Memorial Day Around The Globe

Most of us are familiar with how Memorial Day is celebrated in the US. It takes place on the last Monday in May and it is a day of remembrance for loved ones and lost soldiers.Other countries put their own spin on Memorial Day.

In the Netherlands, they celebrate Dodenherdenking on May 4.The Royal Family holds a ceremony in Dam Square in Amsterdam and at 8PM, the entire country stops for two minutes to remember lost loved ones.Public transportation, radio and television broadcasts come to a halt. 

In Germany, Volkstrauertag is celebrated. Originally proposed in 1919 to commemorate lost war heroes from World War I, it was disputed about whether it was appropriate or not until 1934, when the Nazis declared it an official holiday. However, the Nazis turned into something called Heldengedenktag (the “day of the commemoration of heroes”). In 1948, the holiday was revitalized and was celebrated how it was originally intended. It is usually celebrated two Sundays before Advent.

 

In Australia and New Zealand on April 25, Anzac Day is celebrated. Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (the soldiers who fought in World War I).This holiday was officially declared in 1920. Many people add rum to their coffee that day to celebrate the “gunfire breakfast” that was used to warm the bellies of the soldiers.

 

In Canada, Vimy Ridge day is celebrated. Although it is an unofficial holiday and has been celebrated since 2003, it was established to commemorate the Canadian soldiers who battled the Germans in World War I (the Battle of Vimy Ridge). It is celebrated on April 9 each year. More than 4000 soldiers lost their lives in this battle. Canadians honor these dead soldiers by lowering flags to half-mast and placing wreaths on monuments and graves.

 

Whether a country celebrates lost love ones or war heroes or fallen soldiers on their version of Memorial Day, one thing is common among all countries. Memorial Day is a day to ensure that no one’s life has been lost in vain. 

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

 

 

The adaptation of Chinese characters into the Japanese language

One of the challenges I’ve found in having studied Japanese for many years before endeavoring to learn Chinese, is that I often see a Chinese character that is the same character in Japanese (and usually has the same or similar meaning but different pronounciation) and pronounce it as it is pronounced in Japanese. My mind just immediately pulls from my inner Japanese dictionary as my inner Chinese dictionary has not yet been completely written or filled. I had actually thought that studying Japanese first would give me a leg up on my Chinese studies.

The confusion usually happens when I am reading out loud in Chinese, in front of my teacher, who is listening and hanging on my every word for proper tone (unlike Japanese, Chinese has 4 unique tones, to add to the confusion), pronounciation and flow.

I can literally hear my brain click and the hamster wheel in my head turning while confusion sets in.  The character that frequently trips me up is the character for book 本.  In Japanese, it is “hon” (pronounced like hone).  In Mandarin Chinese,  本  is the measure word for the character for book (书) and is “ben” (pronounced like bun). For example, if you want to write "three books" in Mandarin Chinese, it is written as 三本书 (3+measure word+book). 

Whenever I see the Chinese character 本, my brain processes the character in Japanese and I think and say hon.  I immediately correct myself but it is often too late. My Chinese teacher, mildly disgusted, says NO. Sharply and in English.  Although I had studied East Asian Studies for a year at the graduate level at Harvard and learned quite a bit about Buddhism, ancient Japanese literature and art and the Japanese language itself, I do not remember ever learning exactly how the Chinese characters made their way into the Japanese language. This lack of knowledge almost always leads to a blog entry!

According to my research, Chinese books were first brought to Japan between the 3rd and 5th centuries A.D.  During the Tang dynasty, China was considered to be the single most important cultural power in Eastern Asia. Chinese writing then began migrating into Japan. The adaptation of Chinese characters during the 6^th to 9^th centuries A.D. is considered to be the most important event in the development of the Japanese language.

The Japanese borrowed the Chinese language as one of education and culture. Soon, Classical Chinese was adopted as the official written language of Japan. Shortly after this time, modified Chinese characters were being used to write the Japanese language. All early Japanese writings are essentially written in classical Chinese. To be able to write in medieval Japan basically meant to be able to read and write Chinese. This language was called kango by the Japanese.

By the 12^th century, the two Japanese syllabic writing systems, hiragana and katakana, were created out of kanji (the Japanese word for Chinese characters). These two writing systems are easier to learn (from my experience) than kanji and give Japanese it's unique appearance (as it is written from a mixture of kanji, hiragana and katakana).


It is also important to point out that the Chinese language did influence other Asian languages, such as Korea and Vietnam.


I will continue my Mandarin Chinese studies for as long as possible (my aim is to be fluent within 5 years). The saving grace for me is that there are also some words (like the number 3 and the word for love) that not only share the same character in Japanese and Chinese but are also pronounced the same! Amen to that.

Silesian: Polish Dialect or Separate Slavic Language?

