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About a today’s WP post 'pronominal ambiguity'

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The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.


Hi Kage Tora,

Just a note on the question--Could the reply have been "She was Anna" as well, or it is merely awkward or is maybe even ungrammatical?

Certainly an interesting one, including your input.

And if we search for descriptive answers, the problem of pronominal and binding ambiguities are divided into roughly two syntactic principles; which regards pronouns as genuinely ambiguous between referential and bound uses, and 2) which refers the ambiguity as utterly semantical and that pronouns should be given a uniform treatment with the context in question.

But explicating the details of this difference between referential and bound uses of pronouns is far from a trivial matter as for how to characterize the ambiguities. One proponent of the view that natural language pronouns are ambiguous is Chomsky ( Government_and_Binding_Theory). Also, Schoubye's analyses on ‘Pronominal ambiguity' seek some answers to this question.

If those analyses do not give an accurate answer to this particular question about the anaphoric pronoun that is in contextual deixis, then, as for its descriptivism, I tend to see this as the question of the verb’s inherent modality, namely, whether the verb is a copulative one or a linking verb.

Example:

Who is at the door? It is Anna. (the verb is a linking verb; cannot be ‘She is Anna.’)
Who is she? She is Anna. (the verb is copulative; cannot be ‘It is Anna.’)

Mr.Bitpart (talk) 00:20, 13 March 2011 (UTC)Reply

The differences between languages are great fun. Finnish does not use 'it' for the subject in sentences like "It is raining", we simply say "rains" as in Italian "piove". And in Finnish the rough equivalent of it (se) has broader use than in English. It can be used to refer to persons, animals, objects as well as something definite. It comprises the English words 'it', 'she', 'he', 'the' and 'that'. In that sense, the reply "It was Anna" has the same basic meaning as in English, but at the same time, implicitly, can be construed to have the meaning "She was Anna" (at the door). On the contrary, the real personal pronoun hän (he or she) cannot be used in this context.
And furthermore, Finnish uses the past tense where, say, in Italian the present is called for. I remember saying to an Italian that the man who actually visited our house was the mayor. My friend thought that the man was an ex-mayor as I said it in Italian (era il sindaco = he was the Mayor) which was a direct translation of the Finnish thought [He who was here, is the mayor]. The Finnish 'it' caused sometimes confusion among learners. --Pxos (talk) 02:08, 13 March 2011 (UTC)Reply
It is very interesting, I can agree. However, can I just say that all of this would be better posted in the thread in question, and not here on my talk page. It is all relevent to the original question, but has no need at all to be on this page. Cheers. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 02:18, 13 March 2011 (UTC)Reply
I'm sorry. I was invited to this page by Mr.Bitpart and without thinking, continued the discussion here. Can you be so kind as to move the whole discussion to the original thread or should I do that? I'm not that familiar with the policy on the English Wikipedia. --Pxos (talk) 02:27, 13 March 2011 (UTC)Reply
Yes, I understood that - no problems, I have moved it back over to the original thread. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 02:38, 13 March 2011 (UTC)Reply
The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Notification: changes to "Mark my edits as minor by default" preference

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Hello there. This is an automated message to tell you about the gradual phasing out of the preference entitled "Mark all edits minor by default", which you currently have (or very recently had) enabled.

On 13 March 2011, this preference was hidden from the user preferences screen as part of efforts to prevent its accidental misuse (consensus discussion). This had the effect of locking users in to their existing preference, which, in your case, was true. To complete the process, your preference will automatically be changed to false in the next few days. This does not require any intervention on your part and you will still be able to manually mark your edits as being minor in the usual way.

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Thank you for your understanding and happy editing :) Editing on behalf of User:Jarry1250, LivingBot (talk) 18:22, 15 March 2011 (UTC)Reply

Test Award

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  Just testing this....
Just a test, really. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 22:38, 21 July 2011 (UTC)Reply

Legalistic translation

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Can you make a translation of the terms in Image:Politics Under Meiji Constitution 02.png so the WP:GL can make an English SVG of it? 76.117.247.55 (talk) 18:20, 1 August 2011 (UTC)Reply

Sure. Give me a couple of days, as I have other stuff to do. I'll upload it somewhere and leave the link here so you can download and use it. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 18:35, 1 August 2011 (UTC)Reply
Thanx. The graphics lab can do the actual image conversion, they just need the text translated. 76.117.247.55 (talk) 16:50, 3 August 2011 (UTC)Reply
Well, I have already made a start on it, and I might as well continue the way I am. Come back here on, say, Friday, and I'll have a download link for you (it'll be here before then, probably, but just to be sure.....). By the way, I know I work as a translator specialising in law, but this image is more like politics - it certainly isn't contract/labour/civil law, anyway! ;) --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 16:53, 3 August 2011 (UTC)Reply
Well, I tried. 76.117.247.55 (talk) 15:50, 6 August 2011 (UTC)Reply

OK, the file is here. Pass it on so the guys at WP:GL can have a go. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 21:56, 6 August 2011 (UTC)Reply

NOTE: I see there is an error on the bottom right of the picture. It should say 'Dissolution of House Of Commons', but 'Commons' is missing. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 22:26, 6 August 2011 (UTC)Reply

