THE QUEER THINGS ABOUT JAPAN.

Evening Star, Issue 11606, 17 June 1902, Page 2

THE QUEER THINGS ABOUT JAPAN.

[Published by Special Arrangement.]

By DooQUkS Slakzk. Author of ‘The Japs at Home,’ ‘A Japanese Marriage,’ etc., etc. [Copyright.] VTII—ENGLISH AS SHE IS SPOKE IN JAPAN. The Chinese talk pidgin English, the Japanese talk pie-English—-like the,resurrection pies they used to have at schools of the scraps of the week. Browning would bo easier to translate into Japanese than any other English author—the, Japanese only speak in enigmas. I tried a Japanese guide. His name was shundo: and he came on a Sunday, and it was like playing at Robinson Crusoe, so wo called him Man-Sunday. He knew nothing about Tokia—but he knew English. He had acquired it helping an Englishman to learn Japanese out of Mr Chamberlain's book. Mr Chamberlain gave the literal English translation of Japanese phrases Man-Sunday preferred this to colloquial English; it was easier for him to understand. Mart Japanese speak English that way-most English speak Japanese with only verbs and substantives, though they don’t know that in theory Japanese consists of nothing else, that the postpositions which the Japs have instead of prepositions are really verbs—and that the words which pass as adverbs and adjectives arc really nothing of the kind. Man-Sunday used to say of Miss Aroostook, who was very pretty: “Very good countenance i?.’’ If he wanted to go and wash bis hands he said; “ Hands having washed will probably come.” When I hadn’t seen him for several days he saluted me with this* triumph learnt by heart from Chamberlain : “ That after, lengtldy honorable eyes in hang—not always augustly robust being,” which meant: ”It is some time since we last met; lam delighted to see you looking to well.” if he thought I looked ill he opened his conversation with : ‘'Bodily feelings bad?” And if ho considered it time for me to have a snack, he would say: ” Honorable inside become empty?” or Honorable throat has dried?’ “ Still plenty interval ” meant " There is no hurry.” He had one killing expression, when you asked him his opinion about an article —‘‘a little adoring - look”—which was only his way of saying: " Please let me see ” ; almost equalled by his polite way of asking you to sit down : “ A little honor-nbly-to-place-deign.” ” How shall probably do?” was his way of asking “Where we were going to,” and “ August trouble mister” meant "Thank you.” If he thought you had caught cold he said Wind have drawn?” and This by, plenty," meant " Enough.” One phrase he was always using I never could make head or tail of till he pointed it out in Chamberlain. This »»-for, what by eventuating is?” He meant “ What is this' made of?” Another favorite expression was “ Countenance isn t> which meant “You embarrass me.“ If I had been out with him alone he always said on leaving, “ All Messrs to please well, meaning “ Please, remember me to your partv.”” His way of saying “l am sorry ” was “Honorable poison of and^ be was always saying “So is.” “So iot t, meaning “Yes” or “No ami Time isn’t,” “Use isn’t," meaning There is no time’,” “There is no use.” He used to speak of a “ bull-ox ” and a “ cow-ox. But he wasn’t really funnier than any other Japanese trying to speak "ood book-learnt English. One of his specialties was changinn- the letters in words he found hard to pronounce, as the Chinese say “ gillmgeach for greengage. ' < 1 • ftiirc