The Silesian language is consided by linguists and historians to be either a dialect of Polish or a separate Slavic language.  According to my research, most feel it is not a language…yet. However, in 2007, the Library of Congress officially added Silesian to its list of languages.  The International Linguistic Organization has registered the Silesian language and assigned it the ISO code "szl".

Silesian is very closely related to Polish. Spoken in Upper Silesia, a region located in the southwestern part of Poland and the northeastern part of the Czech Republic, approximately 60,000 Polish people and approximately 100,000 Czech people claim Silesian as their native language.

In 2006, the Silesian alphabet was modified and Silesian is still used in literature, radio, TV and printed press. The language currently has no official status.

In the same region, there is a variant of German spoken called Silesian German. After World War II, the use of Silesian German was forbidden and most of the Silesian German culture died out once Silesia became part of Poland in 1945.

The differences in written Silesian and Polish can be seen below.

Silesian	Polish
Uojcze nasz, kery jeżeś we ńebje, bydź pośwjyncůne mjano Twoje. Przińdź krůlestwo Twoje, bydź wola Twoja, jako we ńebje, tak tyż na źymji. Chlyb nasz kożdodźynny dej nům dźiśej. A uodpuść nům nasze winy, jako a my uodpuszczůmy naszym wińńikům. A ńy wůdź nos na pokuszyńy, nale zbow nos uode złygo. Amyn.	Ojcze nasz, któryś jest w niebie, święć się imię Twoje, przyjdź królestwo Twoje, bądź wola Twoja jako w niebie tak i na ziemi. Chleba naszego powszedniego daj nam dzisiaj. I odpuść nam nasze winy, jako i my odpuszczamy naszym winowajcom. I nie wódź nas na pokuszenie, ale zbaw nas ode złego. Amen.

Subconscious Language Learning

Recently, one of my Facebook friends sent me a message asking me what I thought of subliminal language learning.  I have always been interested in subliminal messages, NLP and affirmations and how they affect the brain and whether they work (I tend to believe they do) so my interest was piqued. 

There are a few different types of subliminal language learning. They are:

Audio subliminal language learning is accomplished by listening to tapes of foreign language vocabulary, conversations or positive messages about language learning that are heard just below the conscious hearing level.  An example would be listening to white noise or whale sounds while studying or resting while subliminal vocabulary words are placed just underneath these sounds, at the subconscious level.

Video subliminal language learning is accomplished by placing messages and information into the subconscious mind. The information is placed in the video’s audio track, just underneath where it will be consciously noticed by the learner. Also, words can be flashed on the screen to imprint on the learner’s mind. This could help with vocabulary recognition.

Language learning while sleeping is accomplished by making vocabulary recordings of the target language (the language you are studying) and the source language (your native language) using a CD or MP3 player. The audio should not be too loud so that you cannot sleep and should be set to repeat so that the vocabulary will be begin to enter your subconscious mind.

Basically, unlike the traditional form of language learning (where you study by reading and by memorization), subliminal language learning means that the information bypasses the conscious mind and embeds itself through repetition into the subconscious mind.

Subliminal learning can also be obtained using NLP, hypnosis and positive affirmations. NLP (or Neuro Linguistic Programming) is based on the principle that if you change your thoughts about something, you can also cause a change in action or results.  Created in the 1970s, by Grinder and Bandler, it was first used in a hotel lobby to quickly help people get over their “elevator phobia” within 30-45 minutes. When you have a thought that “I can’t do this”, NLP helps replace this thought with a more positive thought.

Hypnosis  differs from subliminal learning in that it sends you into a trance. However, the commonality between them is that they both access the subconscious mind.

Positive Affirmations are written or verbal positive statements that are repeated over and over again on a piece of paper or in your mind. For example, “I will be fluent in Russian in 6 months”.

Does subliminal language learning work? That is the question. On a small scale, I imagine it must.

Since I have been studying Mandarin for the past seven months and I have the entire textbook on CD, I have decided to give the “Language learning while sleeping” form of subconscious learning a try. While I haven’t tried hypnosis, I do practice NLP after taking a recent class on it earlier this year and I have used positive affirmations for many years in many phases of my life.  I plan to report back in two to three months on my findings.

Happy Black Day! (블랙데이)

Black Day has to be the coolest holiday ever.  As most Asians celebrate White Day on March 14 (which is the opposite of Valentine’s Day on February 14, where men give women chocolates), South Koreans also celebrate Black Day on April 14. It’s called Black Day in South Korea because it is the one day where single people “mourn” their single life.

Known as the holiday for “lonely people” or more encouragingly as a “celebration of singlehood", singles dress in dark clothes and eat noodles covered with black bean paste (Jjajangmyeon 자장면) to celebrate their “lack of a love life”. Single people who wish to celebrate (or commiserate) Black Day drink black coffee and consume other black colored foods.

