For any Japanese students [english phrases, japanese songs?]

[Trident]

One of the things I've noticed as I've been watching anime is that there tend to be a lot of random English phrases. This happens a lot in the themes in particular--the first opening to Inu Yasha, for example, starts out "I want to change the world" and later has another english phrase ("Change my mind")--the rest of the song I think is Japanese. Scrapped Princess' intro has a lot of random English words as well (they'll randomly say something like "change" instead of using the Japanese word). This doesn't seem to be as frequent in the anime itself, though it still happens--characters will say "thank you" instead of "arrigato" (I'm pretty sure that's the Japanese word) or maybe say "love" instead of whatever the Japanese word is. The question is, why do they do that? Do they just not have a good Japanese word for, say, love? In music I can see it as possibly being a musical issue--they need words which will fit the beat. Is there any linguistic reason for these changes?

[J-0080]

It's because the fansubbing group put their voices in at random places so that you are forced to hear them.

[HeartbreakerByZep]

A lot of english words *are* Japanese words. Semi-similarly to how "anime" is an english word now, which it is. But other than that, it's true that a lot of characters (Pegasus from Yugioh) and songs (plenty of things have an entirely english op or end) do use a lot of relatively random english. It's probably just to cause a certain affect.

[Moonlight Soldier]

I remember reading in one of my many sailor moon books that Naoko Takeuchi added in the English words to her poem "Moonlight Densetsu" (which acts as the theme song) as a stylistic element.

[DJ_Izumi]

all Japanese have been taught the same English-language course, which consists of reading The Canterbury Tales, watching several episodes of M*A*S*H, and reading the English dictionary from cover to cover. Armed with this extensive language knowledge, the children of Japan emerge from school ready to take part in international business and affairs, uttering such remarkable and memorable sentences as "You have no chance to survive make your time", and adding to their own products by inscribing english slogans, such as "Just give this a Paul. It may be the Paul of your life" on the side of a slot machine.

'Nuff said.

[J-0080]

haha M*A*S*H episodes

[Nestorath69]

From what I know, The nihonjin learn amerikango via an english format. the formal english they still yammer over there in the british Isles, rather than the garbage pail kids' version from amerikanjin.

Where's the 'L'? it sounds like 'R'.

[DJ_Izumi]

The J apanese alphabets have no provisions for 'L' sounds. o.o;

[Scintilla]

One of the things I've noticed as I've been watching anime is that there tend to be a lot of random English phrases. This happens a lot in the themes in particular--the first opening to Inu Yasha, for example, starts out "I want to change the world" and later has another english phrase ("Change my mind")--the rest of the song I think is Japanese.

You forgot that each chorus ends with "It's wonderland".

Let's see, what else? The Slayers people are guilty of throwing into their songs: "Far away", "Get along, try again", "Here we go", "Give a reason for life", "It's all right", and probably plenty of others I never noticed.

The entire chorus to "Little Busters" by the pillows ("With the kids sing out the future (which someone who submitted lyrics to www.amiright.com misheard as "We're the dipsticks of the future")...") is in English; same thing with "I Think I Can" (which line is all the chorus consists of anyway). And of course, there's also "Ride on shooting star" (which, as you can see <a href="http://www.amiright.com/misheard/artist ... l">here</a>, is often misheard as "Why don't you p*** off?").

The very annoying opening theme to Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna starts out with "Searching for new world" (the Japanese aren't very good about articles sometimes, are they?), and the first GTO opener has something like "Crash! Into the rolling morning/ Flash! I'm in the coolest driver's high"...

And then Fushigi Yuugi's opener has a "Wo ai ni" in it, but I suppose that doesn't really count, considering it's not English...

From what I know, The nihonjin learn amerikango via an english format.

It's "eigo", not "amerikango".

Where's the 'L'? it sounds like 'R'.

The Japanese "r" is actually somewhere between "l" and "r", and in loanwords, it's used for both. My Japanese professor, Nakamura-sensei, told us that the stereotype that Japanese people have trouble telling the difference between the L and R sounds in English is generally true.

[Jonathan02us]

Yeah, i've noticed that too. Both Love Hina and Ah! my goddess theme songs have a little bit of english in them. I think its great, i just love how they sound when they are sining in japanese then all of a sudden, english, then back to japanese. It is very entertaining, i guess it adds a bit more meaning to the song. The english words in these theme songs are not no ordinary words, they are specific and is thematical, meaning that they go along with the theme and emphisized it. I mean look at AMG, on of the theme songs, i forgot which on, i think it was the ending songs of the regular episodes, one part says "My heart ...*then goes back to japanese*" its sort of like a subliminal message to the viewer which causes the viewer to get sucked in more into the anime series. Well that wat i think they are there, and thats my two cents for the night.