I 'cannot remember his nhmonts iu lino becau-c he varied them, but llcv were in the stvle of the instances (looted bv Mr Chamberlain. Garasu for tf lass *• boko for “ fork." Iginra for • E.iglidi,” bnme for “come here," Kara for ""collar,” penshim for “ pencil,” rampa for “lamp," ramuno for “lemonade,” -diatsu for “ -hirt." /.cntorumen for " ueutlemen " Shundo’s conversation -was like that interview with the Japanese reporter in Sarah Jeanette Duncan’s ‘ Social Deportment ’: The reporter rive to the Duke of Westminster?” looking from one to the other of us. “We believe they cbd gasped Orthodocia, and unmedialelv looked out of the window again. I edged my chair towards the other window Then the cloven hoof appeared in the shape of a note book. He produced it with gentle ostentation, as one would a tramp card. % The simile is complete when I add that he took it from his sleeve. “How old is rady?” calmly, deliberately. “I—forget,” falsified the historian; “forty-five, I believe.” The reporter put it down. “Other rady, your friend —nor so old? Older? More pld?” “ I am twenty-two years of age.” said -Orthodom, gravely, with a reproachful glance at me, “and I weigh ten atone. Height, five feet eight indies. In shoes I am in the habit of wearing fives; in ■gloves, six and a-half.” Tho reporter .■nibbled convulswely. “Radies will study Ja panes** porryticks —please say.” “I beg ji.udou?” “Yes.” Fills another page. Orthodocia, suavely: “Are they produced h,r.-> to any extent?” “We have here many porryticks—ribarer, conservative, monarchist." “ You will acquire ranguage of Japan?” “ Not all of it, I think. It seems a little difficult, but musical—much more musical than your ugly English,” interposed Orthodocia. ‘Tes. Will you the story of your journey please say?” He came back the next day with a ropy of the paper, and read out this translation for the ladies to take down:— Yesterday,’ translated the reporter solemnly—l must copy the document, which does not give his indescribable pronunciation—‘ by Canada steamer radies arrived. The correspondent, who is me, wont to Urand Hotel, which the radios is. Radies is of f'anada, and in-the-time-before of England. Thry have a beautiful countenance.' . . . ‘Object of radies’ locomotion, to make beautiful their minds,’ Mbs llderI’ady answered, ‘ our objects is to observe habits, makings, and beings of the Japanese nation, end to examine how civilisation of England and America prevails among the nation. And other objects is to examine the art .and drawing and education from the exterior of the confectionary. In order to observe the customs of Japan we intend to ream a private house.”’ . . . “IJiss Younger - Rady - measuring - ten • stone-and-wcaring-six-shocs-and-a-half, continue, ‘The rai-road between the Montreal and Canada i< passing.”’ - - . ‘And if by the rairoad we emproy steamer, the commerce cl Montreal and Japan will prevail. Correspondent asked to Miss Younger-Rady may I heard tho stow of your caravansey?” . . . " She answered: ‘ From Montreal to Canada the distance is three thousand mires.”' .... “ 1 While we are passing ti’.e distance between Mount Rocky I had a great danger, for the snow over the mountain is falling down, and the rai-road shall be cut off. Therefore, by the snowshade, which is made by the tree, its falling was defend. Speaking finish. The radies is to took their caravansery attending among a few days. Radies has the liability of many news.’ ” It is iu advertisements that the Japanese shim. They are the Bacon’s Essays of Japanese English. Mr Chamberlain coliwie l some beautiful examples:— NOTIES. Ear moth is a very important organ for human life and countenance as you know; therefore when it is attack by disease or injury, artificial tooth is also very usefnl. I am engage to the Dentistry, aud I will make for your purpose. •»***•»* FRAGRANT KOZAN WINE. H health be not steady, heart is not active. Were heart active, the deeds may be done. Among the means to preserve health, the best way is to take in Koran wine which is sold by us, because it is to assist digestion and'increase blood. Thoeo_ who want the steady health should drink Koran wine. The wine is agreeable even to ♦!>-■ v

and children who can nett drink any spirit because H is sweet. On other worms, this pleases mouth, and therefore it is very convenient medicine for nourishing. *»*»** FUJI BEER. The efficacy of this Beer is to give the health and especially the strength for Stomach. The flavor »«$ sweet and simple that not injure for much drink- #' « » * ♦ * NOTlCE.—Yokohama Coolie Contracted Company, Limited. The object of the company is to evacuate an evil conducts of the coolies which have been practised during many years, while wo will reform their bad circumstances, and solicit, we hope, the patronage of the Public generally having already had the permission, of the Government for the institutions of the Company. As the object is the above, wo will open the works very quickly and kindly as we possible, without any measure more ' or less, the coolie being dressed in the same cloth and same hat as the sign. We should establish the branch offices in the important places for our Customers’ convenience, acd sometimes will send an officer as an examiner, in order to engage the works very more attentively. Now wo will write down the outline of the Business as following : One of the special businesses of this company was to send “ a accompanying Man in going and coming of funeral rite and Marriage ceremonies. ’ * * * * * The Japanese essayist is as good as the advertiser. THE CHARACTER OF THE ENGLISHMAN. . The England which occupied of the largest and greatest dominion which can rarely be. The Englishman works with a very powerful hands and the long legs and even the eminenced mind, his chin is as strong as decerved iron. He are not allowed it to escape if he did seized something. Being spread his dominion is dreadfully extensive so that his countryman boastfully say “ the sun are never sets on onr dominions.” The Testamony of English said that he that lost the common sense, he never any oenefit though he had gained the complete world. The English are cunning iustitutioned to establish a great empire of the Paradise. The Englishman always said to the another nation “ give me your land and I will give you my Testimony." So it is not a robbed but exchanged as the Englishman always confide the object to be pure and the order to be holy and they reproach him if any them are killed to death with the contender: of other men. (I shall continue the other time.) The writer of a recent novel_ made Japanese characters talk Chinese English. They would be just as likely to wear Chinese clothes. The Japanese is a professional imitator, though he imitates badly; the Chinese, who is a born imitator, only exercises his talent for others —nothing that is not purely Chinese is worthy to enter his private life. Finding the Japanese unable to pose successfully as European tailors and dressmakers, he carries on these businesses for Japan, stocks excellent materials, and reproduces exactly the models which are given him. But tor his own dress ho sticks to the pyjama fashions of his native land. Most Japanese men wear some article of European dress, bnt unless they bought it at an expensive European shop it is comically unlike its European original. Their English is like their clothes, but more ambitious and less successful. Not a word of it is based on the pidgin English they hear in ports and understand —that would be beneath the dignity of one pf the Great Powers. They are taught English in schools and by missionaries, but that does not content them. They like to take sporting expeditions into dictionaries and grammars and Shakespeare. Even Herbert Spencer has his pursuers. The English they use sounds like Japanese. Bulwer Lytton is their favorite author; he reminds them of their own curio-shop romances. The Japanese thinks out what he is going to say in his own language, and starts on it with a grammar and dictionary, like a schoolboy doing Latin prose. Before writing down the results he repeats them to himself, and writes them as he has pronounced them, not as he has found them in the dictionary. That is how he achieves penshini for pencil, sbatso for shirt, and zentorumen for gentlemen. Even the porter at our hotel in Yokohama, who spoke English quite fluently, put up notices such as:—

