I remember reading my friends-of-friends list...

[conuly]

And one of your (vuestra) friends had posted about how people shouldn't borrow words from other languages when there's a perfectly good word in English. For example (and this is the example given), one shouldn't say manga because comic works just as well. Except comic doesn't work as well. Comic is the broad term for that sort of thing. Manga describes a specific type of comic.

Of course, I didn't say that. I just pointed out that manga is really not a Japanese word, it's an English word, magazine, which the Japanese borrowed from us first. We're just taking it back :)

It's funny how language works, isn't it?


_{And anyway, if she really dislikes borrowings, I suggest she purge her speech of all words whose origins are in the Norman invasion. Don't say you eat beef, you're really eating cow. Not pork, pig. Rich people live in big houses, not mansions. And so on.}

(edit) Okay, so maybe I was wrong when etymologizing manga. The point about borrowings not being evil still stands.

Comments

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Except that 'manga' isn't a borrowing of an English word— it was coined by a 19th century artist, and it's written using kanji 漫画 meaning, literally, 'irresponsible pictures'.

Now 'anime', on the other hand, is a very obvious borrowing of a western word, so you can use that instead. :)

[conuly]

Aw, you're sure? Well, dangit, there goes a lovely example. I'll have to go smack the person who told me that now. *grumbles*

And I *could* use anime, but that wasn't the example she used!

[catsluvdmb.livejournal.com]

Yep. It's derived from kanji, though it actually means 'whimsical pictures.'

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the post you're posting about, but I've seen what might be the same argument in quite a few places. I think it could be more directed at the fangirlish trendy anime fan types. And those people drive me nuts with the shouting of 'Kawaii' and mispronuciation of chibi.

But I could be wrong.

[feathered.livejournal.com]

How *is* chibi pronounced? I'd think it'd be a pretty difficult word to mispronounce..

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

Cheebee. Like in cheese. That's the best example I can think up.

[feathered.livejournal.com]

That's what I always thought. Okay, now, how is it mispronounced? Chai-bai?

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I most commonly hear it mispronounced as chih-beh.

[meteorie.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I hate it when people pronounce it like that! There was this senior girl at school who confused me when she said her favorite character was Sailor ChibiChibi. She doesn't look like a trendy fangirlish type though, I always thought she was more of a "real" fan..

[xxrosencrantzxx.livejournal.com]

I'm not big on entomology, but whatever its origin I do agree with you that 'manga' has a totally different meaning than just plain 'comic.' It denotes a very specific type of comic, which has subsets of its own etc...

But, it's still different.

P.S. You friended me, I friended you back, and I am rather glad that I did. Your journal is quite entertaining. Might I ask wherever on the web you found me? Just for my mixed up files and all.

[conuly]

Etymology. Entemology has to do with insects.

I think I found you on mock_the_stupid. Fell in love with the icon, and I think that if you made it, you should wander over to book_icons and post it because everybody loves bunnicula. Unless you wanna keep it yours, that is.

And then I liked the journal proper, so I added you.

[xxrosencrantzxx.livejournal.com]

I knew I should have bothered to look up the 'e' word, but I was far too lazy. Alas, I have fallen afoul of a linguist!

As for the icon, I wish I had made it but I'm graphically-challenged, so I commanded one of my talented minions to make me a Bunnicula icon. By 'commanded' I mean asked nicely, and by 'minion' I mean friend.

It all worked out though.

[conuly]

Never offend a linguist. We have l337 dictionary skilz.

[takaal.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping "umbracula". There isn't a word for it in the English language; there are only descriptive phrases - cumbersome, cumbersome! I, personally, will keep using French, Spanish, Latin, German, Japanese and Korean words if they work better for what I'm trying to say to Audience X. I do try to keep 'audience' in mind when I write (less so when I speak; if I'm actually talking to you, the telepathicwhatsis will force you to understand me, right?).
It's language. It's supposed to be alive!

[conuly]

It's language. It's supposed to be alive!


That's what I keep saying. People have this idea that language change only happens in the distance. Weird, right?

[zarriq.livejournal.com]

Then I suppose she refers to her conscience as her "inwit", and remorse as "agenbite".

[conuly]

Inwit? I like it!

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Except that 'manga' isn't a borrowing of an English word— it was coined by a 19th century artist, and it's written using kanji 漫画 meaning, literally, 'irresponsible pictures'.

Now 'anime', on the other hand, is a very obvious borrowing of a western word, so you can use that instead. :)

[conuly]

Aw, you're sure? Well, dangit, there goes a lovely example. I'll have to go smack the person who told me that now. *grumbles*

And I *could* use anime, but that wasn't the example she used!

[catsluvdmb.livejournal.com]

Yep. It's derived from kanji, though it actually means 'whimsical pictures.'

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the post you're posting about, but I've seen what might be the same argument in quite a few places. I think it could be more directed at the fangirlish trendy anime fan types. And those people drive me nuts with the shouting of 'Kawaii' and mispronuciation of chibi.

But I could be wrong.

[feathered.livejournal.com]

How *is* chibi pronounced? I'd think it'd be a pretty difficult word to mispronounce..

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

Cheebee. Like in cheese. That's the best example I can think up.

[feathered.livejournal.com]

That's what I always thought. Okay, now, how is it mispronounced? Chai-bai?

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I most commonly hear it mispronounced as chih-beh.

[meteorie.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I hate it when people pronounce it like that! There was this senior girl at school who confused me when she said her favorite character was Sailor ChibiChibi. She doesn't look like a trendy fangirlish type though, I always thought she was more of a "real" fan..

[xxrosencrantzxx.livejournal.com]

I'm not big on entomology, but whatever its origin I do agree with you that 'manga' has a totally different meaning than just plain 'comic.' It denotes a very specific type of comic, which has subsets of its own etc...

But, it's still different.

P.S. You friended me, I friended you back, and I am rather glad that I did. Your journal is quite entertaining. Might I ask wherever on the web you found me? Just for my mixed up files and all.

[conuly]

Etymology. Entemology has to do with insects.

I think I found you on mock_the_stupid. Fell in love with the icon, and I think that if you made it, you should wander over to book_icons and post it because everybody loves bunnicula. Unless you wanna keep it yours, that is.

And then I liked the journal proper, so I added you.

[xxrosencrantzxx.livejournal.com]

I knew I should have bothered to look up the 'e' word, but I was far too lazy. Alas, I have fallen afoul of a linguist!

As for the icon, I wish I had made it but I'm graphically-challenged, so I commanded one of my talented minions to make me a Bunnicula icon. By 'commanded' I mean asked nicely, and by 'minion' I mean friend.

It all worked out though.

[conuly]

Never offend a linguist. We have l337 dictionary skilz.

[takaal.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping "umbracula". There isn't a word for it in the English language; there are only descriptive phrases - cumbersome, cumbersome! I, personally, will keep using French, Spanish, Latin, German, Japanese and Korean words if they work better for what I'm trying to say to Audience X. I do try to keep 'audience' in mind when I write (less so when I speak; if I'm actually talking to you, the telepathicwhatsis will force you to understand me, right?).
It's language. It's supposed to be alive!

[conuly]

It's language. It's supposed to be alive!


That's what I keep saying. People have this idea that language change only happens in the distance. Weird, right?

[zarriq.livejournal.com]

Then I suppose she refers to her conscience as her "inwit", and remorse as "agenbite".

[conuly]

Inwit? I like it!