電
Speaking to my mentor today I learnt that the kanji for electricity 電 is made up of rain and rice field, which of course make lightning... Never really thought about it, but I guess it's true. What's the bit sticking out of the bottom then? She also said that the kanji for town 町 is rice field with a marker around it, which is apparently what they used to do in the old days... interesting stuff, but it doesn't help me to remember kanji (or be able to write it. Eek).
Helen Gilhooly, my mentor, was the first person to complete a PGCE in teaching Japanese in the UK. (What I mean is, it was Helen who phoned Nottingham Uni a long time ago and asked if they could set up a PGCE in Japanese...) Amazing. Thanks to her, we (me, T and R, and a few - very few - at Nottingham Uni) are now able to train to teach Japanese in this country...
Helen Gilhooly, my mentor, was the first person to complete a PGCE in teaching Japanese in the UK. (What I mean is, it was Helen who phoned Nottingham Uni a long time ago and asked if they could set up a PGCE in Japanese...) Amazing. Thanks to her, we (me, T and R, and a few - very few - at Nottingham Uni) are now able to train to teach Japanese in this country...
posted by jennywren | 9:45 PM
8 Comments:
Lordy! Give me maths any day.
That said, words being pictures made up of other words is quite cool. Where the hell did the word electricity come from anyhow?
I love words! When I was training to be a Chinese teacher to non-native-speakers, I enjoyed learning all about the origins of words and phrases!! Honestly I'm very proud of my language...yet I don't know enough about it.
Back to my study now about literature written in YOUR language... (more precisely, Shakespeare's)
You should be proud Wanyu! It's so interesting... Wish I knew more about kanji and their origins. Taught my first kanji class today. Went quite well (well, they - year 10 - were really quiet and good and listened and did everything I told them). And they hardly noticed how bad my kanji-writing was (like a five year-old's...). What's great though is that they learnt stuff and hopefully they will always remember how to read the kanji for train, car, between, week, ocean (yes, random list.. don't ask..) Yes, the word electricity is really random too... Like our names. Don't you sometimes think how strange our own names sound? Ugh, I'm sleepy...
I would imagine school kids are very interested in learning kanji. It is surely far more exciting than learning to put accents over the letters in French class. Ummm, perhaps I should start looking at my kanji books again.
What's so strange about our names?
Sometimes if you say your name over and over again it sounds weird. Don't you think? Is it just me?
I think that's just you. Why would you be doing that anyway?
By the way, it was good to see you earlier. Hopefully see you at Christmas if not before.
Enjoyable afternoon indeed...
Oh, Monday tomorrow...
groan...
actully, i'm starting to feel a bit weird to say my full name in Chinese...
Andy,
you'll have to make us all mulled wine so you'll have to come to ours on 23rd...
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