Jjajangmyeon was first created in the city of Incheon, where early Chinese migrants to Korea began to settle in the late 19th century. The dish was first developed in a Chinese restaurant called Gonghwachun in Incheon around 1905. The city of Incheon sponsored the “100 year anniversary of the birth of jjajangmyeon” in 2005. With about 100 years of history, jjajangmyeon is called one of the “national foods” of South Korea. It is a popular dish among family members because of its cheap price and taste.

There are matchmaking agencies who arrange dates on this day and even a Korean pop band called “MBLAQ Day”.  Supposedly all the band members are single and celebrate this with their fans through their music.

Although it sounds like a depressing day, it’s actually a big social gathering with lots of drinking and making merry.  There is also a lot of speed dating events set up. And I am sure quite a few single people “hookup” on April 14!

Hanamatsuri, the Japanese commemoration of the birth of Buddha

The birthday of the Buddha is celebrated on a different day in each Asian country. For example, in Korea and Southeast Asia, his birthday is celebrated in May and in Tibet, it is celebrated either in May or June.

However, every April 8 in Japan, Hanamatsuri (literally “festival of flowers” 花祭り) is celebrated. This day commemorates the birth of Siddhartha Gautama in the Mayahana sect of Buddhism.  Fresh offerings of flowers are brought to Buddhist temples.

According to Japanese tradition, the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, was born in Nepal on April 8, 566 B.C. He was born the son of King Suddohana and Queen Maya. The descriptions of the scene at his birth include celestial birds singing, beautiful flowers, and a sweet gentle rain bathing the baby Buddha. On this day, the greatest of all sentient beings was born, who later became the Enlightened One, the Buddha.

The washing of the baby Buddha is an important part of this day.  According to legend, when the Buddha was born he stood straight, took seven steps, and declared "I alone am the World-Honored One." He then pointed up with one hand and down with the other, to indicate he would unite both heaven and earth. These seven steps represent seven directions -- north, south, east, west, up, down, and here. Mahayana Buddhists interpret "I alone am the World-Honored One" in a way that "I" represents all sentient beings throughout space and time -- everyone, in other words.

The ritual of "washing the baby Buddha" commemorates this moment. This is the single most common ritual, seen throughout Asia and in many different schools. A small standing figure of the baby Buddha, with the right hand pointing up and the left hand pointing down, is placed on an elevated stand within a basin on an altar. People approach the altar reverently, fill a ladle with water or tea, and pour it over the figure to "wash" the baby. Japanese people pour ama-cha (a “sweet tea”  beverage prepared from hydrangea flowers) on small Buddha statues decorated with flowers, as if bathing a newborn baby.

During Hanamatsuri, the Japanese reflect on the gratitude the teachings of Buddha and feel  joy that the enlightenment of the Buddha is with them at all times.

Qingming Festival (清明节)

This year, China’s Qingming festival (the most common English translations of Qingming are “Clear Bright Festival” and “Tomb Sweeping Day”) will be celebrated on April 4. Its name implies that it is time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenness of spring and to tend to the graves of departed ones.

Qingming has regularly been observed as a public holiday in Taiwan and in Hong Kong and Macau. Its observance was reinstated as a nationwide public holiday in mainland China in 2008. Although it has no holiday status there, it is also celebrated in Singapore and Malaysia.

Qingming is celebrated by honoring the ancestors (tomb sweeping) and by enjoying the return of spring (spring outing).

Tomb sweeping is regarded as the most important aspect of Qingming. During this time, the tombs of ancestors are visited. Visitors to the tombs pray, sweep and offer favorite food and drink to ancient ancestors. Some people carry willow branches or place them on gates or doors as it said to ward off the evil spirits that wander during Qingming.

The Spring Outing is celebrated by being outside, appreciating nature, looking at the blooming flowers and flying kites. After being flown for a while, the kites are set free as a sign of good luck and good fortune.

The origins of this festival are interesting. The Qingming Festival was originally held to commemorate a loyal man living in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), named Jie Zitui. It has been said that Jie cut a piece of meat from his own leg in order to save his hungry leader who was forced to go into exile when the crown was in jeopardy. 

When the leader came back to his position nineteen years later, he had forgotten all about Jie Zitui. He soon remembered and wanted to reward him. However, Jie had blocked himself up in a mountain with his mother. In order to find Jie, the master ordered that the mountain be set on fire. Jie was soon found dead along with his mother. In order to commemorate Jie, the master ordered that the day Jie died was Hanshi (Cold Food) Festival (the day before Qingming) - the day that only cold food could be eaten.

The second year, when the master went to the mountain to sacrifice to Jie, he found willows were growing so he gave instructions that they day after Hanshi was to be called Qingming , so he gave instructions that the day after Hanshi Festival was to be Qingming Festival. 

Later, the two festivals were combined as one - Qingming Festival.