Ok, Lemmy, let’s play a game!
Post how many languages in which you can count to ten, including your native language. If you like, provide which languages. I’m going to make a guess; after you’ve replied, come back and open the spoiler. If I’m right: upvote; if I’m wrong: downvote!
My guess, and my answer...
My guess is that it’s more than the number of languages you speak, read, and/or write.
Do you feel cheated because I didn’t pick a number? Vote how you want to, or don’t vote! I’m just interested in the count.
I can count to ten in five languages, but I only speak two. I can read a third, and I once was able to converse in a fourth, but have long since lost that skill. I know only some pick-up/borrow words from the 5th, including counting to 10.
- My native language is English
- I lived in Germany for a couple of years; because I never took classes, I can’t write in German, but I spoke fluently by the time I left.
- I studied French in college for three years; I can read French, but I’ve yet to meet a French person who can understand what I’m trying to say, and I have a hard time comprehending it.
- I taught myself Esperanto a couple of decades ago, and used to hang out in Esperanto chat rooms. I haven’t kept up.
- I can count to ten in Japanese because I took Aikido classes for a decade or so, and my instructor counted out loud in Japanese, and the various movements are numbered.
I can almost count to ten in Spanish, because I grew up in mid-California and there was a lot of Spanish thrown around. But French interferes, and I start in Spanish and find myself switching to French in the middle, so I’m not sure I could really do it.
Bonus question: do you ever do your counting in a non-native language, just to make it more interesting?
That’s fascinating! I mean, there are yakuza, so it’s not like someone telling you they’re a ninja. Although, there are probably technically ninja, too… but it anyone was going to tell you they were a gangster, it’d probably be an ex-gangster who wasn’t in hiding.
Anyway, cool story.
We learned “hai” in Aikido. I don’t remember hearing “osu” used. All my Japanese phrases are counting and related to training, but some are generally useful. When to use “arigato” vs “domi arigato”, vs “domo arigato gozaimashita” (escalations in politeness); “onegaishimas”. I doubt, learning it Nth-hand removed from an actual Japanese speaker, that my pronunciation is at all comprehensible. And I’ve forgotten so much :-(
I remember a few more terms and phrases…
But… ok so this may also sound ridiculous, but basically, when I speak in Japanese, I find my tone just naturally shifts to be lower, bassier.
I am decently good at singing in English, and am a baritone.
But when I just normally speak in English, its usually a bit higher pitched than the middle point of my singing range.
… But when I speak in Japanese, it is either at or lower than the middle point of my English singing range.
I do not do this intentionally and am not sure why… I do this, lol.
Maybe it is again trained into me from associating shouting out numbers and osu in Japanese with very intentional diapraghm/breathing control from Karate?
That’s really interesting, and your theory sounds good. All martial arts have their personalities; Aikido is very structured, but not loud; Wing Chin is very quiet, and more laid back; Jiu Justsu is pretty quiet, too, except for a lot of grunting. Karate is quite martial - it reminds me of being in the Army. I’ve never studied it, but one of my friends did, and I sat in on a couple of classes. There’s an awful lot of shouting.