Thanx. Will post the link over on WP:GL. 76.117.247.55 (talk) 15:05, 7 August 2011 (UTC)Reply

Cascella

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Thanks, KageTora, for the quick pickup on the Italian pronunciation, on which I never trust myself without a lookup. At present, this one's for transcription to Hebrew in our art collection's data base. -- Cheers, Deborahjay (talk) 11:20, 19 September 2011 (UTC)Reply

...and in response to your afterthought - I have to share the smile: transcription to Hebrew requires getting the consonants right, possibly indicating syllabification by inserting a silent letter (Aleph) in a rather bastardized fashion - and vowels? Too meager for anything but an approximation! -- Deborahjay (talk) 11:56, 19 September 2011 (UTC)Reply

...and now continued there. -- Deborahjay (talk) 06:01, 20 September 2011 (UTC)Reply

Your Signature

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Your small, handwritten signature is not easily readable (I have to zoom in my browser to read it well). Will you please change it to a different font or size? Interchangeable|talk to me 18:32, 13 October 2011 (UTC)Reply

Hi, thanks for the message. However, I doubt my signature is of interest to anyone, and if you want to write an @KageTora message in a thread, you can see it right there in the editing section, no bigger or smaller than anyone else's. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 23:56, 13 October 2011 (UTC)Reply
Dîd you even read the template at the top of my userpage? I will admit that Courier New evens the playing field slightly, but that is not the point of a signature. I only ask that you make the font size slightly bigger, as your chosen font is not easily legible at small sizes. Interchangeable|talk to me 00:34, 14 October 2011 (UTC)Reply
No, I didn't read the top of your talkpage (or 'userpage' as you erroneously called it), as reading talkpages has nothing to do with leaving messages, which was the primary purpose of me coming here. Anyway, as for the font on my signature, you are the only person who has complained about it, in all the years I have been on Wikipedia. Also, I shall repeat what I said earlier. If you need to send a message to me on a thread, it is easy to read my username, because when editing a thread, you can see them all there, in all their bright and blooming glory. All same size. I really do not understand why you have to worry about looking at a username you cannot read, as some people use usernames which do not have Latin characters. I could have chosen a username (my actual Japanese name 'KageTora') in Japanese, but I chose a compromise, using Latin and then my Kanji in brackets, fearing (in Wikipedia's early days we were all told to use Latin characters) people asking me to change my username. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 00:58, 14 October 2011 (UTC)Reply
If you say so. Thanks for your time. Interchangeable|talk to me 14:59, 14 October 2011 (UTC)Reply

Bill Smith (fell runner)

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This was just a DYK (sadly, they messed with the hook and hardly anybody bothered to look), and given the subject matter might be of interest. Please tweak. Thanks. 7&6=thirteen () 21:39, 6 November 2011 (UTC)Reply

Greetings, KageTora, To respond, it was not important. Given your Liverpool roots, I thought you might have some useful perspective. But if not, or if this is an unwarranted intrusion, then never mind. Happy editing. 7&6=thirteen () 22:06, 6 November 2011 (UTC)Reply

Kaimiloa

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Can you translate カイミロア (砲艦) to Kaimiloa? Thanks.--KAVEBEAR (talk) 06:35, 20 November 2011 (UTC)Reply

I have replied on your talkpage. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 18:58, 20 November 2011 (UTC)Reply

Chinese questions

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Hi, KageTora!

What are the Jyutping readings of 何銳熙 and 陳乙東? Some characters have multiple tones. In addition, in 北京盛事邦为文化传媒有限公司 (Běijīng Shèngshì Bāng ? Wénhuà Chuánméi Yǒuxiàngōngsī) - Which "Wei" is used? wéi or wèi ?

Thanks WhisperToMe (talk) 01:31, 26 January 2012 (UTC)Reply

Refdesk question

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This question seemed to me to be one you might be able to give special help with, in translating the Japanese. Just posting this here in case you don't frequent the Science desk... --Mr.98 (talk) 01:38, 14 February 2012 (UTC)Reply

Translation Help if Possible

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Hello, I'm trying to translate the Japanese Wikipedia page of the Mephisto Award and I've hit big snag since my own fluency is minor at best. My article has already been deleted once and I managed to have a admin restore but it's up for deletion again since it's sparse at the moment. If you could offer any help translating or just adding to the article in general I would really appreciate it. I would also appreciate if you could look over some of the book titles that I translated since I'm fairly certain they are wrong and I point out the ones I think I'm the most off on the talk page. 1Q84 (talk) 23:29, 11 April 2012 (UTC)Reply

Ulan Bator

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I noticed your question at the reference desk. You might want to ask User talk:Kelapstick who appears to be on Mongolia right now. I don't know where but they may be able to help. I did think that StuRat's replies about the temperate were nonsense. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 02:24, 22 October 2012 (UTC)Reply

Saw the message at CBWs talk page, I am indeed in Mongolia (off and on for 3 years). Happy to answer what questions I can. Not in UB, but pass through there every couple months. --kelapstick(bainuu) 12:16, 24 October 2012 (UTC)Reply

A tiger for you!

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For tolerating my Wikipedia:Randy in Boise-ness here.

