New inventions and technological developments bring changes in our lifestyle, and thus bring changes in our language too. Here are some noun converted verbs that came into our vocabulary in the 20th century. The number in the parenthesis show the year first seen in usage as a verb
to taxi (1918)
to fax (1948)
to email (1982)
Prior to the usage of these verbs, the products were invented respectively. Modern taxicabs appeared in London in 1897, the first wireless 'radio' facsimile was invented in America in 1924, and emails were used by researchers in laboratories in 1960s.
A new product comes into the lifestyle and if there are no other existing verbs that describe its function, we easily turn the the noun to a verb and make our language more convenient.
Steven Pinker notes in "The Language Instinct"(1994) that one fifth of the verbs in English are derived from nouns.
...easy conversion of nouns to verbs has been part of English grammar for centuries; it is one of the processes that make English English."
He extensively gives examples of verbs which were originally nouns:
head a commitee, scalp the missionary, eye a babe, nose around the office, mouth the lyrics, gum the biscuit, begin teething, tongue each note on the flute, jaw at the referee, neck in the back seat, back a candidate, arm the militia, shoulder the burden, elbow your way in, hand him a toy, finger the culprit, knuckle under, thumb a ride, writs it into the net, belly up to the bar, stomach someone's complaint, rib your drinking buddies, knee the goalie, leg it across town, heel on command, foot the bill, toe the line.......
(I just admire Steven Pinker!)
Language is incessantly changing to reflect the world we live in.
2017年1月4日水曜日
2016年9月16日金曜日
"Shimijimi drinking, Shimijimily"
演歌 Enka is a Japanese pop ballad. A lot of them sing about love and lost love, looking back at the past in a nostalgic way.
One popular Enka called 舟歌 "Funauta" is translated and sung in English. It sings about a man drinking alone in a lonely bar near a port, fondly remembering the woman he loved in the past.
The translation of the lyric is very literal and not so refined, but I feel it sensitively tells the nostalgic feeling particularly often sung in Japanese Enka. There are three Japanese onomatopoeia words that are converted into English adverbs, and they do a hell of a good job in expressing this Japanese peculiar feel.
しみじみ (shimi jimi)
It means to do something from the heart, sometimes remembering the past with a little pain.
ほろほろ (horo horo)
It is usually used when describing the manner of crying, to sob quietly, shedding little tear.
ぽつぽつ (potsu potsu)
This is usually used when describing the manner of talking, like when usually quiet person talking about his or her past or feeling hesitantly, a bit by bit.
And these Japanese words are used as is with -ly suffix to make them adverbs.
①Shimijimi drinking, shimijimily
②Horo horo drinking, horo horoly
③Potsu potsu drinking, potsu potsuly
The man at the bar ①remembers the past with his lady with a little pain, ②sobbing a little, maybe ③talking to the bar master a little about the memory of his lost love.
If you are a non-Japanese and can grasp the feel of theses Japanese-born adjectives, Japan is no mystery to you any more.
I think these adjectives speak a lot about the feelings characteristic of Japan, and I wish that they, someday, will be new entries in the English dictionaries.
One popular Enka called 舟歌 "Funauta" is translated and sung in English. It sings about a man drinking alone in a lonely bar near a port, fondly remembering the woman he loved in the past.
The translation of the lyric is very literal and not so refined, but I feel it sensitively tells the nostalgic feeling particularly often sung in Japanese Enka. There are three Japanese onomatopoeia words that are converted into English adverbs, and they do a hell of a good job in expressing this Japanese peculiar feel.
しみじみ (shimi jimi)
It means to do something from the heart, sometimes remembering the past with a little pain.
ほろほろ (horo horo)
It is usually used when describing the manner of crying, to sob quietly, shedding little tear.
ぽつぽつ (potsu potsu)
This is usually used when describing the manner of talking, like when usually quiet person talking about his or her past or feeling hesitantly, a bit by bit.
And these Japanese words are used as is with -ly suffix to make them adverbs.
①Shimijimi drinking, shimijimily
②Horo horo drinking, horo horoly
③Potsu potsu drinking, potsu potsuly
The man at the bar ①remembers the past with his lady with a little pain, ②sobbing a little, maybe ③talking to the bar master a little about the memory of his lost love.
If you are a non-Japanese and can grasp the feel of theses Japanese-born adjectives, Japan is no mystery to you any more.
I think these adjectives speak a lot about the feelings characteristic of Japan, and I wish that they, someday, will be new entries in the English dictionaries.
2016年9月12日月曜日
Latte-ru
People like to go to Cafe. The following photo is interesting. The white phrase in the red frame "疲れたらラテってください" (Come and Latte when you are tired) might hint at how popular "latte" has become among Japanese. Why? Because "latte" is used as a verb "Latte-ru."
"Latte" is the word made by clipping or shortening "caffè latte," originally from Italy.
Then coming into Japanese, the noun here transforms into verb.
The shift is technically known as "conversion," the use of one part of speech as another.
Probably, Latte's intrusion into a verb form indicates the growing familiarity of the original word (hence Latte itself) among Japanese.
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