generic sentence

...and perhaps the world needs less nonsense-talking people like Chap 1.

Hi Chap1. I’m Saya from Japan. How do you do and how is the weather there?

By the way I’m interested in your prediction about future Japan. We have another big island, Kyushuu, along with Honshuu and Hokkaido. What will be its future in your view? Do you know we Japanese have already learned some kind of Mandarin at school? As English has taken in many words of Latin origin, we use many words of Chinese origin. Those words are written in characters common to Chinese or Mandarin. So we Japanese and Chinese can communicate to a considerable extent if we write down what we want to say. Your view is really interesting. But it happens to come true, I’ll assure you, every regions of the world except the United States would belong to the Republic of China, and you would have to learn twenty thousand characters of Mandarin even if you are a US citizen. Do you like that sort of future?

Saya

Wingyellow and Guofei Ma

I understand what Wingyellow said. I heard decades ago fluent English speakers in some companies of Japan were treated with faint disdain as a “language specialist”. But the situation has been considerably improved. Now it is said English fluency is a requirement for promotion in almost all the companies in Japan. So even people of 40s or 50s in age are trying to learn English.

As for another issue Wingyellow raised, that one should have a local network of human relations in Asian countries, I have to admit that it is also true in Japan. That kind of network is said to be convenient especially in finding a good job and this is the main reason why brightest high school students choose the way of studying in Japanese universities instead of going abroad to study. Such a social custom would be a factor　discouraging Japanese high school students from acquiring practical English.

Saya

<I'll repost the previous message because it is messed up with some strange chars. I am sorry for it>

Wingyellow and Guofei Ma

I understand what Wingyellow said. I heard decades ago fluent English speakers in some companies of Japan were treated with faint disdain as a “language specialist”. But the situation has been considerably improved. Now it is said English fluency is a requirement for promotion in almost all the companies in Japan. So even people of 40s or 50s in age are trying to learn English.

As for another issue Wingyellow raised, that one should have a local network of human relations in Asian countries, I have to admit that it is also true in Japan. That kind of network is said to be convenient especially in finding a good job and this is the main reason why brightest high school students choose the way of studying in Japanese universities instead of going abroad to study. Such a social custom would be a factor discouraging Japanese high school students from acquiring practical English.

Saya

But even now China is not a united country. It takes at least two generations and a war to make Taiwan become really a province. It is a pie in the sky to conquer Japan!

And I don't want a war! My baby will be due in this month. I want him to have a future. Because of him, I suddenly care about my accent so much.

Saya, most Chinese people have certain difficulty in how to treat Japanese. I don't have any Japanese friend, but if Saya doesn't mind, I want to be friends with you. Are you a boy?

Greetings to all:

I think Saya is far too polite even to those (i.e. Chap 1) who maliciously try to make a mocking ground out of this forum. Well, in my opinion, there are too many of those people here and since some of them have targeted me in another discussion topic, I had better leave this forum for good. After all, I have been spending too much time here and school is about to begin.

I'll leave you with my favourite Christmas carol...

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

P.S.
Congratulations on your baby boy and good luck in your accent improvement, Wingyellow.
Best wishes for your English studies, Saya.

Wingyellow, Hi! How are you today? I never would have guessed you would be mother soon. Congratulation! I think your baby will have an easy delivery. But ... I am wondering why you can know the baby is a boy before birth. I think doctors don’t say it in Japan if they know the gender of the baby to be born.

I can understand what you meant. I myself feel some difficulty in treating some Japanese because they are too shy. I know a little about the history of the relation between China and Japan, especially the events of half a century ago by that Japanese militants put hardships on Chinese people. It is my regret that the late emperor has passed away without saying a clear apology for it.

Am I a boy? Regrettably yes! If you don’t mind it, I think we can be friends.

Saya

Hi Guofei Ma

Thank you a lot. I hope you will succeed in your study. Hope to talk with you again sometime.

Wingyellow

I have learned "pie in the sky" through your message. It is a phrase new to me. I think it means "beyond one's reach". We have a similar phrase in Japanese, <takane no hana> that is literally "flowers in un-climbable mountains".

Have a nice day!

saya,

I am a man, a father, not a mother.
I know it is a boy by sonography. Doctors in HK tell people the gender of babies.

I want to post my Japanese accent for you to assess.

Hi wingyellow,

Congratulations on your baby boy! You are very young, can't imagine you're going to be a father. Most HK people will get marry at their 30 and have baby in their late 30.

I'm a mom of 16 months baby boy. Have you started to think about how to educate your baby? Will you send him to international school? I have asked Guofei Ma on ESF.

Hi saya,

I'm from Hong Kong. I have to travel to Tokyo quite often, only for business. I was there in March and planning to go there in coming months. I have 2 persons working for me (my company), they don't speak fluent English, I was very tired to talk to them in English but I'm too old to learn Japanese.

I will not send my boy to International School. It is not worth it. And I am not rich. Remember, English is just a small part in our lives.

1. Chinese people or other asians will be discriminated in western countries to certain extent. Unless if they are the best of the best, they can hardly climb to the top over there even if they speak exactly as a native speaker of English.

2. It is also difficult for anyone to survive in Hong Kong or China without a network. If you think your boy can build it while studying at an Int school, that's great. But I doubt it, because people living around a western culture for too long do not know how to deal with the oriental culture.

3. If his English is good enough to communicate, that is enough.

4. If I have to choose, I would rather send him to a Japanese Int school, because I can teach him English. Thought he may have an accent speaking English, he will be understood and understand other people.

5. No offense but I notice you have quite a lot of grammatical mistakes. I think you should study harder for your son, just like what I am doing now. Guofei Ma's dad can speak English. Your son's English has more to do with you couple than the school.

wingyellow,

I have told you that my written English is very bad, I never study hard in my life! I usually communicate with US colleagues, working partners or clients by emails but I use very simple English in order to avoid making mistake.

I have tried to improve my written English for years. I have no problem in reading (I only read English books) but don't understand why can't I use them in my own writing, any tips? Or, because I'm getting old.... I once carry a mini notepad to write down the new words or phrases I have learned but after few days, I forgot everything.

I am studying very hard because of my son, I go to library every Saturday to look for English books.

Not sure if the supermemo is good or not, I have visited the site but don't really understand how it works.

The best way to learn is to have someone to poke at your face and laugh at you every time you make a mistake. Don't listen to "it's okay," "it's understandable," "it's just a small mistake," or "native speakers make the same mistake." If you don't mind, I can be that someone.

You miss out articles. I doubt if you will automatically add them back in your spoken English. So your spoken English may be just as bad.

1. use periods, also known as fullstops in HK, at the end of a complete sentence.

2. do not use inversion when you are reporting a question.

3. after "once", use past tense.

4. you totally mix up "few" and "a few". "A few" is closer to "many", while "few" is closer to "none". You should have said "after a few days."