Shirt58 (talk) 10:53, 12 November 2012 (UTC)Reply

Cheers! I've been feeling hungry all morning... :) KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 11:11, 12 November 2012 (UTC)Reply
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  Well Mr. Stradivarius already translated it, but thanks anyway for the consideration. For that, here's a cookie. Narutolovehinata5 tccsdnew 10:38, 19 November 2012 (UTC)Reply

Help

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Please a translation under an article, this article's name is called "zh:2013年《南方周末》新年献词(in chinese)".--Huangdan2060 (talk) 03:26, 7 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

I've had the same request on my talk page. Are you able to translate all that text? I know nothing about the Chinese language. I'd only be running it through Google Translate. I couldn't guarantee it would be accurate. Maybe we could get Huangdan to do his/her best, clean it up and then find English references. What do you think? SomeFreakOnTheInternet (talk) 01:26, 8 January 2013 (UTC)Reply
I could do it, but I just don't have time. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 01:29, 8 January 2013 (UTC)Reply
I only know a little English.I hope the people of other countries through reading the news in English know this thing. --Huangdan2060 (talk) 03:02, 8 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

Hello

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Hi, I am a Japanese citizen interested in contributing with otaku and hikikomori related things and I created article Hiroyuki Tsuchida which is under endorsement for deletion. Can you help me to find sources in Japanese language and build an article with good English spelling because I have a lot of English language spelling mistakes. Only if you want, it's an invitation to create the article. Can you help me? do you want? Thank you for your help. Kotjap (talk) 22:16, 23 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

I don't know if I will have time, as I am a freelance translator. I'll see what I can do, but I cannot promise anything. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 22:07, 24 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

OK, help me whenever you can, I don't want the article deleted but can't find sources in Japanese since I bought my keyboard in America. Thank you indeed, Thank. Kotjap (talk) 23:00, 24 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

My computer is British, but I can type in Japanese with it, using Romaji and converting it to Japanese characters. I can't think of a reason why you would not be able to. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 00:05, 25 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

I'm 55 and don't handle it very well. Could you give me at least one source in Japanese about the Tsuchida murder and I write the article? Please, forgive me for bothering you. Kotjap (talk) 13:37, 25 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

Hello again

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Hello dear, my pleasure to be writing to you. I'm wanting to add a picture to the hikikomori article, do you think that this is a freely licensed picture? Or this one?. I have a free anime picture but it's real human being. Thank you.Kotjap (talk) 01:54, 3 February 2013 (UTC)Reply

Commons template Commons:Template:Closed cap

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Hi, Kagetora! Are you fine with adding Japanese to the Commons template Commons:Template:Closed cap? Japanese is needed for the template Thanks WhisperToMe (talk) 14:37, 19 March 2013 (UTC)Reply

Sorry, mate. I only do JP>EN, not the other way around. Maybe Oda Mari can help? KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 14:52, 19 March 2013 (UTC)Reply
Ah, ok. Thanks for the clarification! I asked Mari on her talk page WhisperToMe (talk) 14:58, 19 March 2013 (UTC)Reply

Guestbook

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Hello Käge! Would you mind signing this?? :) Ms.Bono(zootalk) 13:13, 4 July 2013 (UTC)Reply

Thanks for your sign! I think you post a red link template :) Are you a U2 fan? About the template, you should ask Technical 13 Ms.Bono(zootalk) 13:53, 4 July 2013 (UTC)Reply
THANKS!! :) Could you stop by my user page and add your opinion in the like/dislike templates?? Ms.Bono(zootalk) 14:00, 4 July 2013 (UTC)Reply

  Hello. You have a new message at Miss Bono's talk page.

Thanks again! :) Sorry for the misunderstanding. English is not my first language and I sometimes might mess things up. You never told me if you liked U2 Ms.Bono(zootalk) 15:00, 4 July 2013 (UTC)Reply

Oh, I've always liked them - ever since I was a kid. I saw them in concert on the Zoo TV Tour, and twice on the Zooropa tour. In both concerts on the Zooropa Tour, we were right next to the catwalk, and during WoWY, Bono stopped right next to us - so close that I could get a photograph of only his face (in his McPhisto make-up, as it was straight after Ultraviolet). If he reached out his hand, and if I reached out my hand, we could have shook hands - that was how close we were. We chose the same place in the second concert, and the exact same thing happened. Great concerts, but I haven't seen them since, though. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 19:04, 4 July 2013 (UTC)Reply
Ohhhhhhh, I see this message just now. Do you still have that picture? Miss Bono [hello, hello!] 20:24, 31 October 2013 (UTC)Reply
It will be somewhere in the attic in my family's house. When I moved out, my mum put all my things away and it's really hard to find anything. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 15:11, 3 November 2013 (UTC)Reply

I don't know if you celebrate Halloween but... Happy Halloween!

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Hello KageTora, Miss Bono has given you an lovely bat, to wish you a Happy Halloween! You see, these things promote WikiLove and hopefully this has made your day better. Spread the WikiLove by giving someone else a lovely bat! Enjoy!
Spread the goodness of a lovely bat by adding {{subst:User:Miss Bono/Halloween}} to their talk page with a friendly message.


