Our catch phrase its on its way.

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

On the 20th of November a certain Japanese morning news program featured a segment dealing with the antics of pets – called NETTO (for “internet”) DOOGA (meaning “movies”) NO in “CHUUGOKU-NO”: “CHINA’S”) KOONAA (using the English word “corner”).

The person who presented the story was called ANAUNSAA (“announcer”) instead of the Japanese words “shikaisha” or” kaisetsusha”.

Why these people choose to use English (always mispronounced – and often used in ways that native speakers of English would not) disconcerts me. Such “tumors” within the Japanese phonome will eventually metastasize and finally destroy Japanese.

In this segment, the worst misuse of English to the detriment of Japanese occurred when Japanese verbs used to describe a cat’s attempt to nab a dragonfly in midflight with a well timed leap were replaced by the words “jump”instead of “tobihaneru” and “getto” – for “get” instead of tsukamaeru.

Japanese people, if you do not “chuui o harawanakereba” (“be careful”) your language will go “zetsumetsu” (“extinct”)! I repeat: Japanese people, if you do not “chuui o harawanakereba” your language will go “zetsumetsu”!

This type of insertion of English words into Japanese sentences is not only harmful to Japanese – but is aesthetically unpleasant.

Steve Walker, Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.