ALCATRAZ und das Pergament des Todes

[Miyabi]

Oh yes in England. . . it was a different language that was Alchemist's . . . I can't remember offhand what it was though. :/  Hmm.

[neiana]

In HP the 'die' is the article for 'the'  and in Al the 'das' is that.

I prefer Japanese.  No articles to worry about. xP

Actually das, die und der können alle auf die gleiche Sache sich beziehen (there are three genders, you know), aber....

中文比日本文更好。

[Miyabi]

I'm surprised I understood your Chinese statement, if not for my knowledge of kanji I wouldn't have understood.  Whereas I don't know Chinese I could not argue the point with you.  However, of the languages I have learned and used, I like Japanese the best.

[neiana]

I don't like the fact that Japanese has three written scripts/alphabets and I like the fact that Chinese only has one.
I don't like the fact that Japanese (along with Korean) requires my entire language to reflect my relationship to who I am talking to.  I like the fact Mandarin is generally a formal language whereas Cantonese can be formal or informal (that's a WHOLE TWO, rather than six types of speech for Korean and at least three I've picked up in Japanese - if not more).

I like the fact that your understanding of Kanji really only means you know some Chinese, since Kanji ... is ... Chinese.

I also prefer the tones of Mandarin/Cantonese to the lazy sound of Japanese.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Six types for Korean? I only know four... pan mal, middle mal, high mal, and scripture/prayer mal. What else is there?

[Reaves]

I don't like the fact that Japanese has three written scripts/alphabets and I like the fact that Chinese only has one.
I don't like the fact that Japanese (along with Korean) requires my entire language to reflect my relationship to who I am talking to.  I like the fact Mandarin is generally a formal language whereas Cantonese can be formal or informal (that's a WHOLE TWO, rather than six types of speech for Korean and at least three I've picked up in Japanese - if not more).

I like the fact that your understanding of Kanji really only means you know some Chinese, since Kanji ... is ... Chinese.

I also prefer the tones of Mandarin/Cantonese to the lazy sound of Japanese.

But hey, Japanese wins out in favor of coolness. And I don't mean only the language 

[neiana]

Six types for Korean? I only know four... pan mal, middle mal, high mal, and scripture/prayer mal. What else is there?

Let me get my book... .... ...

HA it's not in here.  Let me see, I am not going to remember the names like you have mentioned, but here is what I recall:

intimate (for lovers, or possibly for parents to very young children)
family & very close friends
'normal' day to day speech with classmates and friends
formal speech when speaking to professors, teachers, upperclassmen, etc. (polite informal, actually, was what my prof. called it)
formal speech when speaking to people far higher superior than you such as a master or other authority figures ('polite formal' she said)
and the scripture/prayer

*tries to look once more*  The professor said we were only going to learn two (normal & polite informal) and that's all the book mentions.  I recall a sheet she handed out and identified the rest and how to use them.  She also frequently went on tangents regarding the differences between each and also at times their respective words in Japanese.

Ah, the book itself says it introduces the polite formal and the polite informal, but it says nothing of the rest.  I can try to find the paper with conjugation rules for the others, if you like?

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Sure, just curious for example verb endings of like one sample verb. My sister is better with Korean than me, and my three semesters of college Korean are pretty dang rusty.

[neiana]

The two that are in the book:

Based on the dictionary form of "to work":  일하다

"Polite Formal" would be 일합니다
"Polite Informal" would be 일하어요

The ones our prof. actually explained that aren't in the book:

"Plain" would be 일하 (with proper noun modifier)
"Intimate" would be  일하어

Then, since my notes aren't very well done, you also tack on either ㅡ시 or ㅡ으시 (vowel or consonant) to add an honorific.  *grumbles*  Then there's this humble form I wrote in English but can't decide if that's part of the honorific or what.

Anyway, those are the only things I can find in my notes.  I'm thinking you already know this and I am thinking of something else, perhaps.  Or the professor (talking a million miles a minute in four languages) went over something that I only copied in Korean without translating it. *blush*

[happyman]

Six types for Korean? I only know four... pan mal, middle mal, high mal, and scripture/prayer mal. What else is there?

Let me get my book... .... ...

HA it's not in here.  Let me see, I am not going to remember the names like you have mentioned, but here is what I recall:

intimate (for lovers, or possibly for parents to very young children)
family & very close friends
'normal' day to day speech with classmates and friends
formal speech when speaking to professors, teachers, upperclassmen, etc. (polite informal, actually, was what my prof. called it)
formal speech when speaking to people far higher superior than you such as a master or other authority figures ('polite formal' she said)
and the scripture/prayer

*tries to look once more*  The professor said we were only going to learn two (normal & polite informal) and that's all the book mentions.  I recall a sheet she handed out and identified the rest and how to use them.  She also frequently went on tangents regarding the differences between each and also at times their respective words in Japanese.

Ah, the book itself says it introduces the polite formal and the polite informal, but it says nothing of the rest.  I can try to find the paper with conjugation rules for the others, if you like?

Good grief.  How to the native speakers learn this stuff?

[neiana]

Good grief.  How to the native speakers learn this stuff?

I am not sure if this was meant to be sarcastic or what, but if you're really asking then it's really a lot easier than English.

In English you basically learn a completely different set of vocabulary - a whole sub language - to speak with your boss.  A different one for friends and a different one for family.  Also, there is the language for typing on the internet in a chat room and the language of writing on message boards.  Sometimes one of these will overlap another, sometimes it will not.  For a foreigner to learn the various formalities of English, I believe, it is very difficult when compared to the formalities in Korean & Japanese.

For Korean & Japanese it's pretty simple: change conjugation of the verb.  That's the only thing that needs to be done differently to indicate who you are talking to and the relationship between them.

If you want to start getting crazy, let's discuss words relating to various parts of the family in any east Asian language.

[Pink Bunkadoo]

Eh, it's all just verb endings.     The shorter the lazier.

If you want to start getting crazy, let's discuss words relating to various parts of the family in any east Asian language.

Oh holy cow.  Yep, that's where it gets nuts.  (ETA: I did a blog entry on this once.)

[firstRainbowRose]

If you want to start getting crazy, let's discuss words relating to various parts of the family in any east Asian language.

Oh, goodness yes!  I mean, I'm working on learning Japanese myself, and there's oba or obba.  One letter (depending on the source) can change it from aunt to grandma.  It's all insane.

[bhthomas]

I saw a show on PBS about Korea and they said that the only people that can learn to speak it fluently are Korean babies and Mormon missionaries. My brother went there on a mission and now he and his wife (who is Korean) teach their kids and they go in and out of Korean and English and no one can understand them but their parents. Its funny to listen to though.

[Pink Bunkadoo]

I would totally buy a copy of Alcatraz in Korean.     I started reading Harry Potter in Korean but gave it up in disgust on the train scene when Hermione introduced herself as "Hermy-own" and the bogey-flavored bean was rendered as "a very strange-tasting one."  Alas.