u/Suspicious-Toe-8193

I'm a foreigner, and I'm just interested in the British examination system; I don't intend to take any exams. However, there's a concept I can't understand no matter how many times I read about it.

I found a website explaining the British examination system in my native language, and it says, "University admission is determined (conditionally) before you actually take the A-Level exam."

I can't understand what it means for admission to be determined before taking the exam!

This sentence was written using a translation machine, so the meaning might not come across...

I've never taken university entrance exams in my home country, so I'm not confident this information is accurate, but in my home country, if there are three students—A who scored 70%, B who scored 60%, and C who scored 50%—and there are two spots available, then A and B would pass, and C would fail. That's the kind of exam I understand.

That's the only image I have, so the explanation that "admission is determined (conditionally) before taking the exam" doesn't make sense to me.

How can admission be determined before taking the exam?

ただのにっき。中国語の発音は難しいと聞いていたけど、英語よりかはだいぶ規則的な気がする。

英語だと、highやlightとか、bought 、through、thought、daughterみたいな単語は言うまでもないし、islandのsは発音しないとか、Let it goで、レリゴー！とか、I'm going toがI'm gonnaとか、書き言葉と発音が合わなすぎて頭抱えるけど、中国語はそういうの少ない気がする。

もちろん、学び始めて数ヶ月だから、知らないだけかもしれないけど。

でも、我是（wo shi）はいつでもwo shiで、英語のように、Iとamだから I'mみたいな省略の仕方はしない気がする。

そして、一番ありがたい（？）のはリズム

例えば英語なら、

1.Time to go! （3回手を叩く）

2.TIME t' GO!（手を叩くのは2回）

みたいに、toのような単語が、やたらと高速で発音されて、動画をスロー再生しても聞き取れないくらい、短くなる特徴がある。

そして、単語の塊が3つあるのに、手を叩くのはなぜか2回（たぶんtoが裏拍かどこかに入っている？）で、リズムパターンが難しすぎる。

そこが英語のカッコいいところで、魅力的なところなんだけどね。

そこがカッコいいから、英語の発音をマスターしたいんだけど、現実は難しいよね。

3.I want to go to the park.

になると、私は10拍くらい使って発音しちゃうけど、ネイティブは絶対、10拍も数えない気がするんです。

どこからどこまでを1拍として数えるのか？がわからなくてさ。

英語だとこういう悩みが頻繁に起こるけど、中国語の場合、そういう悩み自体、あまり起きない感じ。

英語って、「Let it be」「Check it out」「I'm lovin' it」みたいなフレーズって、音がつながって、ハッピーセットみたいに、3語1セットって感じがするんだよね。

単品では発音されない感じ？

チェック・イット・アウトじゃなくて、チェキラ！みたいな？

これを英語圏の人質問したら、全く理解してもらえなかったんだけど（汗）

でも、英語って、マジで音がつながるよね？

ここがカッコいい要素なんだけど、日本人には激ムズだと思う。

だから、中国語の発音の方が英語よりかは易しい（簡単とは言ってない）んじゃないかな？って話。

長崎は、日本でも有数のクリスチャンの聖地だった。

投下時刻は、1945年（昭和20年）8月9日、午前11時2分。

爆心地近くの浦上天主堂は、国内最大級のカトリック教会で、原爆が炸裂したのはまさに、日曜の11時、ミサの最中だったそうだ。

よりにもよって、である。

1945年 8月6日と8月9日。この日の出来事は、しつこいくらいに、言っていかなければならない出来事である。

必ず誰かが話題にしなければならない。そう思っている。

どう書いたらいいか？はわからないけど、考えるきっかけというか、忘れないようにしたいなと思って。今年で81年目。

Hello everyone. I'm a Japanese person studying Chinese.

I apologize for asking such a basic question, but I'd like to ask for your advice on the difference between the Chinese words "不 (bù)" and "没 (méi)".

I'm trying to understand the meaning of the characters through the lens of their Japanese equivalents, which is actually causing me confusion.

(I'm using a translation tool, so I apologize if the wording is inappropriate.)

Here's the image I currently have in my mind (or at least I think I have it organized):

1. Why do we say "不是" (bù shì) but not "没是" (méi shì)?

"是" (shì) has the image of an equality, like A = B, while "不" (bù) has the image of "not" in English.

Therefore, I think we use "不" when we want to negate something.

2. Why do we say "没有" (méi you) but not "不有" (bù you)?

In terms of the image of Japanese kanji, "有" (yù) means that something exists. "没" (méi) seems to refer to something sinking, disappearing, or coming to an end (like sunset, submersion, or a person dying), so I think we use "没" when expressing those things.

I feel like I understand it somewhat up to this point, but when I actually try to write sentences in Chinese, I suddenly get confused about how to use them correctly.

