Conversational Ebonics
Do you ever find stuff that's so weird that it makes you feel a little bit spaced-out for a while? Like a mini culture-shock? I do. It happened today.
I was browsing idly through the remainders shelf of WHSmith today in King's Lynn. For the uninitiated, WHSmith is a national chain of newsagents in the UK. They stock stationery, books, CDs and DVDs, but it's all very populist and very mainstream.
In short, not the sort of place you'd expect to find a book like this...
"OFF THE HOOK", a Dictionary of African American Slang. In Japanese. Being sold in the remainders section of a WHSmith a sleepy provicial Norfolk town.
The weirdness quotient was just too high, and the price (only £2!) was too low not to buy it. Plus it's author, Randall C. Miller Junior, looked cool!
I wasn't disappointed. In fact I think, per penny, it's one of the funniest books I've ever bought. I really wish I was Japanese, so I could use this book in anger. Just picture a Japanese tourist walking into a black neighborhood clutching this book. He'd start with the Greetings section of course...
Hmm, some genuinelly useful phrases there, I think you'll agree. But friendships aren't forged through greetings alone. We need to work on our relationships, so turning to the helpful "Relationships" section...
Great stuff! I think we're ready to work on our conversational skills. Helpfully, the book provides many examples of cosy chats between African American folks.
Once our Japanese cultural exchange student has surrounded himself with a few bitch ho's and is well on his way to being "down with the 'hood", things will inevitably turn to the matter of more intimate relationships. Again the book is there to help. There's a whole section on Sex..
"Once you go black, you never go back." Wow. One thing I'm not sure about is whether the text is telling you how to say the phrase, or just what it means. Perhaps a Japanese reader could to enlighten me?
That picture shows one of the many fine illustrations in the book. This one indicating that the handle end of a serving spoon is called an "apple pie peach cobbler."
Some small part of me is still worried that this is a wind-up that so sophisticated and subtle that I haven't got it. When I researched the book's publisher, Protea Publishing, it led me to their website...
and then things got really weird.
Turns out they're some kind of vanity publishing unit. They also do a line in family bible restoration, and will turn family portraits into oil paintings for you.
Really really badly.
Why is that little girl's hand so small? Why are those examples so shit? Why does that book exist?! Why was it in WHSmiths!?!? Is this all some kind of joke!??? What's going on?!!!?
I need a lie down.
I was browsing idly through the remainders shelf of WHSmith today in King's Lynn. For the uninitiated, WHSmith is a national chain of newsagents in the UK. They stock stationery, books, CDs and DVDs, but it's all very populist and very mainstream.
In short, not the sort of place you'd expect to find a book like this...
"OFF THE HOOK", a Dictionary of African American Slang. In Japanese. Being sold in the remainders section of a WHSmith a sleepy provicial Norfolk town.
The weirdness quotient was just too high, and the price (only £2!) was too low not to buy it. Plus it's author, Randall C. Miller Junior, looked cool!
I wasn't disappointed. In fact I think, per penny, it's one of the funniest books I've ever bought. I really wish I was Japanese, so I could use this book in anger. Just picture a Japanese tourist walking into a black neighborhood clutching this book. He'd start with the Greetings section of course...
Hmm, some genuinelly useful phrases there, I think you'll agree. But friendships aren't forged through greetings alone. We need to work on our relationships, so turning to the helpful "Relationships" section...
Great stuff! I think we're ready to work on our conversational skills. Helpfully, the book provides many examples of cosy chats between African American folks.
Once our Japanese cultural exchange student has surrounded himself with a few bitch ho's and is well on his way to being "down with the 'hood", things will inevitably turn to the matter of more intimate relationships. Again the book is there to help. There's a whole section on Sex..
"Once you go black, you never go back." Wow. One thing I'm not sure about is whether the text is telling you how to say the phrase, or just what it means. Perhaps a Japanese reader could to enlighten me?
That picture shows one of the many fine illustrations in the book. This one indicating that the handle end of a serving spoon is called an "apple pie peach cobbler."
Some small part of me is still worried that this is a wind-up that so sophisticated and subtle that I haven't got it. When I researched the book's publisher, Protea Publishing, it led me to their website...
and then things got really weird.
Turns out they're some kind of vanity publishing unit. They also do a line in family bible restoration, and will turn family portraits into oil paintings for you.
Really really badly.
Why is that little girl's hand so small? Why are those examples so shit? Why does that book exist?! Why was it in WHSmiths!?!? Is this all some kind of joke!??? What's going on?!!!?
I need a lie down.
Now I've read the explanation, it all makes perfect sense!!!
"over 300+ books with eye-catching covers and attractive text layout."
When I first saw that book it looked like a 10 year old had been let loose with Publisher. It reminded me of things my students used to make when they had to make a brochure in IT class.
And those paintings are very scary......
But I think this one deserves special mention, because it's got Comic Sans on the cover, and looks like it was drawn with a track-ball in MS Paint
And the book is unbelievable.
Can't get much worse. eh!
What's up? Anytin happenin at your crib?
I was going to blog about the other books on the site, but there's only so much freaky goodness one blog entry can take!
