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? about Asian languages - space-time - 11-21-2015
I heard this statement and I would like to check whether it is correct or not.
If one learns to read in one language (i.e. Chinese), they can also read other Asian languages (i.e. Korean and Japanese). The words may be different, but the writing is the same.
Is this correct or not?
EDIT: if this is correct, are there other languages where they use the same type of writing?
Re: ? about Asian languages - 3d - 11-21-2015
Not correct.
Korean, Chinese and Japanese are completely different. Knowing one won't help with the other.
Chinese Mandarin and Chinese Cantonese are two completely different sounding dialects. But they share the same written language.
Here's a simplified Mandarin/Cantonese example:
If i walk into a restaurant in America and draw this symbol: :coffee: the waitress will know what I want.
If i walk into a restaurant in Brazil and draw this symbol: :coffee: the waitress will know what I want.
Although they both speak completely different languges, they both "read" the symbol as coffee.
Re: ? about Asian languages - freeradical - 11-21-2015
Korean has a phonetic alphabet, and it's actually pretty easy to learn.
Re: ? about Asian languages - N-OS X-tasy! - 11-21-2015
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!
Re: ? about Asian languages - NewtonMP2100 - 11-21-2015
.....I believe there is a written Japanese kanji that uses Chinese characters (sometimes with different meanings.....but the written for all asian languages.....the ones you are referring Korean, Japanese, Chinese.....are not the same......
.......they also don't "all look alike'.....if you ask an asian....they can (not 100%) usually tell if someone is chinese, japanese, or korean.....
Re: ? about Asian languages - wowzer - 11-21-2015
All Chinese dialects are written the exact same way, but the pronunciation may be completely different. It is such that many Chinese hand write to each other...ie using their left hand as an imaginary sheet of paper, they pretend to write strokes (with a pretend pen) with their fingers. The other person watches the strokes and knows the word.
Korean and Japanese are completely different languages. Japanese uses some Kanji characters from the Chinese and the meaning is usually the same (I believe). Korean is completely different--it is a designed language and phonetic (like the latin languages)...
Re: ? about Asian languages - Drew - 11-21-2015
Written Japanese uses a group of about 2,000 characters (kanji) from Chinese as well as characters from a phonetic alphabet to form words and sentences. With only 2,000 or so characters to choose from, there can be many homonyms, so an isolated spoken word can be easily misunderstood without context or being able to see the written form. School students learn kanji basically by rote learning, writing and re-writing the characters, especially in the earlier education years. It is difficult to read a newspaper without at least a grade school education, which probably teaches over 1,000 kanji. The literacy rate in Japan is something like 99% I think I've heard.
Chinese people generally learn Japanese very quickly because they can recognize and read the characters, even if they don't always have the same sound associated with them as in Chinese. For westerners living in Japan, learning Japanese can be very difficult, because even though the environment is rich in language (written signs, magazines, etc.), they cannot sound it out like a phonetic alphabet to figure out meaning.
There have been (meager) movements in Japan to move to a purely phonetic alphabet. However, with such a high rate of literacy there is no need. Also, by stripping away the kanji, we would lose so much depth from the language. It's very interesting to see how words and concepts are formed by viewing the meaning of the kanji as well as the components of the kanji used.
I've probably written much more than anyone cares about! Not sure where that brain dump came from.
Re: ? about Asian languages - blooz - 11-21-2015
No Drew, that was interesting. The whole thread was interesting.
Re: ? about Asian languages - Carnos Jax - 11-21-2015
I agree, very fascinating thread with great explanations. Never knew any of this.
Re: ? about Asian languages - space-time - 11-21-2015
Thanks!
Now how do you say Thanks and in each of the above languages?