Applause

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  a round of applause...
Please accept a round of applause for this comment, which really brightened my day. Well said! - Karenjc 20:53, 20 June 2013 (UTC)Reply

Wool

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Wool allergies are quite rare, apparently, but sensitivity to wool clothing is common. I have this problem, too: [1]. StuRat (talk) 22:14, 21 January 2014 (UTC)Reply

Judgment Day (Last Judgment).

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Will Jesus return to this earth someday, then? --78.156.109.166 (talk) 19:53, 5 December 2013 (UTC)Reply

Very unlikely, because if he ever did exist (which we have no record of, other than the New Testament) he'll be quite dead now, which is very common for people who were (allegedly) crucified 2,000 years ago. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 20:55, 5 December 2013 (UTC)Reply

Paging Mr Tora

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Mr Tora, please proceed to the Languages ref desk at your earliest convenience, etc, etc. --Shirt58 (talk) 10:06, 26 February 2014 (UTC)Reply

Night smell

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Rather than get your thread further off track, I was referring to the possible "smell of sex" with two people in bed. Then jack mentioned his sons "going through that stage" which implies to me nocturnal emissions. That's why I responded too much information. I am afraid any answer your going to get to te question "what's that smell?" will be embarrassing.

The PENISS Prize

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Our motto: "It's only hard if you make it hard"

The PENISS Prize
On behalf of the People Encouraging Niceness (and/or Eschewing Nastiness) In Society Society, I hereby award you the PENISS Prize.

The prize is the highest (and sole) honour in the gift of the Society and is awarded irregularly, on merit. It entitles the awardee to the postnominal letters P.E.N.I.S.S. (in appropriate contexts, of course).

It confers automatic membership of the Society, and it thus bestows the power to award the prize to others*, and they to others, in perpetuity. .

Remember, the more PENISSes in the world, the better for all of us. What a nice thought. Please continue your good work!

* To present this award to others, simply type {{subst:User:JackofOz/PENISS}} on their talk page, and then sign and date your post.

Well deserved, KageTora. Wear it with honour. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 11:33, 16 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

Archaic Chinese dictionary

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You mentioned on the RefDesk that you own one of these, providing archaic readings of characters. Can you share the title and other publication details with me? I'd love to have a copy. Thanks. Marco polo (talk) 14:51, 19 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

March 2014

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  Hello, I'm Josve05a. I wanted to let you know that I undid one of your recent contributions, such as the one you made with this edit to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous, because it didn’t appear constructive to me. If you think I made a mistake, or if you have any questions, you can leave me a message on my talk page. Thanks. (tJosve05a (c) 13:22, 20 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

sorry for reverting you! I did not mean to do that, I did not see that it was in Wikipedia-spaces, since Huggle usually warns if it is. The thing that made me revert was the 'check that link to our article', but now when I read it again, I am sorry! (tJosve05a (c) 13:30, 20 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

ANI

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  There is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. Thank you. --Holbrook West Parish (talk) 21:36, 22 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

nonsense

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I tried closing the trolling attack on you--https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&diff=600861089&oldid=600860315--NE ENT thinks it's fun for some reason. Maybe he could comment. Otherwise, I suggest this be shut down by anyone who has the least knowledge of your good faith contributions. μηδείς (talk) 11:25, 23 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

YGお手紙--Shirt58 (talk) 14:48, 23 March 2014 (UTC)Reply
 
Hello, KageTora. Please check your email; you've got mail!
It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.

Martinevans123 (talk)

I'm hoping that someone here can resolve the issue with the edit summary "shut the fuck up" before it becomes a blockable offence. Perhaps you and Martin can sort that out? The Rambling Man (talk) 19:29, 23 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

Done - it was not meant for him. KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 19:34, 23 March 2014 (UTC)Reply
Yes. Thanks for the explanation, via email, KageTora. I can fully understand your frustration. I think it's a much bigger question that deserves discussion elsewhere. Regards. Martinevans123 (talk) 19:46, 23 March 2014 (UTC)Reply
Hurrah, a tiny crumb of good news on Wikipedia for a change. Carry on. The Rambling Man (talk) 19:49, 23 March 2014 (UTC)Reply
  •   Regardless of any explanations regarding the edit summary, the content of that edit is absolutely unacceptable. Consider this a once and only warning that any further comments along those lines will result in an immediate block. - The Bushranger One ping only 04:27, 25 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

March 2014

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I see you don't think you did anything wrong in re this complaint. If you pull a similar malicious prank on the Reference Desk again, or otherwise disrespect people who ask questions, I'll do my best to get you topic banned from it. Topic bans require ANI discussion; however, any further egregious personal attacks, such as the one The Bushranger warns you about above, could get you blocked by any admin at their own discretion. Bishonen | talk 13:12, 25 March 2014 (UTC).Reply

@KageTora: Ahh. Hmm...I do have some misgivings about your later comment (the 16:41, 23 March 2014 one), but I must admit that your translation certainly made me LOL, and that the advice you gave with it was certainly sound. Thank you for that! Double sharp (talk) 16:23, 31 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

Request for translation: List of sources for an article

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KageTora, on the Reference desk someone recommended using the list of translators in response to a request. Are you willing to translate portions of or all of the list of references on this page? es:Wikipedia discusión:Consultas de borrado/Liceo Mexicano Japonés? It is for an AFD on the Spanish Wikipedia. This is so Spanish-speaking editors can understand what Japanese references exist about the subject. You are welcome to translate the references into English.