It is one of the funniest things I've read though!
Love that shit man.
私はそのたわごとの人を愛する
http://timworstall.typepad.com/timworstall/2006/03/britblog_roundu_2.html
love you becky!
genette
You may be interested to know that the Japanese language does borrow a few English words. For example, ”セックス” in the last image reads as "sekkusu", a phonetic approximation of the English word "sex"! Such loanwords are generally written in katakana, one of three character sets used in Japanese writing. In the sample conversation, the characters' names are also written in katakana: "トニー" = "tonii", "ジェレミー" = "jeremii", etc. Interestingly, a few Japanese words were written in katakana as well, which is puzzling -- perhaps this is purely stylistic? Perhaps a native Japanese speaker can enlighten us...
Clayton, I'll get the ISBN for you when I can!
English conversation is a huge industry in Japan and it seems like everyone wants to learn how to speak like a native...and that means study abroad in the US, Canada, Australia, U.K. or New Zealand.
Most can't afford the money or time do this so movies are a popular way to get a dose of native English listening practice. However, I've had a number of Japanese friends who study English (and can speak reasonably well) express frustration with not being able to catch the dialogue in movies, particulary "ebonics." Most love the way it sounds, but can't find any of the stuff in standard dictionaries.
Add to that that Black culture is extremely popular among youth and the under 40 crowd in Japan (that's a whole long post on it's own) and you've got a viable niche market for books like this. R&B, Hip-hop and Gospel music are huuuge in Japan and there are many young folks who aspire to spend some time living in New York (and preferrably spending time in Harlem). If you can say that you've been to the US to study dance or gospel or R&B singing, that carries a lot of weight back in Japan. So, you've got the money and time to go, but once you get to Harlem or the Bronx or {insert area with lots of Black folks}, what are you gonna do when nobody speaks the English you studied in textbooks or English Conversation schools back in Japan?
As Greg already mentioned, the translations into Japanese basically convey the meaning of the phrase(and in my opinion, are quite good). Of course, the nuances and meta-information a native-English speaker raised in the US would get if she were to hear these phrases get "lost in the translation," but to give full explanations for a Japanese reader would easily take a page per phrase, I'm sure (and I'm speaking from experience here).
To give you an idea of what the Japanese reader gets in the translation, here's a couple of examples from the book with the phrase, it's Japanese translation and my translation of that Japanese back into English:
You look like a biotch. = Omae no fuku, onna mitai da na. (Dansei-ni tai shite)= literal translation: Your {vulgar} clothes make you look like a woman.
or the phrase you were wondering about:
Once you Black, you never go back. = Ichi-do, Kokujin-to sekkusu-wo shitara, yami-tsuki-ni naru. (Kokujin-igai-no hito-to-wa, shinakunaru)=literal translation: If you have sex once with a Black person, you'll be hooked. (You will no longer do it with somebody who isn't Black)
The flavor gets lost, but the basic idea is still there.
Yeah, I'll agree, this is a pretty ghetto-ass book as far as production format goes, but the content looks to be pretty legit and I'd say perhaps even useful for more Japanese folks than you might think.
When I first moved to Japan, I needed a guide to help me understand Kansai-ben (the dialect of the Kansai-region). Kansai-ben is looked upon somewhat derisively by Tokyo-folks whose hyoujungo is considered "standard" Japanese. In fact, I had some Tokyo friends who thought it was so funny that I had such a book because to them, Kansai-ben is so "quaint." But it helped me to make it. Even though I tried to refrain from using Kansai-ben (because that opens up a whole can of worms in regards to crossing boundaries of group identity), people knew I understood it and thus could feel comfortable talking to me freely and in the language they were best able to convey their true feelings in.
For the average Japanese reader, yeah, this is probably not the best book to get for learning how to communicate in everyday conversation with white folks. But it does seem to do well what it sets out to do...and what's wrong with that? Ebonics is a rich and nuanced language that deserves a sub-dictionary of its own(and for those haters out there, who have any doubts about this, try reading the Notorious B.I.G. in standard English ).
One would assume that someone who is advanced enough to want to purchase a book like this would have the good sense not to casually attempt to drop these phrases (even in conversation with Black folks), right?
...
Well, maybe not. I hope there's a note in there to warn folks about that, though I imagine that the shock value would probably get a few laughs and perhaps help start some friendships.
All I know is, I gosta get me a copy of this book.
Hope that helps.
what were they thinking!?! who could possibly want a oil on canvas of an ergonomically deficient aryan demon child?
And where to start on the 300+ books they offer? I'd probably begin with 'Mardis Gras Eyes,' which looks to have been published twice; possibly due to the fact that day-glo feline seizures aren't a good idea for cover art.
after that i'd have to point out that an uncomfortably many of their books deal with death, christianity, or a combination of both.
NOT TO MENTION the fact that the book that alerted us to all of this is going to cause more racial tension than Rodney King beating, Apartheid, and The View combined.
http://tinyurl.com/rpwgo
There are other books by him as well, including "Fun, Fun, English"
it says what it means.
