📚📚 Read every day challenge - Fall 2022 🍁🍂

:jack_o_lantern: October 28th :jack_o_lantern: (Home Post Link)

Read a really interesting Linguistics paper today that might be of some interest to language learners: CLARK, E. (2022). A gradualist view of word meaning in language acquisition and language use. (this should be open-access) Particularly the sections on partial meaning in adult speakers.

some linguist rambling

I’m curious if there’s any literature on 2nd language acquisition and partial meaning. Children might not know the difference between a blue-winged teal and a mallard and be fine just using “bird” until they acquire that knowledge, but if you are an adult who knows a lot about birds, then you will immediately notice the gap in your vocabulary when going to try to describe a bird in a second language. 鳥 just isn’t gonna cut it, and being aware of that disconnect between internal knowledge in one language and the lack of ability to express that knowledge in another language is probably an interesting research topic. One of my friends is currently trying to transfer a medical license between two countries that speak different languages, and has really been struggling with this. She knows all the terminology, processes, drugs, and that sort of expert knowledge, but is unable to produce it in her target language because she still needs to build up that extensive vocabulary again. This is probably true for non-expert knowledge as well. You might know a thousand words to describe different kinds of food, but lack that in a target language and be reduced to simple utterances, while being conscious that your vocabulary is insufficient to express what you are trying to express. This makes some parts of adult 2nd language learning importantly different from how you acquire expert knowledge of a new topic in your 1st language, and also how children acquire knowledge of a language in the first place: you have an internal conceptual map already, and aren’t learning much in the way of new distinctions (obviously languages aren’t 1:1 in these terms and categories, but there’s still going to be a lot of overlap), just lots of new labels for existing ones.

Anyways. Japanese time. Read よつばと!chapter 91, 92, 93, 94. Might do some more later, でも今夜は ハロウィンパーティー。Making good progress towards my goal though, only 10 chapters left and still the better part of 3 days to finish before the end of the month.

Starting in chapter 92, I think I noticed よつば doing something she’s never done before: speaking in katakana. She also started calling とらこ by her full name instead of just とら. She’s been reading a lot of books this volume and a little bit in the last, and you can see the level of stuff she’s reading get a little bit harder over time. Definitely growing up a little :face_holding_back_tears:

Good Words

同系色 「どうけいしょく」ー similar color
いける ー to look good (style, taste)
超「ちょう」ー ultra, super, hyper (prefix)
真剣「しんけん」ー serious
驚くほど「おどろくほど」ー to a surprising extent (驚く ‘to be surprised’ + ほど)
痩せる「やせる」ー to become thin, to lose weight
ゴミ袋「ごみぶくろ」ー garbage bag
お祝い 「おいわい」ー celebration
蛙「かえる」ー frog
改札「かいさつ」ー ticket gate

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:tiger2: :books: The Tanuki Autumn Onsen :hotsprings: :raccoon:

20221028 - 吾輩は狸である progress: 64.09% :headphones:

After the baseball incident calms down Wagahai-cat goes for a walk where he spots two people talking, it’s not his fault that he listens in on their conversation, he just so happens to be in earshot, it’s not like he wants to hear what they have to say or anything.

:fallen_leaf: Japanese found under the leaves :fallen_leaf:

Meowords

者共「ものども」ー People; also a rude way to say ‘you’

Today’s “Wait, that word can be written in kanji??”
只今 「ただいま」ー I’m home! / I’m back!; at present; just now

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October 28 :heavy_check_mark: :mountain_snow:

山の霊異記 幻惑の尾根 , 37-40%

Finally finished the story. I feel it had the most ambiguous ending yet, unless there were clues I missed?

Couple of expressions I found interesting:
疑心暗鬼になる - to be suspicious of everything, to jump at shadows
早い者勝ち - the early bird catches the worm, first come first served

And a word:
モルゲンロート
I didn’t find this in my dictionary, but it is translated as 山の朝焼け in the book itself. I can only assume it comes from German?

And then there was this phrase:
小さな灯台の灯りのように灯っている
I wonder if it could be considered inelegant because of the triple kanji repetition, or if it doesn’t matter since it’s pronounced three different ways…

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Home post :bookmark: Oct 28 :maple_leaf:

・狼と香辛料 (77% → 83%)

Finished chapter 5. Just one more book club week left!


uh-oh :joy:

On the topic of uni (the sea urchin kind), seeing that photo made me nostalgic. Growing up on the coast, I remember the 防波堤 [1] near the sea used to be littered with spiky purple shells. Sea gulls love those. Also made for a fun obstacle course trying to bicycle past to the other side!


  1. ↩︎

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Sounds pretty much German to me! :+1:
Although the German word “Morgenrot” just denotes the reddish tinge in the sky at morning in general, not only in the mountains. But there are lots of words who change their meaning when they get Japanized so I shouldn’t be too surprised :sweat_smile:

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:fallen_leaf: Day 28, 28th of October :maple_leaf:

:open_book: Back to my Home Post

Quickly reading a story of DrDru’s before it tolls midnight :laughing:
This one was about singing and Lady Gaga! Very fun. Also some vocabulary words I want to keep in mind:

  • 音楽(おんがく) : music
  • (うた)う : to sing
  • 歌手(かしゅ) : singer
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Main Post

On October the 28th I:

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October 28th!