Thank you WhisperToMe (talk) 13:44, 11 April 2014 (UTC)Reply

Hi, KageTora. You're listed at Wikipedia:Translators available#Japanese-to-English. So I want to know if you have free time to help me with a translation. There's a six-page interview in the book Guilty Gear Complete Bible Game Guide that I would like to have translated. Here are the images: [2], [3], [4]. Could you help me? Cheers, Gabriel Yuji (talk) 19:32, 18 June 2014 (UTC)Reply

Sorry, no, I work for money. KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 22:13, 18 June 2014 (UTC)Reply

I Taw a Putty Tat

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This user does not own a dog. Not even a dead one. 

CBWeather, Talk, Seal meat for supper? 09:43, 8 August 2014 (UTC)Reply

Glad you like it. Now you have the coding and can make your own boxes. I was a bit surprised at the number of images of dead dogs that are available on Commons. CBWeather, Talk, Seal meat for supper? 10:01, 8 August 2014 (UTC)Reply

Missed this?

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I don't know if you missed this or you had nothing to say but Shirt58 posted here a link to a deliriously funny textbook of what they call "the Yokohama dialect" and even moshimoshied you. Contact Basemetal here 15:15, 21 November 2014 (UTC)Reply

Just read it, actually - painful to read. Having lived in Japan for most of my life, and hearing Americans 'speaking' Japanese with an American accent (mostly imcomprehensible to Japanese people), I can see so many of those terrible pronunciation mistakes in writing in that book, and it really brings back embarrassing memories.... :) Anyway, I loved it, and have circulated it to some of my friends who will equally find it as painful - yet fun - as I did. Thanks for the notification, anyway. KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 15:38, 21 November 2014 (UTC)Reply
Needless to say this is a kind of pidgin. I just love "the officiating priest" as "the monk who talks a lot". Contact Basemetal here 16:12, 21 November 2014 (UTC)Reply
Pity it misses out 'Juu knee sigh no onna no ko o dantaide rape suru America-goon no hey tie' - which is the unfortunate reality of the American occupation of Japan. (It means 'American soldiers who gang rape 12 year old girls' - something which happens often enough for it not to be in the international news anymore). Upsets the local population quite a bit, as you can imagine. KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 18:58, 21 November 2014 (UTC)Reply
"dantai de rape suru" like this? 団体でレイプする Contact Basemetal here 01:05, 22 November 2014 (UTC)Reply
That's the one. KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 02:23, 22 November 2014 (UTC)Reply

Japanese Songs You Like

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Since you lived in Japan a long time I'd like to hear (about) Japanese songs you like. Contact Basemetal here 06:57, 24 November 2014 (UTC)Reply

Zoo by Echoes (Ai wo kudasai) was a favourite at karaoke. I also sang Chijou No Hoshi by Nakajima Miyuki (had all her albums), and Samurai Soul by Ulfuls. Actually, any song by Ulfuls was good - they are funny, and quite sarcastic, being from Osaka (I went to school in Kansai). Yaida Hitomi was also good - "I'm here saying nothing" was a favourite of mine (impossible to sing - I don't have the range). KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 08:19, 24 November 2014 (UTC)Reply
Great. All on YouTube. Knew two of the acts and one of the songs. Are whistled languages not about the reverse? (Speech > melody > speech rather than melody > speech > melody?) Here's a fun page. Gives an idea how whistled speech would work for English. (Not really the same though.) Try sine-wave before clear. In fact you can understand a good deal even before you hear the clear speech version. Contact Basemetal here 14:01, 24 November 2014 (UTC)Reply

Comedic gift

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I did really think your contribution was meant to be humorous and that it was very funny. You didn't just say "there was no interpreter". You stated the obvious and what was funny was how you did it, the rhythm, how you took your time and finished with a description of what English-to-English "interpretation" would involve: "merely repeating what someone else said". I laughed simply picturing to myself such an "interpretation" going on. And finally that you prefaced the whole thing with "extremely unlikely". Maybe not entirely impossible. But very very very unlikely. You never know what else they may come up with in the Senate. So who knows. Maybe English-to-English "interpretation"? Still, it's gotta be "extremely unlikely". If this was not intended as humor I think you may have a natural comedic gift that you may be unaware of. Contact Basemetal here 16:37, 13 December 2014 (UTC)Reply

Well, you might be surprised to know that most people don't understand what my job is. I'm a translator/interpreter/transcriber, and people who are not in the industry do not know the difference. I was merely trying to tell 'No Such User' what we do. KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 13:22, 15 December 2014 (UTC)Reply

Japanese 'ä'?

