission to dissect which took a long time.

One of his comrades said that the work seemed as if they voyaged across ocean in a boat without paddles.

The work was the first translated book from a European language to Japanese.

Thinking about his work, I feel my trouble to learn English is much smaller.

Thanks, Pixxer, Madox.

In Chinatown, I guessed what the Chinese meal was.

I went to Chinatown and had a light meal.

I ordered 密汁叉焼飯 from the menu.

it only cost $3.95.

I guessed that it was fried rice because "焼" means to burn, to grill, and to fry and "飯" means rice. Also, I thought it was fried rice with jelly-like sweet sauce. I was pretty confident with my thought but they brought roast pork with sauce on the white rice.

What was roasted was the pork, not the rice!

I misunderstood the context of the word. I never would have thought that "焼" wasn't in reference "飯".

However, the meal was pretty good!

Thanks, Ian.

I borrowed Russian CD

The library in Toronto has really many CDs. There are pop, rock, classical and even various countries' traditional music, such as Hindi, Persian, Russian, and Serbian.

I'm not familiar of those but I just borrowed them. How great the library was.

After that, when I was importing these CDs to iTunes I noticed a booklet of the Russian CD was written completely in Russian. I means it had no English.

What was worse, iTunes' Gracenote Madia Database didn't have the title of the songs.

I'm a type of parson who wants to input the proper title on every imported song, so it was a problem.

(What do you call this kind of parson in English?)

Like this situation, I usually search information of CD on the internet but I couldn't read and type the name of the albums, songs or anything else which was written in Cyrillic.

Finally, I found a Cyrillic web-keyboard and typed its title of the song by just following the booklet.

What I feel deeply is that if I hadn't known the alphabet, learning English would have been really hard. Thanks to Japanese educational system.

Thanks, Kieth.