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Lang-8
Nov 12, 2013 19:18:04 GMT
Post by Jembru on Nov 12, 2013 19:18:04 GMT
As we'd started talking about lang-8 in another thread, I figured it was probably a good idea to give it its own thread. I really like this site, although my crippling social anxiety and general lack of time/penance for procrastination, is preventing me from being more active on there.
I had been explaining to Bokusenou how I use (or should I say, intend to use?) the site. That as well as writing a normal blog entry with my usual simple sentences, I'm also deliberately editing some lines to include grammar or phrases I've stumbled across while studying or things I couldn't say properly when making my video journals. This way, I not only get my regular grammar mistakes: the wrong particles, typos, kanji abuse and so on corrected, but I can also unravel some of the mysteries I'd been pondering over and get to know the language just that little better.
So to carry on where we had left off...
I actually didn't realise you didn't already have an account. I just assumed everyone used it (besides me). It seems very useful, however you choose to use it. The feedback is incredible, although I'm still a total noob. I'm not sure if I'm meant to edit my posts with the corrections, or if you can even do that. I also had to delete my very first post, because I thought it just wanted a brief introduction. I'd prepared a nice longer intro that was meant to be my first post, but instead the 3 or 4 sentences I thought were just for my profile, ended up as my first post and people started giving me feedback. I was like 'noooooooo'... and quickly deleted it, replacing it with the real first post.
One issue I have too, is that I am trying to make my posts long so I can get as much feedback as possible. This has led to me having 4 very unfinished lang-8 posts sitting on my desktop collecting dust while my profile remains inactive. Surely common sense would say that a short 5 line post every few days, would be better in the long run than 1 mammoth post every 3 months. I need to give myself a good talking to.. ^^
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Lang-8
Nov 13, 2013 0:48:35 GMT
Post by Bokusenou on Nov 13, 2013 0:48:35 GMT
Thanks for the tip about the introduction post!
Nope, I've been meaning to make one after I get rid of my Anki backlog. I'm not sure what I would write though. I never really got into most social media because I would just sit there looking at the blank text box trying to rack my brain to think of what to write, and then decide it's not worth it.^^; What kinds of things do you write about there?
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Lang-8
Nov 13, 2013 7:29:07 GMT
via mobile
Post by Jembru on Nov 13, 2013 7:29:07 GMT
Anki backlog goes away? Oh I really hope that's true. I've only been using it since May, but it has already grown into a monster. I like it, and I won't stop using it, but I have hardly ever missed a single day, maybe twice, and yet it's rare I have fewer than 200 reviews per day (maybe an Anki thread is a good idea too?). I probably add at least 5 cards on average per day, sometimes much more, and I have over 20 decks. I forget exactly how many, but I remember being shocked when I counted recently. Our conversation has inspired me to start blogging on lang-8. I'm going to start posting shorter, but more frequent blogs and see if that helps me to be more active on there. I've just about finished a nice short 'it's been a while' post, that I'll hopefully get uploaded tonight before I leave for work. I'm struggling to get any tricky phrases I wanted to test into it though. I want to at least keep using one or several of the dozens of words that translate as 'situation' into English. These confuse me so much. Usually I can work out the different nuances of words, but I can't with these, and kotobank doesn't help either. The only ones I think I'm clear on, are of course, 場合 (the case of), and maybe 立場 (kind of 'from that person's point of view, to be in their shoes' that kind of nuance, right?), which just leaves '様子*, 事態, 状態, 状況, 情勢 and probably half a dozen others I either can't think of right now or haven't come across yet. So I figure, I'll just keep using them at random and hopefully from the feedback I get, I'll gradually develop a feel for when they can and can't be used. ^^ I'm sure I can squeeze on in somewhere... *I at least know from context, that this tends to be the word they use for 'see what's what', 'check the situation', in the form of 様子をみる, but I don't know how else it is used or if other words can replace it in this phrase. I really do digress rather a lot, don't I? Just think of how much of my lang-8 post I could have written, while I was complaining about Japanese synonyms.
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Lang-8
Nov 13, 2013 18:39:46 GMT
Post by MidoriAbby on Nov 13, 2013 18:39:46 GMT
JembruI saw your lang-8 post yesterday, looks like everyone left very nice comments and a lot of good feedback. I'm glad you're using it! I had kind of taken a break from it since I haven't had much time for Japanese lately (starting a new study schedule for vocab/kanji starting this week though), and I came back to it yesterday after a long time. It's still my favorite website. Also as for the word 'situation' I often use either 状況 or baai. I use baai in sentences kind of like 'toki', only for saying "in this kind of situation I would/you should.... etc" I often hear joukyou otherwise, like "konna joukyou desu". ("here's the situation...")
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Lang-8
Nov 13, 2013 19:29:00 GMT
via mobile
Post by Jembru on Nov 13, 2013 19:29:00 GMT
Oh you saw that? Yeah, the feedback was awesome. I'm definitely going to stop trying to make longer posts. That was more than enough feedback to be getting on with. Most the compliments were just shakoujirei, but it was the 'don't give up' and 'just have fun and the rest will come' kind of comments that were so touching and encouraging. Especially as, like I said in my post, I've been pretty depressed lately. I also really liked the person who offered alternative ways of saying things more naturally. I didn't get that in my last feedback. There is so much I can add to my study notes and Anki!