Also, it makes ya wonder..does anyone that can read katakana think it's a little odd the way his own name is written? Wouldn't you have written it "Ra N Da Ru" instead of "Ra N Daa"?
I had five Japanese roommates in America before I moved to Osaka, Japan, and one of my biggest challenges was translating Tupac lyrics to one of my best friends that loved his music. I still remember him asking me "What does 'my close road dogs' mean?" This book would have maybe saved me a few hours...
Kris was right when he said that there isnt a word for fuck, but he was wrong when he said there isnt a word for "shit". Shit is generally used exactly the same as the word 糞(kuso) and it is used seprately from words like 大便(dai-ben; feces) or うんち／うんこ(unchi/unko; poop/poopie).
Thanks for the post!
I really cant see how i managed to get this far not knowing any afro american slang!!! Im defo gonna try to drop 'thats my baby's father into a conversation at some point! That book is genius! I salute you for finding it!
A shame Amazon doesn't have it though, I want to see what the whole book's like.
Most Groovy!!
Much thanks,
Phydeaux
Oh, and I just HAVE to get that book!
trip master monkey's explaination was good
and i think this book is great, i am an "african american" female
who speaks japanese and from my experience trying to teach all
my japanese friends ebonics this book would have been a great
help.
I do feel sorry tho for the white people who are confused by a book
like this. It seems they feels as if only white american culture is the
valid culture and there is no need to learn anything other than that.
That a book on african american vernaculars must be a joke of some
sort. ex. saying that it is pseudo english! African American culture is
a valid and complete culture on its own not a psuedo of white culture
by any means (if anything white culture is a psuedo of black culture,
which whites have been stealing for centuries
--- its sad that many japanese realize this, but many
of our own white american neighbors have not.
people with your minds still closed....take a brief moment
to OPEN THEM
Erich Meatleg really sounds like he is trying to earn brownie points for knowing japanese when he wrote:
"I agree with trip master monkey on his translation of the "Once you go black, you never go back." with one small exception: the phrase 病みつき (yamitsuki) is more like "you will become addicted" as opposed to "you will be hooked"."
is there really a big difference in been hooked or addicted? not really you can be hooked or addicted to drugs therefore they are synonyms...stop trying to steal trip master monkey's glory
seems like one of those nerdy strange white guys that cant get laid by american girls so they devote their lives to japanese
and hopefully scoring over there with girls that cant recognize and american nerd when the see one. lol, i could be wrong
tho so dont get your おたく、あきば、アニメ underwear in a bunch aight.
Second, ざけんなよ (or more angrily ふざけんな-) doesnt mean "fuck", but it is pretty close to "fuck off". EX: if your tire blows out on your way to a date with a big booty hoe, you might say "FUCK!" but you be less likely to say "FUCK OFF!!" (unless you were shouting at the tire itself). ざけんなよ is used directionally shouted AT someone as an angry, imperative command.
http://www.solon.org/cgi-bin/j-e/FG=r/inline/dosearch?sDict=on&H=PS&L=J&T=zakennayo&WC=none&FG=r&BG=b&S=26&I=on&IK=on
It is not just a typical, temporal expletive. It also has zero to do with copulation, or fucking; far less to to with sex than the phrase "FUCK OFF". It actually comes from the phrase ふざけ(fuzakeru) which means playing or horsing around.http://www.solon.org/cgi-bin/j-e/FG=r/inline/dosearch?sDict=on&H=PS&L=J&T=fuzakeru&WC=none&FG=r&BG=b&S=26&I=on&IK=on
I agree with Just some girl when she said "African American culture is a valid and complete culture on its own not a psuedo of white culture by any means (if anything white culture is a psuedo of black culture, which whites have been stealing for centuries)" and actually help to promote Hip Hop culture in Japan. As for the other "seems like" comments... kiss my black ass homegurl, cause Homey don't play that shit! (^o^)b
lol
Alan, Kobe, Japan
I've worked in several books shops, and we often get landed with *very* random books that customers have ordered and then never turned up for.
For the most part, publishers will accept these books back to resell, but some won't, and so shops get lumbered with odd things like this..
Either that or one of their booksellers was on crack when seeing a publisher rep and decided that it was a good idea to have it in stock!
LairdofDarkness
Personally, I loved the book and got my very own copy!!
the best thing i ever saw in kings lynn was the bus station baby changing facility except that someone had removed the c on the sign for it to read baby hanging facility - pure class
I really hate to say it but, the slang in that book is outdated- if dated at all!
If you walk up to a black person, from the 'hood' or not, and speak to them that way you will probably
be instigating a fight.
Although we use ain't and trippin' everyday, if you see a black person working do not feel free to try out your new learned slang on them. 'Show me some love sista.' Fact is unless you're a rapper, or with your CLOSE friends that you feel comfortable with, slang is not used.
I absolutely hate when people come up to me and start saying crap I don't even understand because it's all wrong and you sound silly. I was at the grocery store and the checker tried to say- fo shizzle my nizzle, that's wassup.
WHAT!! I'm just trying to buy food for dinner sir..lol
I am happy that people are interested in our culture :)
thats the most racist thing i have ever heard, you sir are a racist!
http://www.buytolethomesuk.com/
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