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Is there a reason why you write 'ä' in 'KägeTorä'? Is the 'ä' there just for the hell of it? Contact Basemetal here 18:37, 20 December 2014 (UTC)Reply

Yes, there is a reason: 'just for the hell of it'. :) KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 02:02, 21 December 2014 (UTC)Reply
Another possibility that had occurred to me was that you were using IPA to indicate pronunciation. Japanese phonology does say that the Japanese 'a' vowel is pronounced like IPA [ä] and that the Japanese 'e' and 'o' vowels also correspond to IPA [e] and [o], more or less, so coincidentally you are, more or less. But apparently that wasn't your intention. Are you a metal fan? Contact Basemetal here 17:35, 21 December 2014 (UTC)Reply
Only metal in the sense of heavy metal.... :) KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 01:13, 22 December 2014 (UTC)Reply

WP:ANI question

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There's a section near the bottom which talks about a controversy which involves a source written in Japanese. I gather you know Japanese. Would you be willing to look into that a little bit and see if the sourcing is valid? Thank you! ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots15:40, 27 December 2014 (UTC)Reply

Napoleon

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My comment was meant as humor, but I could see how careless American humor on the subject would not necessarily go down well elsewhere, and of course all sympathy in America is with the French at this time. μηδείς (talk) 22:41, 8 January 2015 (UTC)Reply

Anecdote

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I may have already told you this. I have no training at all in Japanese, but I do have second hand knowledge from reading about its basic structure. I was once the first passenger seated in a car of a train out of NYC to Princeton, NJ. An Oriental businessman walked on quickly, with a semi-panicked look, looking I assume either for a conductor or at least a sign listing destinations. (NJ Transit trains are rerouted when they reach the end of the line in NY, so they don't have signs for set routes.

Once I determined he was mumbling to himself in Japanese I though a bit to my self, then said, "Anata wa Purinsutonu e desu ka? He smiled and shook his head. I said, "Kore wa Purinsutonu e tsurenu desu." However broken that might be, he understood me, and was very effusive, but I had absolutely no idea what he was saying, and he must have been confused, thinking that I knew at least a little Japanese. Finally I said, "Aisumasen, gaiju desu." which I now realize must have sounded like I was somewhere between a foreigner and Godzilla. In any case he smiled, bowed, and sat down. μηδείς (talk) 18:56, 25 February 2015 (UTC)Reply

You haven't told me this, actually, but thank you for the entertaining story. I live in Liverpool, and we have Japanese tourists here all year round. I am a freelance translator, so some days I have nothing to do, so I go out into town just for some fresh air and a walk around my historic city. Very often I meet Japanese people who are obviously lost, trying to decipher a map, or something, so I go over and help them get to their destination, chatting along the way about all the historic buildings on the way there. And yes, 'gaiju' would mean 'monster'. :) Or alternatively, 外需

(pronounced the same) would mean 'by foreign demand'. :) KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 19:10, 25 February 2015 (UTC)Reply

