00:00
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast!
Cast, cast, cast!
Yeah!
That was classic.
It was, it was.
That was great.
Okay, so what do we got us first?
Alright, so we've got so many requests actually.
Um, today...
Uh, wait, wait, wait.
Is that easier for you to mix both languages, English and Japanese?
Mm-hmm.
For you?
Great question.
I'm a person that I can only convey perfectly in a particular language.
That is okay.
Uh...
That's a good question, by the way.
Very good question.
So I can, if I wanted to.
If I, if I tweak my brain to, to speak English and Japanese, I can do that very easily.
But the thing is, there isn't, there isn't much people around me and there isn't much people in Japan that can speak both Japanese and English.
So I would have to adapt to the person who I'm speaking to, right?
Right.
If they're a Japanese speaker, I'm not gonna use English.
Right.
If they're an English speaker, I'm not gonna use Japanese.
That's important.
That is very important.
Yes.
So there, there isn't much times where, where, you know, I, I speak, where it's, where it's, uh, it's best for me to speak in both Japanese and English.
You know, it's, uh, I rarely see anyone who's comfortable in using, using both languages at the same time.
Mm-hmm.
Like, yeah.
Yeah, I see that.
Like, I, I know a lot of, um, bilingual people, but most of the times, 90% of the times, they just, they, they like to use a single language.
Mm-hmm.
And I go by that.
Mm-hmm.
So, yes, I can, I can use both.
I can mix both languages if I have to.
Mm-hmm.
Um, but, uh.
Do you think it's easier?
Uh, you know, that's, uh, no.
No?
I don't think it's easy.
I think it's easier if I just use a single language.
Okay.
Like, the way you, way I, I structure my sentences and my flow of, of, of conversation, it's, it's, uh, it's a little bit different from, from how I think of it in Japanese and English.
Oh, really?
It's a little bit different, right.
Mm-hmm.
Um, the things you say, how you say.
Mm-hmm.
Um, how you describe things.
Um, they're, they're a bit different.
So, um, if I, if I mix them together, the, the flow would have to adjust to either one of the languages, right?
Mm-hmm.
If I have, I have to adjust to maybe Japanese version of the flow.
Yeah.
And translate what I wanted to say in Japanese into English.
Mm-hmm.
So, I can't mix the flow, if you know what I'm saying.
Yeah.
If you get what I'm saying.
Yeah.
I can't mix the flow, but I can easily, um, replace them in a different language.
In an opposite language.
So, Seattle language is easier for you?
Yes.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Okay, okay.
Mm-hmm.
But I know, look, I, I remember when we were in a college.
Mm-hmm.
You know, lots of, uh, the, uh, kikokushijyo people.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know, they were like, you know, I would like, you know, saa, hama-ga shop itte saa,
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you know, that was so damn, or something like that.
Uh-huh.
So, I thought it's easier for you to speak.
Well, mixing.
You gotta be careful with those kind of people, right?
What do you mean?
There's, I think there's two, two kinds of kikokushijyo.
Oh, really?
That, that uses two different languages at the same time.
One is the people who's actually more comfortable using both languages.
Okay, okay.
Or, or, or, or the people who, who did not know what it was in the Japanese languages.
Oh, okay.
So, they have to say it in English because otherwise, they, they don't know how to say
that in Japanese.
Mm-hmm.
The second one, which you have to be careful a lot, is the, the, the, the motherfuckers,
right?
The, the, the sons of bitches who, who wants to, who's flashing their fucking English skills.
Yeah.
So that they're, they want people around them to be like, oh, this guy's fucking kikokushijyo.
Wow.
You gotta be careful with the second one right there, okay?
That's a, there's two kinds of kikokushijyo.
Oh, really?
Is that, kind of people exist?
Yeah, they do exist.
They do fucking exist, man.
Okay, okay.
So, you have to be careful.
I don't know which one you were talking about.
I don't know which one you saw back in college, but, uh.
Yeah.
Gotta make sure.
Or maybe the second one.
Maybe.
You know, flipping the hairs like this.
Yes.
That is, that's possible.
That's highly likely it's number two.
Okay, okay.
That's funny.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Do you?
How about you?
Do you speak, you don't, are you comfortable or?
I'm comfortable with Japanese only.
Definitely.
So, can you, can you, like, what do you think about, can you mix the languages?
Is that easy for you or is it difficult for you or?
It's not easier to me to mix two of the languages at the same time.
Using single language is easier for me.
Uh.
Like, if I speak English.
Yeah.
I think I'm comfortable with only English.
Uh huh.
Not using Japanese word.
But only for the case, I don't know how to express that.
Being in English.
Right, right, right, right, right.
So, yeah.
Well, do you think it's, it's more convenient that you, you, you can express also English
and Japanese.
Yeah.
But something like the meaning which doesn't exist in English language and you can use
Japanese word for that.
Yeah.
I think it's convenient.
I think it's very convenient.
But only, only when I'm speaking to a bilingual people, you know, that's, that's the only time
I feel convenient about the fact that I'm able to express in either one of the languages
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because the bilingual people are the only one who understands it.
Right?
Right.
Thus, it's not a lot.
Okay.
It's not a lot.
It's not so often.
Okay.
It doesn't happen a lot.
Right.
Hmm.
It's uh.
It's interesting.
