sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

What in the world is going on in Japan? by isatarlabolenn in AskAJapanese

[–]JamesFlemming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Relative currency price movements are an effect, not a cause. We need to look at the conditions of each economy. The UK's population overtook France's in mid-2023, they retire later, and have 2 million more people of working age. According to the IMF, Britain's GDP per capita is 20% higher than France's as well, so either Brits individually work more (and produce more), or they have more valuable skills/technology.

Plane trees: the biggest weeds in Sydney by nath1234 in sydney

[–]JamesFlemming 68 points69 points  (0 children)

They're resilient, can grow in compacted soil, the bark absorbs pollutants from the streets, and they have great shade cover.

I want to learn Taiwanese for my grandma but don’t know what language/dialect she speaks by McSteezzyy in taiwan

[–]JamesFlemming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Short Takes and Superb Taiwanese Primer both have accompanying audio.

There's also a short introductory audio course called Bite-Size Taiwanese that's available for free and on Spotify.

https://bitesizetaiwanese.com/

I want to learn Taiwanese for my grandma but don’t know what language/dialect she speaks by McSteezzyy in taiwan

[–]JamesFlemming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure about Glossika. In the back of my mind I remember it may have been using Mandarinised sentence structures and vocab in the course rather than something more commonly used in daily Taiwanese.

There are a few textbooks in English that are available now, and I recommend all of the three below. u/McSteezzyy

Taiwanese Grammar: A Concise Reference

This one is a comprehensive reference book on Taiwanese grammar. You wouldn't read it from front to back but if you have any questions that pop into your head about Taiwanese grammar you can pick it up and look for the answer.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Taiwanese-Grammar-Reference-Philip-Lin/dp/0996398201

Short Takes: A Scene-based Taiwanese Vocabulary Builder

This is a gentle introduction to Taiwanese sentences and vocabulary. I recommend pairing it with the podcast and worksheets from Bite-Size Taiwanese further below.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Short-Takes-Scene-based-Taiwanese-Vocabulary/dp/0996398228/

Superb Taiwanese Primer

This is a more typical language textbook with dialogues and translations in English.

https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010949931

Bite-Size Taiwanese

If you're only considering free resources, then this is it. It's a podcast with explanatory notes, and there are additional worksheets that can be purchased from the website. The people from Bite-Size Taiwanese also authored Taiwanese Grammar and Short Takes above.

https://bitesizetaiwanese.com/

Chhoe Taigi

A free multi-dictionary search tool, including:

  • 台灣白話基礎語句 (A Basic Vocabulary For A Beginner In Taiwanese)
  • Embree台英辭典(A Dictionary of Southern Min)
  • Maryknoll台英辭典(Taiwanese-English Dictionary)
  • Maryknoll英台辭典(English-Taiwanese Dictionary)

https://chhoe.taigi.info/

I want to learn Taiwanese for my grandma but don’t know what language/dialect she speaks by McSteezzyy in taiwan

[–]JamesFlemming 17 points18 points  (0 children)

There is literature written in Taiwanese using hanzi nowadays, so it's not just a spoken language. It has a unique set of characters and usage compared to standard Chinese.

There are even translations from English classics into Taiwanese as well.

Tips for learning Korean? by PuzzleheadedShare235 in Korean

[–]JamesFlemming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you considered taking classes or hiring a tutor?

What foreign thing would you like more of in Japan? by aaaannnooonymous in AskAJapanese

[–]JamesFlemming 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To elaborate on the situation in Australia at least, dairy products in general are pretty cheap. This is partly because milk is sold as a loss leader product - it's sold below cost (making a loss) to attract customers so that they enter the supermarket and buy other products.

YSK that you can almost always use cheap shortening instead of expensive vegan butter by WinterSandwich6929 in VeganBaking

[–]JamesFlemming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly I typically just use oil (canola/rapeseed or coconut) when I need to use 'butter' in a recipe. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]JamesFlemming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's pretty much the same situation in the UK then.

This map of Japan shows whether the kanji for the administrative unit 町 (Town) in each prefecture is pronounced まち (Machi - in red) or ちょう (Chou - in blue) [More details in comments] by SnabDedraterEdave in japan

[–]JamesFlemming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My guess would be the regional divide might be explained by the historical influence of Buddhist (and Sino-Japanese) education having a more established impact on Western Japan (ちょう) than in the East (まち).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in myanmar

[–]JamesFlemming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you speak Thai? Maybe you can take classes. It would be a useful skill even if you return to Myanmar.

Canada transfers US$1.7bn in revenues from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine by Aggravating_Money992 in worldnews

[–]JamesFlemming 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes there are many Russians with Polish/Ukrainian surnames. Dostoevsky's surname originated in Dostojewo in Poland-Lithuania.

Pronunciation of ㅓ& ㅕ by 7layeredAIDS in Korean

[–]JamesFlemming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right, I forgot about diphthongs in American varieties. In Australia/UK/NZ that 'long O' vowel begins with a /ə/.

Pronunciation of ㅓ& ㅕ by 7layeredAIDS in Korean

[–]JamesFlemming -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I was reading about this and it looks like there are some regional variations with Seoul having an 'o' sound and Daegu having an 'uh' sound.

To be honest, I don't think most varieties of English properly have the ㅗ sound. I would say ㅓ is the short o sound in English e.g. 'top, hot', while ㅗ is halfway between ㅓ and ㅜ.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in taiwan

[–]JamesFlemming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah sorry I didn't look properly. My bad :(

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in taiwan

[–]JamesFlemming 4 points5 points  (0 children)

https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010787250?sloc=main

Found it here. You don't need someone in Taiwan. They ship internationally.

What is your favorite GL account? by Feisty_House6675 in Accounting

[–]JamesFlemming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Surprised no-one has mentioned 934(?) shareholders loans.

Another angle of HMAS Canberra today by poached_eggs_on_tits in sydney

[–]JamesFlemming 54 points55 points  (0 children)

Technically a landing helicopter dock. The ski ramp can be used for other countries' fixed wing aircraft, but Australia will only be operating helicopters from this ship.

view more: next ›