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Strategies & Market Trends : Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wyätt Gwyön who wrote (5733)	5/6/2004 1:12:23 PM
From: RealMuLan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116555

Japanese-- Japanese language originated from China somewhere around 2000 years ago (a Chinese of Qin Dynasty made several trips from China to Japan by a small boat and brought the Chinese language, weaving technology... to Japan. I think now his tomb is still worshiped in Japan). Before WWII, 60%+ of Japanese were Chinese characters. I read old Japanese book and can understand most of them. After WWII, Japanese gov. tries to replace most of characters with its own, but I think there are still 20% or so Japanese are Chinese. Koreans language also have very strong Chinese influence, China is after all the oldest civilization in East Asia, although now only in pronunciation, not in written form. I don't know Koreans, but I can understand some when I listen. Japanese has "multiple ways to read a character" -- this is because Chinese is like that. >>in contrast, Chinese has just one reading (so i am told).<< Whoever told you this, is dead wrong. Plenty of Chinese characters are Duo Yin Zi (a character can be read a couple of ways, and thus has dif. meaning in each). >>i think the tonal system of Chinese must be especially challenging to those without experience in total languages.<< I guess you are right. I have some American friends who have learned 20+ years of Chinese, and have lived in China for quite a few years still cannot get hold of the four tones. And I have not met one single American can pronounce my name like Chinese do<g> >> educated Chinese makes use of a lot of proverbs, idioms, and sayings which are probably beyond the scope of all but the most dedicated of foreign learners<< That is true, plus difference among 200+ dialects, it is pretty complicated. And some of Americans have a Chinese language tutor who can only speak in local tone, or a few spent a lot of time and energy to learn to speak Cantonese without realizing that most of Chinese cannot understand it.