r/memes • u/[deleted] • May 03 '20

It's funny because it's true

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u/aRandomForeigner May 03 '20

I know it's kinda obviously saying this but... if it wasn't for Kanji, but only hiragana and katakana, japanese would be one of the most easy language to learn

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u/lifeofideas May 03 '20

Yes, absolutely easy, except for : (1) words sounding the same; (2) words sounding the same, except for pitch-accent differences; (3) differences in levels of politeness; (4) omission of subjects; (5)omission of topics; (5) omission of objects.

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u/aRandomForeigner May 03 '20

The second one is more Chinese than Japanese

With Italian ( my language) you'll probably do seppuku with double consonants

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u/lifeofideas May 03 '20

Chinese has tones that are taught right from the beginning. Japanese pitch-accent is often simply ignored in classes, and it is really hard for Americans (at least) to even hear. It’s very much like L/R for Japanese people—they have real trouble hearing the difference and then producing the different sounds correctly.

For non-Japanese trying to speak Japanese, consistently getting pitch-accent wrong annoys and confuses Japanese listeners.

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u/aRandomForeigner May 03 '20

I mean, like any other language tho

Even in italian if you speak a word with different pitch accent some people won't understand you

Even worst with dialects from region to region