Very, a lot of, yeah, there's a lot of languages that, a lot of words and expressions that
doesn't exist in the other languages.
Um, I do feel very, you know, lucky that I know both of them and I feel like, you know,
I can express more with both languages.
I do.
I do.
I do.
Oh.
Yeah.
Oh, one other, one another question is do you think you like being different person
when you're speaking in Japanese?
Yeah.
From speaking in English?
I don't know.
I don't.
Hmm.
Different person?
No.
I don't.
You know, personality?
The, you know, tension?
Yeah, I think that might change a little bit.
I think so.
But that's really deep.
I don't, I haven't figured it out in my head yet how that works out inside me.
Like I do feel like I am a little bit more, more energetic maybe when I'm speaking in
English.
Okay.
And I do feel like my voice volume is a little bit higher.
Oh, volume higher.
Yeah, I think so.
Like it's easier to me for, to speak English with a little bit more of a volume.
I don't know why.
Why is that?
I don't know.
I don't know why.
Maybe it's the language itself.
You know, a lot of American people speak very loudly inside trains in Japan.
It's like that.
You have to maybe use so many muscles.
Yeah.
Your, your, your throat muscles, right?
Something like that.
Maybe.
But my mother pointed out that your voice gets deeper when you speak in English.
Yes, that is definitely true.
She's actually listening to our podcast.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you, Yamachan mother.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
And that's what she said to me.
Well, I think that's true.
I think, uh, I think there's a lot of articles out there that says, you know, English is,
has a lot as a little bit of a deeper, deeper sensation, voice sensation to it than Japanese.
In Japanese, in English, this is, I guess a little bit deeper, right?
This is, this is the level of deepness I'm comfortable with when speaking Japanese.
So that's interesting, right?
It's pretty interesting.
Maybe different muscles we're using.
Because like the, I guess the R, R sound.
Like when you say deeper, deeper.
Like deeper.
Yeah, that's, that's deeper.
The R, right?
Deeper, deeper.
This sound is more comfortable in a darker, in a more lower tone.
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Yes.
And especially like you're American people, right?
Yeah.
American people, when American people say like R sound, deeper, water, I don't know.
Water.
Yeah.
That's deep.
Yeah.
Very deep.
That's cool.
That's interesting, right?
I read articles saying that the Japanese language only uses like the tip of your tongue kind
of thing.
Like when you're trying to pronounce American English words, that you're, you're using your
whole tongue.
Right.
Like your whole, your throat to your, your, your, your, your tip of your mouth kind of
the whole thing.
But in Japanese, it's only like the, the.
Right.
Right.
Only the mouth.
Right.
Like the end of your tongue kind of.
Right.
Right.
Actually, I've been seeing your face today.
Yeah.
And I realized that you're using whole your face.
When you speak English, like, you know, using.
Cheek.
Eye blows even.
Oh, really?
Eyes and cheeks.
I guess, yeah, yeah, I guess it's part of the language, how, how I speak.
So yes, ultimately I think my personality bit changes maybe because of the, the, the
language pronunciation dynamics.
Right.
Plus or the, how I was, what my character was when I was in the United States.
You know?
Okay.
How, how my friendship dynamics, right?
You know how you meet your high school friends, you go back to your characteristics when you
were in high school and you meet your college friends and you change your characteristics
to that.
You know, you adapt to the environment of the people that you're in around.
Right.
Right.
Maybe that could be part of the factor.
Probably.
I don't know.
Not sure.
Maybe.
Yeah.
But I understand that.
Yeah.
Because the normal energetic thickness.
Yeah.
Is different from Japan and America.
Yes, yes, yes.
And the sense of humor changes too.
Okay.
That's, that's the part, that's, that's another interesting topic I want to talk about.
Like the sense of humor that changes between, between countries, right?
Yes.
How, what the comedy programs or like the, the, the part, the, the moment you, the moment
of laughter during conversations changes.
Right.
It's different from the US and Japan.
Right.
I sometimes struggle with that.
Like.
Oh, you struggle with that.
Yeah.
Bit.
Like I'm, I'm more, now I'm more used to the Japanese version of conversation flows.
And sometimes when I speak to, to people in the United States, I don't get why they're
funny.
Like, I know.
Oh, really?
Yes.
Like I get why they're funny, but like I don't, I get why they're laughing.
I just don't feel it from the heart anymore.
Yeah.
I, I, yeah, I don't.
Oh, really?
Yeah.
Are you saying that, you know, the level is different?
No, no, no, not the level.
The sense is different.
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Right.
It's a different, it's a different frequency.
Okay.
Okay.
It's a different radio frequency, if you know what I'm talking about.
Radio frequency.
You can't really compare them together, which one's funnier or not, which is more sophisticated
or not.
It's just a, it's just a different, different, different, right.
Frequency.
Right.
Frequency.
Frequency.
Yeah.
But I completely understand that.
Yeah.
When I'm watching TV shows, like someone saying jokes, I completely like, oh, I got the point,
but I, it's not funny at all.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's different frequency.
Sense of humor really depends on your environment, culture, and you adapt to it, thus making
it not relatable anymore to the, to the other cultures.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, I did.
I did.
Okay.
I guess that's the episode.
Thanks for listening guys.
We'll see you again next time.
Bye bye.
We'll see you again next time.
Bye bye.