The concept of English tenses pops into my head, and it gets mixed up with Japanese grammar, making my mind all jumbled up.

For example, I've considered whether "没" refers to a situation beyond my control, like the setting sun, or whether "不" relates to "personal will or feelings," such as whether to eat or not, or whether to go or not. But when practice problems come up, I get confused about "which character to choose."

The textbook says:

A1「你不吃饭吗？」

B1「我吃」

A2「你吃饭了吗？」

B2「我还没吃吗」

That's how it's written.

I don't really understand the difference between "不" and "没". For example, A1 is like, "Don't you intend to eat (your intention, your will)?" so is "不" the correct word?

For A2, it's not about the other person's intention, but rather stating an objective fact, like, "Have you finished your meal?" so is "没" the correct word?

In short, is it a matter of choosing between feeling and fact?Does the tense not really matter that much?

Hello everyone.

I'm a non-English speaker, and I have a question about English pronunciation and spelling.

For example, what is the meaning of the "e" at the end of words like "table," "apple," "little," "future," and "picture"?

It seems like the "e" is written there even though it's not pronounced. Is there a reason, function, or rule for it?

Of course, I understand that "that's just how English is" and "it's difficult to answer such a question from a modern person."

But if it's not pronounced, why not just use "i," "u," or "a"?

Also, what is the meaning of the "gh" in words like "high," "light," "bought," "through," "thought," and "daughter"?

And one more thing, the "k" in "know," "knight," and "knife."

What are these mysterious letters that aren't pronounced but suddenly appear when you write them?

Hello everyone.

I've never played basketball even for fun, and I only watch games on TV maybe once or twice a year – I'm a complete novice.

But after watching the Olympics, I became interested in the differences between 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 basketball.

Not the difference in rules, but things like, what kind of tactics are likely to be more prevalent? What kind of players are more likely to excel?

For example, in a 100m sprint and a full marathon, even though both involve the action of "running," the required strength is different, right?

In a marathon, you might use the runner in front of you as a windbreak for part of the way, and then after 30km, you might sprint and accelerate all at once.

In a 100m sprint, once you reach top speed, you need the strength to maintain that speed rather than accelerating further.

I'm not an expert on running either, and what I've heard is just secondhand information, so I don't know if it's correct.

But I just enjoy thinking about these kinds of things.

I wonder if there are any differences in those kinds of things?

(This is translated using Google Translate. Apologies if the translation is inaccurate.)

I'm East Asian, and on a British subreddit, I said something like, "The British seem to respect the freedom of others. People in my country interfere with others, but the British seem to not care much about others and don't interfere," and "The British are surprisingly clear about their opinions and likes and dislikes."

I meant it as the highest praise, saying, "The British are wonderful people. They know how to maintain appropriate distance from others and don't unnecessarily interfere with them," and "It's a wonderful culture, unlike my country (people in my country don't speak their minds, which I thought was a flaw)."

I used to think that interfering in other people's lives was a bad thing. That's why I found it wonderful that some people don't interfere with others.

However, for some reason, it was taken as if I was criticizing the British, and I received quite a cold response.

I received reactions like, "We're known for being quite reserved in English-speaking countries (sounds quite angry)," "You've terribly misunderstood Britain. British people behave that way because they're polite (still sounds a bit angry)," and "If you like friendly people so much, you should go to America, or if you like arguing, you should go to Germany." I was really depressed by these responses.

I said it because I thought it was a positive trait of the British.

I was especially upset because I admired and loved Britain.

But I only realized this after I deleted the post. So there's nothing I can do about it now, but I wonder what the right thing to do would have been?

I meant it positively, so I never dreamed it would be taken as criticism.

And of all things, I thought, "Maybe they didn't understand?" and changed the wording and reposted it.

Then things got even worse…

Now that I think about it, maybe they thought I was being persistent in criticizing Britain?

I deleted the post, but now I imagine I'm known as "that mysterious East Asian who suddenly started criticizing Britain repeatedly," and I feel an irresistible urge to post again on that subreddit to make them understand, "No, that wasn't criticism." I managed to restrain myself, though.

I don't know what to do anymore.