Today I read Chapter 28 of Happiness. The last few chapters have been generally pleasant so I’m increasingly certain that something dreadful will be happening soon…

(Home Post)

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Home post

Day 27:

Priority: :x:

Free choice: :mag: 硝子の塔の殺人.

Snatches of: :magic_wand: ハリー・ポッターと不死鳥の騎士団. This book is very long.

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:fallen_leaf::maple_leaf: October 28 :maple_leaf::fallen_leaf: home post link🏡

I read an article on NHK News easy about limiting food waste. At least, that’s what I think it’s about lol.

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28 October 2022

:house: Home Post



I don’t think I’ll count it for reading in terms of these posts, but I’ve started watching Violet Evergarden with Japanese subtitles. I’ve really enjoyed it so far, and when I was looking through EN Netflix there was a lot more animes with JP subtitles available than I expected.

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October 28 :maple_leaf: Home Post

Finished up volume 8 of ブルーロック today!! :tada: There were some real dramatic moments in these last few chapters, what a time. And this volume ended at such a mean point too :joy: I must know!!

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Oh I first I thought you thanked my for the Tapas comic. I just noticed you mention my stories :slight_smile: .

I have a few things to finish with my other project (and an other really cool one that should be published soon!) and then I will focus again on the Tile World Chronicles.

I now have the whole story about Markus planned. It’s going to span 6 chapters and hopefully I manage to make the last four of the same quality as the first two.

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:books: :maple_leaf: softlyraining’s spooky book stack :jack_o_lantern: :open_book:

October 28th:
:red_square: 魔女の宅急便 (12% → 13%)

Spent some time with Kiki today, but only for a little bit. Housework and a sour mood kept me from going back and reading more. Hopefully we’ll get some quality time in tomorrow.

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:lady_beetle: Home :lady_beetle:

October 28

ニャンキーズ 2
116 - 125

Conked out against my will again. I plan on finishing this volume tonight though

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:house:
Oct 29

かがみの孤城 58% → 59% (page 210)

Read for the first time in… 9 days :caught_durtling:. Only one page.

Will try to do better next week. It’s nearing the end of October already?!

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:maple_leaf: :jack_o_lantern: :snowflake: :christmas_tree: October 29 :christmas_tree: :snowflake: :jack_o_lantern: :maple_leaf:
Home Post

Orange :tangerine:

Read about half of this week’s chapter. Would have read it all if I had time, but I didn’t. Because I’m going to my friends for more cat socialization plus games.

Yesterday I didn’t end up reading unfortunately. Can’t really say why. Day got away from me, I guess.

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I’m actually not sure when I last posted, am too tired to check, so these are the notes for the last few days!

25/10 3 pages 夜カフェ, 1 page Tugumi

26/10 3 pages 夜カフェ

27/10 2 pages 夜カフェ

28/10 1 page Tugumi

As you can see, not a lot of reading, and nothing today - I did actually open Tugumi but didn’t progress. The last few days have been hectic. 6 days at home post holiday, and one followed an overnight flight with minor sleep so really only 5. Worked essentially 2 11 hour shifts from home. Have prepped the house for house sitters for the next 4 weeks. Fly early tomorrow for 4 weeks work interstate. I’m exhausted. And kitty is going to be so confused…

I’ll probably read tomorrow a lot more as I’m travelling, but doubt I’ll be very awake! Luckily I’m not working Monday so have time to recuperate but also to read. I do enjoy my life but sometimes I think I should leave a little more slack.

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Oct 28, Fri

  • Death Note Vol.5 Ch.36

Someone tempted me by reading ahead of the club by 1 day. (Mere 2 hours in my timezone, and just entering the new week in JST, actually.) So, I just have to read. It’s not so hard this week.

I spent too much time and attention to generating JP sub and cleaning them, otherwise.

Oct 29, Sat of Week 5 of Fall 2022 :maple_leaf:

  • かがみの孤城 (上) 33% => 35% (Start of Ch.3 July)

One section, probably around 20 minutes. I read to the section mark, without much strain.

  • SHADOWS HOUSE Vol.3 Ch.30

Tried listening to songs while reading, and reading ability dropped.

The true nature of お披露目 is now shown.

  • SPY x FAMILY Vol.3 MISSION 14

The most difficult of the day so far. The comedic nature keeps the reading going.

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:lady_beetle: Home :lady_beetle:

October 29

ニャンキーズ 2
126 - 157 (end)

Yeah I don’t think I’m missing out on anything by not continuing this series. At the end of this vol, we got a weed/catnip cat and he’s got dark skin, an afro, big lips, and American style… so a black weed cat. Oh and he’s set up as part of the newest villain group.

Hopefully the next thing will be better. Instead of going straight back to JoJo, I’m planning on reading a story about a human chair as a special Halloween book club

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