Weird linguistic crossover is weird.

[oloriel]

Dear self,

It's nice you finally got yourself arsed into preparing those stupid Tengwar karuta. It's nice you managed to make up sample sentences and are now slowly converting them into Quenya, even if they're really primitive sentences and you have to look all the word forms up. No, seriously, Quenya is good brainjogging and all that. At the end of this, you might even remember the cases. Or something.

However, please bear in mind that Quenya doesn't have a causative-passive verb form. (Or even a proper passive form, to the best of our material: All you can do is that "to be [enter participle here]" crap we do in the Germanic languages. There is not even a bloody pluperfect, come to think of it. FAIL.) No, there is no point in bringing Quenya verbs into the a-form (although there is an a-form) and then cheerfully adding -rareru or what have you. Sorry, but "Andoss' epë Angamandova Ŋolofinwë Moringottó mahtaseraremashita" just doesn't work. In fact, I doubt you should do all those subject/object clusters, leaving the verbs for the very end of sentences. Even though it feels like the natural thing to do. Why are you doing this to me?!

Similarly, there is no potential form. Nor can you link sentences and add a causal or antithetic flavour by adding things like "kedo", "kara", "no de", "no ni" or the like. Even if there were words, the probability that you put them somewhere you'd put them in English or German is WAY higher than the probability of them belonging in the Japanese position. And just because some words have a locative case in -de, that doesn't mean you can afterwards switch the language.

Sheesh.
6 years of being unable to absorb the Japanese language, and NOW suddenly it seems like the only natural and reasonable way of structuring sentences. (So this is what they mean by the assimilative nature of the Japanese language...)

One language at a time, 'k, brain?

Bemusedly amused,
Lyra

- - -

(Though seriously a Quenya causative, causative-passive or potential verb form would be awesome. I mean, it's exactly the kind of thing Quenya seems to have gone for, generally, what with fourty case options per noun*, and it's a bloody pity Tolkien didn't know any Japanese. Quenya/Japanese: A match made in heaven.

Or in the brain of a very, very, very insane linguist.)


*if you include the dual, partitive plural and plural forms

Comments

[chili-das-schaf.livejournal.com]

*... slowly backs away*

[barbardin.livejournal.com]

Vielleicht können wir die Bestie mit einem Blasrohr-Distanzschuss aufhalten? Nur betäuben, versteht sich.
Entweder das, oder wir bewerfen sie mit Buchstabennudeln!

[chili-das-schaf.livejournal.com]

*aluminiumhut aufsetz* Vielleicht hilft auch ein Thesaurus, ich hab noch irgendwo einen wilden an der Leine.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

... <3

[barbardin.livejournal.com]

*gasp* Ist der geimpft?
*Nudelsieb aufsetz* Sicherheit geht vor!
;)

[naurring.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry but... *giggles* The same problem with French here. A simple word, like Portemonnaie, which *is* even German, and I instantly switch to French. But doing it with Japanese sounds a lot of more problematic. :P With French people understand me at least sometimes.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

... das erinnert mich an diese eine Szene in "Bored of the Rings", wo das Tentakelmonster im Teich vor Moria ein Thesaurus war. Das war ziemlich cool (später wird das Buch dann schwachsinnig, aber da hatte es noch einen gewissen Stil). "Zerqueeeetschen! ... Malmen! Stampfen! Zerdrücken! Zerstören!"

... ich mach's nicht besser, oder?

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Oh nein! Sie haben eine Superwaffe, die meine Superkräfte zerstört! BUCHSTABENNUDELN!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

My Japanese interferes with my French, but fortunately it rarely ever pops up in my German (or English). I did do a lot of code-switching just after my return from Canada, though - stupid things like "cool" or an English movie title and I'd cross from German to English without further notice...

The Japanese/ French thing is really embarrassing though. I recently had a French lady sitting next to me on the train (I knew she was French or at least francophone because she was bitching at her husband, who was sitting across the aisle, in French), and when the train had reached my station I wanted to say "Excuse me, can you please let me out?" in French, and I began: "Sumimasen...." and only realised my mistake when she looked at me in confusion. *facepalms*

Tricky beasts, languages.

[chili-das-schaf.livejournal.com]

In Munchkin gibt's auch den Thesaurus Rex, ich glaub der hat Level 20.

[barbardin.livejournal.com]

Das gleiche Problem hatte ich mal motorisch. Ja, motorisch. Ich spiele seit ca 16 Jahren Blockflöte. Irgendwann in der 7. Klasse habe ich dann angefangen, Tippen zu lernen und etwa zur gleichen Zeit begann ich mit meinem Gitarrenunterricht. Wenn ich dann ein "A" tippen oder spielen wollte, hat meine linke Hand manchmal ganz seltsame, verwirrte Sachen gemacht.
Das Problem existiert also nicht nur im Sprachlichen. Wohl eher so ein generelles Gehirnding.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Oh, ein ähnliches Problem hab ich momentan mit der Blockflöte - ich hab ja jahrelang Klavier gespielt. Nun ist beim Klavier normalerweise die LINKE Hand für die tiefen Töne da und die RECHTE Hand für die hohen. Einfach von der Tastenbelegung her. Nun ist das bei der Blockflöte ja größtenteils --- genau andersrum. Und da ich hauptsächlich nach Gehör spiele, greife ich, wenn ich nicht aufpasse, genau in die falsche Richtung. *augenroll*
Da sieht man mal, wie tief so was am Ende abgespeichert wird!