Notice. —Please wish to come to Hall whoever have change a black hat on writing table of upstairs in last night dinner time. Because that is keepin in Hall. The only time the Japanese use pidgin English is when they are talking to Chinese. There is nothing funnier than to hear tho inhabitants of the two great Eastern Empires conversing in a patois of a little island the width of the world away—unless it is to hear two Chinamen belonging to ports so little distant from each other sis Swatow and Canton talking pidgin English because they can’t understand each other’s Chinese. Pidgin English is a marvellous tongue. It is based on English, with “ee ” added to every word, and vowels put m between double letters too hard for Chinese tongues to get round. All “r’s” are pronounced “I’s.” I heard a pidgin English sermon once delivered by a French evangelist. He spoke of Christ as Ki-Ji-itsu, and described Him as “one pieces wellee good man—number one man-gone-up top side. This is a fair specimen r f pidgin English, bub that marvellous language is also full of words belonging to other lancmagcs, chi fly Portuguese, such as Compradore Cumsbaw, Mandarin, Amah. “No belong ptopper is much used because it means wrong. Some of the funniest Japanese comes of their being no “Yes” or "No” in Japanese. “ Is-so,” « Can-do,” " No-can-do,” “Can have,” “No-can-have,” are great Japanese expressions. “ Where go,” “What-do,” “ Suppose-rain,” are natural to people whose own language is supposed to have only verbs and substantives. If it wasn’t for honorica Japanese is just the kind of language I should like to learn. “Bring beer, pass mustard, give change,” is the way I usually speak a foreign language, but it is not the way a Japanese speaks any language. “ Honorably hav-ing-cause-tn-wait-truth in mutually-is-not-pure is the Japanese for “I do not know how to excuse myself for keeping you waiting.” How different from the pithy pidgin English of the Chinaman who calls the Japanese lie-Europeans. The result of learning their English from missionaries stamps ibelf upon their conversation. Mr Mayeda, my publisher's foieman, brought a dear little boy to say good-bye to us when we were leaving Japan to spend a couple of months in China. When we came back, I asked how he was. “ Ah! it is very fad; he has gone to hell. But the little boy ho has loved the stamp book so much that he has taken it to hell with him. It is on his grave, do you call it?” Mr Mayeda was a Christian. A few weeks after he came back one evening, very drunk. “What’s the matter?” I asked. ‘‘lt is very sad; my other little boy has gone to hell, too, and I am so poor, and I have to keep my wife’s uncles, and my lather is very silly, and so I get drunk every night. But it is no matter, because my wife will give me another.” One word about Japanese books. Our 'iteraturc must seem very inadequate to them. Our novels have so few volumes nowadays. One Japanese romance, tho ‘Tale of Eight Dogs,’ is in 106 volumes, and the man who wrote it, whose name was Bakin, vtrote 289 other books, though none of them were so popular. One wondets if they have public libraries in Japan, and how many copies they subscribe of a popular work, and whether you take out one volume at a time, or all. The librarian would probably keep the register in his head or by cutting notches in a stick. They have good memories in Japan. The shorter Japanese alphabet of--10,000 words is used in telegraph offices as well as in newspaper offices. “Books of the words” are issued to operators to refresh their memories, but I never met anybody who had seen an operator using one. -■J ire!!.!. ,'J J'_"L™ga»