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Lang-8
Nov 14, 2013 1:10:01 GMT
Post by Jembru on Nov 14, 2013 1:10:01 GMT
@midori: I'm targetting you because you seem to be the most experienced when it comes to lang-8. How do I correct others? It's changed. When I was last on, the whole line by line breakdown popped up and I could mark them as correct, or edit. Now though, I don't see that. There is a bar that says, 'post corrections and comments', that I THINK I have to press, but I'm scared I'll accidentally post blank comments if I click on it (my experience signing up, has made me very cautious of this site!).
Also, is there any way of letting the poster know that some of the lines corrected were actually fine/offer an opinion like, 'in my part of the world, we say it as you did'? It's just someone deleted 'people' from 'japanese people', so it said, 'Japanese drink a lot of green tea..' This sentence sounds a little unnatural to my, British ears, although I hear my Japanese friends say it this way fairly often. I prefer it with 'people'. I'd like to let the poster know this, but don't know how.
It's interesting that English (and I guess any language) is so subjective. I'm looking forward to making more corrections. Maybe it will make me think about English more, and stop making so many sloppy mistakes when I type. This may be hard to imagine, but I once had near perfect grammar.
Oh and another question: am I meant to be correcting my post? It looks like others correct their posts, but I haven't been. Am I doing it wrong? Or does it really not matter?
And.. can you upload images to your posts?
Sorry for so many questions. I realise you're insanely busy these days.
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Post by Jade on Nov 14, 2013 2:21:16 GMT
Jembru - click the button, you know you want to lol There is space to leave an opinion on the correction as well, so you can do that if you want. Personally, I leave my posts as is, but you can correct them if you like. Edit: It appears they don't allow images for the time being ( Source)
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Lang-8
Nov 15, 2013 15:37:43 GMT
Post by Jembru on Nov 15, 2013 15:37:43 GMT
Thanks Jade! I've just started another post (I'll get to finishing and uploading the posts I started ages ago one day ^^), so I'll be on lang-8 either tonight or tomorrow depending on when I get this finished. I think I'll make a rule to always check a minimum of 2 posts for every one I upload.
I'm trying to be careful not to drop particles this time. I never even noticed I was doing it when I wrote my last blog though, so I think it is a bit of a 'fossilized' habit. I'm bound to still drop some here and there ^^.
Also, does it matter whether or not you use the desu/masu form, or could I write my blogs in the plain form as though it is a dairy? If I can use the plain form, do you think I'll get away with dropping particles and using contracted forms? I'm having to be so careful not to use 'ru' instead of 'iru', because I have a feeling the natives won't like that either ^^ To be honest, I've become so used to cheating and avoiding correct grammar, that I think using polite, text-book-ish Japanese for a while is probably what I need.
Anyway, I'm procrastinating.. back to my blog.
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Lang-8
Nov 15, 2013 21:18:35 GMT
Post by Jade on Nov 15, 2013 21:18:35 GMT
I haven't used です・ます outside of my self-introduction (;´▽`A`` I'm pretty sure it's fine however you want to write it.
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Lang-8
Nov 15, 2013 21:48:42 GMT
via mobile
Post by Jembru on Nov 15, 2013 21:48:42 GMT
Ah okay! Then from my next post, I'll try a more casual approach. Too bad I already posted the last one.
I'd be interested to learn just how more tolerant they are of dropped particles and so on, when the style is less polite. It'll give me an idea of just how bad I must sound to native ears when I speak ^^
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Lang-8
Nov 15, 2013 22:27:54 GMT
Post by Jade on Nov 15, 2013 22:27:54 GMT
Have a look at some of my blog posts if you want, I drop particles all the time and they don't seem to have much of an issue with that in mine (other than to correct some that I mix up lol)
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Lang-8
Nov 16, 2013 5:11:24 GMT
via mobile
Post by Jembru on Nov 16, 2013 5:11:24 GMT
I'll take a look when I'm at my laptop. The mobile version of lang-8 is horrible on my phone. I'll probably alternate, or at least throw in the occasional polite style post. I didn't have the masu/desu style forced on me on a formal course, so it doesn't as naturally as it does to some of my friends who took Japanese at uni or whatever. I have stuck to the plain form for so long, but I'd love to have the ability to just start speaking in full, perfect masu/desu sentences when a new Japanese member joins my group, instead of having to start every friendship with: 'please forgive me for speaking so casually'.
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Lang-8
Nov 16, 2013 14:07:43 GMT
Post by MidoriAbby on Nov 16, 2013 14:07:43 GMT
JembruSorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Normally if I have a "this was fine but this is more natura" comment, in the comments I will quote what they wrote and say it.
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Lang-8
Nov 16, 2013 23:49:11 GMT
Post by Jembru on Nov 16, 2013 23:49:11 GMT
Thanks for getting back to me Abby. No need to say sorry, I totally understand how busy you are with school these days, and I'm never in a hurry.
By the way, after talking to Jade about writing style, I had a quick look to see which you use, and it seems you prefer the masu/desu style. I have also noticed that when Japanese people include their native language, they are using masu/desu style too. What are your thoughts on this?
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Lang-8
Nov 19, 2013 21:26:16 GMT
Post by MidoriAbby on Nov 19, 2013 21:26:16 GMT
JembruI generally write my entries in the desu/masu style kind of like I'm writing an article. It just seems to fit. Some entries I will write in casual style simply just to practice casual style, but Japanese people seem to like to naturally defer to using desu masu form as it's not too formal but not too casual. However if I tell them "I'm just practicing my casual speech" they'll go "oh, good idea, it wasn't too informal anyway" and correct it in that fashion.
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