So, except for saying gaiju when I meant gaijin (which is why I asked the lesbian who uses boku) was my sentence close to grammatical?
I'll tell you two other quick anecdotes. One time I was on the subway, and I heard four young women speaking in a foreign tongue, saying "Empire State Building". I had an unlimited monthly ticket and nothing to do, as I was on my way home from work. I realized they were speaking Hungarian (which I know less about than Japanese) although I look Hungarian, Ruthenia long having been its northern province. So, in an aha moment I said, A Magyar nyelv! ("The hungarian tongue") to myself. They heard and immediately started going on in Hungarian to me. I told them in Ruthenian, and then German, that I didn't speak Hungarian. So finally, in German, I told them they could follow me and I would take them directly to the stop and exit that would bring them closest to the building.
The other story was when I was at Verizon, and I got a call for the troubleshooter asking to change the name on an account from the father's to the son's; the father was retiring to Croatia. I told the son we needed spoken or written confirmation of permission for the switch. The son advised the father didn't speak English. I said he could send a letter. The son said he was leaving in less than 24 hours for Croatia, and didn't expect any letter would ever arrive back to the US once he got their. So I asked, "I assume he speaks Hrvatski? (i.e., Croat)" The son said yes, so I told him to put the father on the line.
The father answered and I said, "Ya sem Verizon" (I am Verizon) and then cadging form the Christian formula, I said "Numer telefona vo imya otsa budet vo imya suna? To je dobre?" ("(The) number of (the) telephone in the name of the father will be in the name of the son. That is good?") Once again he said yes, then I got a very effusive and longwinded response. I told him in Ruthenian I was American, my grandparents were Ruthenian, and that I did not understand him. But he was very thankful, and we got the business done. I was probably the only person out of 2,000 in the state he could have reached that knew how to say "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spririt" closely enough that I could add "telephone number" and "that is good" to get a spoken confirmation.
You may also find it interesting that father in Slavic, Hungarian, and Turkic is otse, atya and ata, all cognate with otoo.
Let me know if the quasi-Japanese train directions were any good and I will stop pestering you. μηδείς (talk) 01:45, 26 February 2015 (UTC)Reply
In almost every language on earth, mama and dada (or variants thereof) are prevalent. 'A' is the first vowel a baby learns to make (it's the easiest one - think about it, why do doctors ask you to say 'a' when examining your mouth?), so others come later. 'M' is the easiest consonant for a baby to make, until it starts to use its tongue to make the second most easiest consonant to make, which is 't' (or voiced versions such as 'd'). Almost every language in the world uses a bilabial for the mother (or for female figures), and a dental for the father (or other male figures). I don't know if this is because of the proto-language theory, but I do believe it is because of an actual behavioural instinct, unrelated to linguistics. As for the train directions, you didn't give him any. :) KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 02:15, 26 February 2015 (UTC)Reply
Yes, I am familiar with the skeptical arguments. But the root here is not dada. It is something like *at(ty)a(K) with the addition of ec'e (Chukchi) 'father' - PU ic'a ('id.') per Michael Fortescue. This reconstruction is limited to the Eurasiatic languages, not worldwide, with mama meaning dad in Georgian. Even the Latin atavus (father of grandfather) fits here, as well as Attila and Ataturk and the aðax and ataq of Aleut and Eskimo [5]. Were there evidence for *at(ty)aK in Chinese or Bantu, we'd have a different issue. In any case, I thought it might interest you, since *ataq > otoo is extremely simple.
I found your train directions comment hard to interpret. What I wanted to know was, was my attempt to communicate "You are to Princeton? This to-Princeton train is" close enough for a Japanese speaker to understand. μηδείς (talk) 03:24, 26 February 2015 (UTC)Reply
Kore wa Princeton e no torein desu would have been better, but remember, the train doesn't stop just at Princeton. This is maybe why he was asking you, for example, "does it stop at XXX station?". By the way, Japanese also has 'chichi' meaning 'father', used mostly by children and women. I believe this is simple psychology. Which sound is softer to you, and which is harder? 'M' or 'T'? I said it was not related to linguistics - of course it is - but, I think I meant to say it's an innate instinctive aspect to language, and not necessarily indicative of a proto-language (which, incidentally, I do believe in). KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 03:52, 26 February 2015 (UTC)Reply
I thought there might be a no in there, but wanted to keep it as simple as possible. The problem is that the proper train to get from NYC to Princeton is called is the NE Corridor line, which stops at Newark, New Brunswick, Princeton and Trenton, and maybe 6 other stops. But there is no clear explanation of this, just "NE Corridor line now boarding on track 6" and the train itself has no identification or map of stops, unlike the NYC subways which are all well labelled, have maps of the stops they make, and an electric sign announcing the next stop. He seemed to know where he was when we got to New Jersey. (And the word he was mumbling was Princeton, which is why I knew what stop he wanted). You are right about chichi. English has ma and pa and mom my and daddy. But that doesn't rule out mother and father as being true cognates to madre and padre a priori. The at(y)a(k)/an(y)ak pattern is closer, I think, to the father/mother set than the mama dada phenomenon. μηδείς (talk) 17:35, 26 February 2015 (UTC)Reply
I am not ruling them out at all. In fact, as far as I am concerned, they are definitely cognates. I was talking more about the baby words mummy and daddy, or mama and dada. They appear all over the globe. This is of course a psycho/socio-linguistic phenomenon (sorry, I dislike Noam Chomsky, but some of his ideas were OK), but I doubt it has anything to do with a proto-language, but more rather a physioligcal ability for babies to produce those sounds. I do believe in the fact there was a proto-language, but without hardly any proof at all, I can't really say much about it. Here on Wikipedia we have a few articles about it, but most have been disregarded by linguists (correct term is linguisticians, by the way). I am going out for some Kaiten Zushi now, so, speak to you later. KägeTorä - () (Chin Wag) 18:07, 26 February 2015 (UTC)Reply

A Like-Minded Person

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"Dreaming the same Impossible Dream"

The Like-Minded Persons' Club
For displaying here common sense and uncommon good taste by agreeing with me or saying something I would have said if only I'd had the presence of mind, I hereby bestow upon you Provisional Membership of the Like-Minded Persons' Club.

To qualify for Full Membership, simply continue to agree with me in all matters for at least the next 12 months.

(Disagreements are so vulgar, don't you think?)

Carry on. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 18:26, 9 March 2015 (UTC)Reply

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Wikivoyage:Joke articles/Time travel/Latin phrasebook, Know any classicists with a sense of humor? ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 20:22, 9 March 2015 (UTC)Reply

Deleted Content

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Hi KageTora. I've just started Yokohama Mazu temple, yet another Shirt58 well-referenced micro-stubs. Could you possibly have a little look at it? Pete "studied it, lived there, but can't speak a word of Japanese any more" AU aka --Shirt58 (talk) 10:48, 25 March 2015 (UTC)Reply

I've had a look at it. It is of course a bit short but the Japanese Wikpedia version is not much longer (in fact, at the bottom, it requests people to add to it), which is not surprising, considering it has only been there for 9 years. There are plenty of references on there, however. Just one criticism: You have called it 'Mazu', although the Japanese clearly says 'Maso'. Although Mazu is an alternative Chinese name for the goddess, and the temple is located in China Town, it is still in Japan. KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 12:19, 25 March 2015 (UTC)Reply
Muzukashii da na. I guess it was established for the zainichi chūgokujin community in Yokohama. (I note that zainichi redirects to Koreans in Japan and forgets the 在日中国人.)
What do you think the Chinese transliteration should be? Probably not Putonghua. Hakka? Cantonese? Some other dialect transliteration?
ピーマン aka --Shirt58 (talk) 11:29, 26 March 2015 (UTC)Reply
(-i verbs do not use 'da', that is reserved for -na verbs: muzukashii na, would be correct). 'Mazhu' is the Chinese transliteration in putonghua. From my experience, the majority of Chinese in Japan speak Mandarin. Cantonese is more common in Europe, the US, and Australia (and many can speak Mandarin anyway). I would stick with the Mandarin transliteration, as the other dialects are not really considered 'standard', as such. This is why Mandarin is called 'putonghua', because it essentially means 'the standard language' (although literally, it means 'the normal language'). KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 11:55, 26 March 2015 (UTC)Reply

British accent

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This Englishman pronounce [d̥ɪsˈɐɪ̯bɫ̩]. 雞雞 (talk) 17:15, 21 April 2015 (UTC)Reply

Yes, so? KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 17:17, 21 April 2015 (UTC)Reply
Some British people pronounce it like this? 雞雞 (talk) 17:44, 21 April 2015 (UTC)Reply
Yes. KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 19:08, 21 April 2015 (UTC)Reply

I Sank Your Battleship!