ただの悲しみのにっき。

「イギリスが好きで色々知りたい」「自分の見つけた発見を共有したい！」という気持ちが強過ぎちゃって、聞きたいことを詰め込みまくった、超長文の、熱量ヤバめな文章を連投してしまった。

そしたら、「なんだコイツ！？」って思われちゃって。

イギリスは好きな国だったから、そこの国の人たちに嫌われちゃって、なんかもう、めっちゃ落ち込んでる

そりゃ、自分も悪かったと思う。

明らかに空気読めてなかったし、外国人がいきなり、「イギリスの文化はさ、私の母国と比べて、こんなところがあると思うんだよ」「でさ、私はコレとコレとコレも結構、関係してると思うんだ？どう思う？でさ…」みたいな感じでずーっと喋ってしまった。

でも別に、イギリス人やイギリスの文化をディスったとかじゃないんだよ。むしろ、肯定的な話をしたんだよ。だけどなんか、ディスったみたいな意味に取られてしまって、結構、バッシングされちゃった。

でも、やめられないんだよね。

頭の中で思いついたことを（オンライン上で）喋らずにはいられない病というか。

日本語を学んでも、あまりメリットないっていうか、アニメや漫画などが見られたら楽しい。みたいなことにしか使えない気がする。

英語みたいに、世界共通語になってるとか、中国語みたいにビジネスチャンスがあるみたいなメリットが皆無に思える。

日本学んでくれて、ありがとう。とは思うけど。

何をどうすればいいのか？よくわからないよね。

防ぎようがないよね。

どうして日本ばかり、プレートだのなんだのって、地形がややこしいんだろうか？悲しいね。

I have a question for everyone about "mutual understanding" between languages!

I recently realized something shocking.

I'm a Japanese speaker, and since Japanese also uses kanji, I can sometimes understand Chinese characters to a certain extent.

For example, when I look at a Chinese subreddit on Reddit, I can kind of guess that it's saying something like, "What are your reasons for studying Chinese? What are your thoughts on Chinese culture?" (I don't know if it's actually written that way, but I can make a rough prediction. I don't understand most Chinese characters.)

I used to think this was a cheat ability unique to Japanese people.

But then I realized something.

"Isn't the same thing happening between countries that use the alphabet!?"

For example, between English speakers and French, German, or Dutch speakers, isn't it possible that they can sometimes guess the meaning of a word even if the spelling is slightly different?

What do you think?

I made a post on a certain forum asking, "What are your impressions of music from my country?" and received several responses saying, "People in English-speaking countries don't listen to songs in languages ​​other than English." This made me think.

I had somewhat expected that, but the level of rejection was stronger than I imagined.

When I was a child, I only listened to music from my own country, and I understand the feeling of "I don't understand the lyrics of foreign music."

But somehow, I started listening to foreign music, and my aversion to foreign-language music disappeared.

I realized that this wasn't because I "understood the foreign language," but rather because I "became accustomed to the sounds of the foreign language and began to perceive it as a musical instrument, like a violin or guitar."

Until now, I'd thought this was because "I like English, so I listen to English songs," but I've come to think that it's more in the realm of "music" than "language learning."

So, here's my question:

Do you have a sense of perceiving foreign languages ​​as musical instruments?

I'm currently learning English, and one thing that has confused me is verb tenses.

Up until the point of distinguishing between the present tense and the present progressive tense, I simply considered it a difference from my native language.

However, when I encountered "had," I had the thought expressed in the title.

For example, a sentence like "When I arrived at the station, the train had already left."

As a non-native English speaker, since it's about the past, I feel like "was" would also make sense.

But the fact that "was" is incorrect and "had" is used gives me the impression that "English is strict about tenses." (Although, perhaps there are languages ​​with stricter tenses than English.)

I also have the impression that word order is strict. During my student days, I always struggled with word order questions on exams, secretly thinking, "It doesn't matter how you put the words, the meaning is clear, so it doesn't really matter."

Back then, I was a child, I hated studying, and I didn't know the concept that changing the word order in English can change the meaning.

Why do you think English is so strict about word order and tense?

I'd like to introduce some Japanese songs, but I'm wondering which artists would be popular in the UK?

I think the UK has one of the world's best music cultures, so I'd like to know what kind of music people there would like.

For example, songs like "Whatever" by Oasis have a style that's easily appealing to Japanese people.

It really hits home with the Japanese heart and sensibility.

It's strange, but I feel like there are certain songs and musicians that are more easily accepted in specific countries.

So, I'd like you to listen to some Japanese songs and let me know if there are any songs or artists that you think would be popular in the UK.

Let's put aside the practicalities like, "Songs not sung in English won't be popular in English-speaking countries," or "People in English-speaking countries aren't interested in Japan," or "There are so many great music artists in the UK that we don't need to listen to music from other countries." I know all that. (laughs)

1. Hitsujibungaku - "Koe（voice）＂This alternative band is a newcomer that has broken through in recent years. This song is the theme song for a drama about emergency medical dispatchers, and the lyrics were written specifically to match the drama.

