Intermediate Japanese Language

Lunch-time sessions at PCCBy Peter Missen

Session 5

Sports

Objectives for this session

SumoOther sportsUseful sentences to do with EnglishGrammar

koto gaCulture – Japanese holidays Sept & OctCounters

Flat thingsMore Katakana

Japanese Sport – Sumo

sumou 相撲 Sumo (2 Kanji: a look + hit/strike)

The sport people think of when asked about Japanese sports.

According to Japanese legend the very origin of the Japanese race depended on the outcome of a sumo match. The supremacy of the Japanese people on the islands of Japan was supposedly established when the god, Take-Mikazuchi, won a sumo bout with the leader of a rival tribe.

Apart from legend, however, sumo is an ancient sport dating back some 1500 years.

Japanese Sport – SumoA military dictatorship was established in Kamakura in 1192

and a long period of intense warfare ensued. Sumo, quite naturally, was regarded chiefly for its military usefulness and as a means of increasing the efficiency of the fighting men.

Later in the hands of the samurai, jujitsu was developed as an offshoot of sumo. Peace was finally restored when the different warring factions were united under the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603. A period of prosperity followed, marked by the rise to power of the new mercantile classes.

Professional sumo groups were organized to entertain the rapidly expanding plebian class and sumo came into its own as the national sport of Japan. The present Japan Sumo Association has its origins in these groups first formed in the Edo Period.

Japanese Sport – Sumo

The first sumo matches were a form of ritual dedicated to the gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest and were performed together with sacred dancing and dramas within the precincts of the shrines.

Sumo was introduced into the ceremonies of the Imperial Court during the Nara Period in the 8th Century. A wrestling festival was held annually which included music and dancing in which the victorious wrestlers participated.

Early sumo was a rough-and-tumble affair combining elements of boxing and wrestling with few or no holds barred. But under the continued patronage of the Imperial Court rules were formulated and techniques developed so that it came more nearly to resemble the sumo of today.

Japanese Sport – Sumo

A sumo bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle or throwing him in the dohyo. To lose the match it is not necessary to fall in the circle or to be pushed completely out.

The player who touches the ground with any part of his body, his knee or even the tip of his finger or his top-knot, loses the match. Or he need only put one toe or his heel over the straw bales marking the circle.

Striking with fists, hair pulling, eye gouging, choking and kicking in the stomach or chest are prohibited. It is also against the rules to seize the part of the band covering the vital organs.

As there are no weight limits as in boxing or western wrestling it is possible for a player to find himself pitted against an opponent twice his own weight.

Other Sportssakka- サッカー Football Football is popular in Japan with the J league.Japan won the recent Asian Cup held in Jan 2011. (beating Australia in the final)

yakyuu 野球 BaseballBaseball is big in Japan with a pro league.

supo-tsu スポーツ generic term for sports.

gorufu ゴルフ Golf – popular with businessmen, quite an expensive pastime in Japan!

Useful sentences - question

kore wa nihongo de nan desu ka.

What is this in Japanese?

これは日本語で何ですか。

Useful sentences - question

[anata wa]

eigo

w(o)

hanashimasu ka.

Do you speak English?

hanashimasu = to speak (polite form)

[ あなたは ]英語を話しますか。

Useful sentences – possible replies

iie, hanashimasen.

いいえ , 話しません。no, I do not speak.

sukoshi hanashimasu.

少 話します。I speak a little.

hai, hanashimasu.

はい , 話します。yes, I speak.

Useful sentences

kore wa eigo de nan desu ka.

What is this in English?

これは英語で何ですか。

Useful sentences – speak slowly!

yukkuri hanashite kudasai

ゆっくり話して下さい。Please speak slowly.

yukkuri = slowly

hanashite = te form of the verb to speak

Useful sentences – request repeat

mou ichido onegaishimasu. 

もう一度おねがいしまう。Once more please.

mou ichido itte kudasai.     

もう一度言って下さい。Please say once more.

Grammar – koto ga

koto ga ことが nominalises a verb.

This allows you to use a verb in the middle of a sentence.

The plain form of the verb has to be used. We’ve only seen polite forms of Japanese verbs so far!

koto ga example - question

[anata wa]

eigo

w(o)

hanasu koto ga

dekimasu ka.

[ あなたは ]英語を話すことができますか。

Useful sentences - question

Do you have the skill of speaking English?

hanasu = to speak (plain form)

koto ga nominalises the verb

dekimasu = to have the skill (polite form)

Culture section – holidays & festivalsSeptember and October National holidays:

Third Monday of September. Respect for the Aged Day (keiro no hi): Respect for the elderly and longevity are celebrated on

this national holiday. A national holiday since 1966, this used to be held on

September 15th but from the beginning of 2003, Respect for the Aged Day has been held on the third Monday of September due to the Happy Monday System.

Each year Japanese media take the opportunity to feature the elderly, reporting on the population, and highlighting the oldest people in the country.

Culture section – holidays & festivalsSeptember and October National holidays:

Around September 22nd / 23rd. Autumn Equinox Day (shubun no hi):

Graves are visited during the week of the Equinox Day.

The date of the holiday is not declared official until February of the previous year.

Autumnal Equinox Day became a public holiday on 1948.

Culture section – holidays & festivalsSeptember and October National holidays:

Second Monday of October.

Health and Sports Day (taiiku no hi): This holiday commemorates the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympic games that were held in Tokyo, and exists to promote sports and an active lifestyle.

Counting – Flat thingsExample: paper, stamps, envelopes, etc. uses suffix "mai"

1 ichimai2 nimai3 sanmai4 yonmai5 gomai6 rokumai7 nanamai8 hachimai9 kyuumai10 juumai

一枚二枚三枚四枚五枚六枚七枚八枚九枚十枚

More Katakanakya kyu kyogya gyu gyosha shu sho

ja ju jocha chu cho

ja ju jonya nyu nyohya hyu hyobya byu byopya pyu pyomya myu myo

rya ryu ryo

キャ キュ キョギャ ギュ ギョシャ　シュ　ショジャ ジュ ジョチャ チュ チョヂャ ヂュ ヂョニャ ニュ ニョヒャ　ヒュ　ヒョビャ ビュ ビョピャ ピュ ピョミャ ミュ ミョリャ リュ リョ

Outside the classroom

Communities of Practice for Public Service Language Learning & Development – Portsmouth City Council.

It’s for all of us to use…

Any feedback?

Japanese word processorDid anyone try this yet?

Internet sitesDid anyone find any cool sites?

Homework

Nothing compulsory

Suggestions

– Work on making a few sentences

– Great if you can practice with a colleague

Questions

??????