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> They sometimes modify their English pronunciation to sound "more Japanese" when they start English classes in school I saw a video where an American was tryi
by RandallBrown 2y ago
> They sometimes modify their English pronunciation to sound "more Japanese" when they start English classes in school
I saw a video where an American was trying to order a McFlurry at McDonalds in Japan and the worker couldn't understand "McFlurry" pronounced in English so they had to pronounce it in what (without context) would sound quite racist.
- huehehue 2y agoFor the curious, it would be something like "makku-fu-ruri" This was my experience in Japan as well. So many words we're used to saying in English use mouth shapes that the Japanese language does not, so you really have to tweak how you say things to align with what's available. "Coffee" is a fun one for the tired westerner
- sjburt 2y agoHow is this any different from going into a Panda Express and trying to order in Mandarin?
- lmm 2y agoBecause it's called a McFlurry on the menu. Japan is very fond of taking loanwords from English but changing the pronunciation and meaning, which can be one of the hardest parts of any language.
- qingcharles 2y agoI've also had this happen in France and German-Swiss, so I don't think this is unique to Japan! :)