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLQztkxCR0&ra=m

2. AKB48's "Koi Suru Fortune Cookie" is a song by a female idol group. This song was a huge hit. It became a topic of conversation for its dance, which resembles making rice balls.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dFf4AgBNR1E&pp=0gcJCWQCo7VqN5tD&ra=m

3. Asian Kung-Fu Generation - "Rewrite"

(The song is characterized by the chorus, "Erase it! Rewrite it!" The members were asked by Noel Gallagher at a music festival, "Can you guys do kung fu?" and when they answered no, he reportedly said, "What? (laughs) But that's a F***n cool band name.")

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cr8magEp0Ho&ra=m

4.Fujii Kaze - "Workin’ Hard"（A male singer-songwriter. He can write catchy songs, but he also has a somewhat calm and stylish image. He speaks in the Okayama dialect, and he's incredibly skilled at blending it with hip-hop and jazzy music.）

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=88wHgiUAKoI&ra=m

5. Hikaru Utada ＂First Love＂（a Japanese artist born in New York and currently residing in London. She has successfully incorporated the essence of R&B into Japanese, and accomplished this at the young age of 15.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o1sUaVJUeB0&ra=m

6.Mrs. Green Apple - "Lilac" (They dominated the Japanese hit charts the year before last and last year. Every song they released was a hit. The vocalist writes and composes almost all of their songs. It's no exaggeration to say they are currently the best-selling band in Japan.)https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QjrkrVmC-8M&ra=m

7. The brilliant green - "Cold Flower"

(They're a band that debuted in the 90s, influenced by British music, and I learned about Oasis and Britpop through them. They're like benefactors to me, the band that introduced me to British music. I'm not a native English speaker, so I don't know for sure, but the English in the chorus sounds a little negative (maybe intentional?), so I hesitated to introduce it, but the sound is similar to Oasis's "Don't Go Away," so I thought it might be easy for people in the UK to listen to.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XsV8SElEHkg&ra=m

8.Perfume - "Polyrhythm" (A fusion of technopop, idols, and dance. This song, released around 2008, was the catalyst for their breakthrough.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KbiSxunJatM&ra=m

9.ONE OK ROCK - "The Beginning" (A rock band that has enjoyed consistent popularity for nearly 10 years) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh9yZWeTmVM&ra=m

10.Aim to be a Pokémon Master (The theme song for the very first Pokémon anime series. Despite being for children, it features a serious performance using professional studio musicians. The guitar solo in the interlude, starting around 2 minutes and 25 seconds, is a highlight. The song is sung by the voice actor for Ash. Pikachu also participates. The CD sold 2 million copies in Japan alone. Of course, I bought one too.) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E_BsL8_cFnE&ra=m

11. Creepy Nuts - "Otonoke"

A hip-hop group known for their skillful rap. The opening, with its eerie yet addictive loop of words, is fascinating.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tRwHpyOq4P4&ra=m

おまけ

Morning Musume. (A song from 1999. Like One Direction, they were an idol group formed from those who failed auditions. They're famous for their producer's interesting musical taste, releasing quirky and slightly eccentric songs. This song is actually one of their more normal ones.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6A7j6eryPV4&ra=m

Japanese idol groups tend to lean towards comedy and release crazy songs, sometimes even surpassing bands in popularity and sales.

It's like British humour, which is difficult for people from other countries to understand. It's funny, but it's a concept that's hard to explain to people from other countries. I'd like to introduce it, but it's difficult to explain, so I haven't introduced it much this time.

(It's like a combination of comical, surreal, absurd, and cute—a top-quality kind of madness.)

There are probably many more songs and artists out there, but I don't know what will resonate with people in the UK, so I've made a selection that seems plausible, incorporating some of my personal tastes.

I heard this from an English learner:

"Native speakers don't reply 'Hello' when someone says 'Hello.' They tend to reply with something different, like 'Hi.'"

It's a small thing, but I found it kind of interesting.

Also, something I personally found interesting is that many people write "Thank you" at the end of their Reddit posts.

While that's a common practice in letters in my home country, not many people write it on online forums, so I wonder if it's a cultural thing in English-speaking countries?

Are there any other English native speaker customs like that that aren't written in textbooks?

I heard this online:

"My Thai is far below my English level; I can only speak basic Thai. However, I can communicate with Thais enjoyably. This is because many Thais are interested in Japan, and when I talk to them, I feel their energy—their desire to talk to Japanese people and learn more about Japan—which makes communication easy."

"On the other hand, in the UK, people interested in Japan are a minority. Therefore, even though my English is good enough to attend graduate school in the UK, I struggle to converse with British people."

"Basically, people in English-speaking countries don't lower their own English level to accommodate foreigners with low English proficiency."

"Not just in the UK, but generally, people in English-speaking countries think that if you're coming to an English-speaking country, you should naturally have some English skills. This isn't written in study abroad media aimed at Japanese people, but it's an important fact."

That's the kind of story it was.