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Actually, I just spam bombed you with a year's worth of PDF's and [I wanted to know if you] were able to open the ZIP. (I can send it as a full PDF.) Let me know if you've gotten them. I have other material on Sino-Tibetan, Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, and so forth. Have you read Roy Andrew Miller on Japanese? Ping or email me as I will be distracted for the next few days. μηδείς (talk) 03:06, 1 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

Got them, Cheers - you really are spoiling me! This is almost a year's worth of reading! :) KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 08:40, 2 May 2015 (UTC)Reply
I just sent you the last two I had in mind, Sino-Tibetan and The Langs. of E/SE Asia. μηδείς (talk) 21:36, 10 May 2015 (UTC)Reply
Cheers! Got them! Thanks a lot! KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 07:06, 13 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

fête

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Hello, is there some British people who pronounce the word fête as [fæɪ̯t]? 162.247.123.201 (talk) 20:27, 8 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

That sounds like Cockney to me. It would normally be [fɛɪt]. KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 10:24, 9 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

In the spirit of Diana Trent

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Do please feel free to tell me to sod off. μηδείς (talk) 01:20, 17 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

 
Hello, KageTora. Please check your email; you've got mail!
It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.
Send everything you have, dear chap. KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 10:24, 17 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

Changing the meaning of another editor's comment

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Hey KageTora!

I undid your modification to Nineguy's question at WP:RDH#World Life Expectancy, as changing the meaning of another editor's comment is not allowed, per WP:TPOC. -- ToE 01:16, 12 June 2015 (UTC)Reply

I expected this. It was done as an experiment. Thanks for re-changing it. KägeTorä - () (もしもし!) 06:38, 12 June 2015 (UTC)Reply

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Entertainment#Restriction on recording devices in Japanese stage events and concerts

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 You are invited to join the discussion at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Entertainment#Restriction on recording devices in Japanese stage events and concerts. Thanks. Narutolovehinata5 tccsdnew 13:08, 13 August 2015 (UTC)Reply

Condolences

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My condolences to his friends and family. I had very few (if any) direct interactions with him here on WP, but I enjoyed reading his contributions to the Reference Desks. He was a very knowledgeable person who seemed to have an unquenchable thirst for even more knowledge in his areas of interest and a desire to share it with the rest of the world. He also seemed like the kind of guy I would like to have a pint with. For someone whom I did not know personally, I find myself unexpectedly rendered both saddened and contemplative at the news of his passing. From what he has written on his user page, he was a few years younger than I. Such a tragic loss. People like us spend all our lives learning and reading -- voraciously acquiring information and experience -- but when we go, all we have synthesized would disappear with us unless we have passed it on to others. Thank you for using WP to pass on at least a portion of what you spent your all-too-short lifetime learning.--William Thweatt TalkContribs 02:17, 26 August 2016 (UTC)Reply

God bless you, KageTora. Vale. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 22:01, 26 August 2016 (UTC)Reply

Thank you, KageTora, for your politeness and for sharing your keen intellect. I will miss you. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:08, 26 August 2016 (UTC)Reply

My condolences. The Rambling Man (talk) 22:10, 26 August 2016 (UTC)Reply

Very sad news. I interacted with him a few times on the Reference Desk and saw his name enough there for him to seem like a permanent fixture of it. I will miss him. Double sharp (talk) 15:53, 27 August 2016 (UTC)Reply

You were a bit of a cheeky cunt, mate, but you were one of the good ones. Perhaps if I'd talked to you more, perhaps if I'd pushed you more, perhaps if I'd made more space for you - then maybe things would be different. Maybe we'd still be talking now. Maybe not. I have no idea...You went to hell and back, though, and you came out the other side as someone who I was glad to call my mate. You might have shown me a bunch of duff videos and never understood my taste in music, but you were my mate, and don't you think for one second I'll ever forget it. You expanded my horizons. I'll raise a cup of sake to you when I get to Japan. I know you'd do the same for me. Vimescarrot (talk) 08:54, 28 August 2016 (UTC)Reply

Rest in peace dear colleague! Hamid Hassani (talk) 21:03, 16 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

:(--Kintetsubuffalo (talk) 12:00, 2 November 2016 (UTC)Reply

Thanks for everything, KageTora. May you rest in peace. Miss Bono [hello, hello!] 14:17, 29 November 2016 (UTC)Reply

RIP

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Hey everyone, KageTora died at age 43 on July 6, 2016. I promise his contributions will never be forgotten. Dinglebat500 (talk) 11:41, 1 April 2017 (UTC)Reply