Dialogue

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Peter: Peter here. Onomatopoeia Lesson 14. Are You Absent Minded in Japanese?
なおみ: なおみです。こんにちはHi everyone, this is Naomi.
Peter: Welcome to japanesepod101.com’s onomatopoeia series. In this series, we are exploring the world of Japanese onomatopoeia.
なおみ: そうですね。There are two types of Japanese onomatopoeia 擬音語and 擬態語.
Peter: 擬音語 are the true onomatopoeia that mimic sounds just like our English onomatopoeia. Here are a few examples. Bang!
なおみ: バーン
Peter: The sound of a gun being shot.
なおみ: ブーブー
Peter: Now 擬態語on the other hand describe a situation, feeling or state using sound.
なおみ: Such as ぎょっとする
Peter: To be taken aback. We hope you will join us on this enjoyable ride into the wonderful world of Japanese onomatopoeia. Without further adieu, let’s get on with the lesson. In the previous lesson, we learned onomatopoeia that describes surprise or fear.
なおみ: Such as はっ、ぎょっ、ぞっ
Peter: In this lesson, you will learn some onomatopoeia that express disappointment and absentmindedness such as
なおみ: がっくり、ぼんやり and しょんぼり
Peter: Now these are a little difficult to translate without context. So Naomi Sensei, can we hear them in context?
なおみ: Sure. I am going to read some passages that include this lesson’s target onomatopoeia. 大好きだった犬が死んで父はがっくりきたんだと思う。1日中庭を見てぼんやりしている。犬が大好きだった母もしょんぼりしている。
Peter: I think my father has lost heart since his beloved dog died. All he does is gaze absentmindedly at our garden all day. My mother who also loved the dog looks crestfallen too.
なおみ: かわいそうですね。
Peter: Poor mom and dad. There are three onomatopoeia phrases in the sentences right?
なおみ: はい
Peter: They are
なおみ: がっくりきた
Peter: Has lost heart.
なおみ: 庭をみてぼんやりしている。
Peter: Gaze absentmindedly at our garden.
なおみ: しょんぼりしている。
Peter: Crestfallen. First let’s take a look at がっくり indicates a sudden decrease in something and it’s often used with がっくりくる. It usually refers to a drop in mood or disposition. To lose one’s heart, to be discouraged. Naomi Sensei, can you read the sentence with がっくりone more time.
なおみ: 大好きだった犬が死んで父はがっくりきたんだと思う
Peter: I think my father has lost heart since his beloved dog died. Let’s break it down. First we have
なおみ: 大好きだった犬
Peter: Beloved dog.
なおみ: が死んで
Peter: Died and
なおみ: 父はがっくりきた
Peter: My father has lost heart.
なおみ: と思う
Peter: Quotation marker is とand I think. So we put it altogether, I think my father has lost heart since his beloved dog died.
なおみ: Instead of がっくりくるyou can say がくっとくるor がくりとくる
Peter: These all mean the same thing right?
なおみ: そうですね。同じです。
Peter: Okay on to the next onomatopoeia. Naomi Sensei, what’s the second one?
なおみ: ぼんやり
Peter: ぼんやりdescribes absence of mind and it’s also used when something is blurry right?
なおみ: そうですね。 Suru often follows ぼんやり. So ぼんやりする
Peter: To be spaced out, to be absentminded.
なおみ: そうそうそう。時々私もぼんやりしてますね。
Peter: So I think everybody spaces out once in a while.
なおみ: はい。
Peter: Can you read the sentence again?
なおみ: 一日中庭を見てぼんやりしている。
Peter: All he does is sit and gaze absentmindedly at our garden all day.
なおみ: Instead of ぼんやり, some people might say ぼやっと or ぼっーと
Peter: I hear the last one a lot ぼっーとする
なおみ: ぼっーみたいな感じね
Peter: Sometimes you even hear ぼっーとするなsnap out of it.
なおみ: そうそうそう、言うね。ぼっーとしないでください
Peter: Don’t space out.
なおみ: そうね。あとはpersonality とかにも使いますね. I think you can use ぼっーとするto describe someone’s personality.
Peter: So not the brightest crayon in the box.
なおみ: Umm どうだろうな
Peter: Nice, very nice but not so sharp.
なおみ: そうそうそうそう
Peter: Okay lastly we have
なおみ: しょんぼりする
Peter: しょんぼり refers to the feeling of dejection which is usually caused by some kind of unwelcomed incident. Can you read the sentence again?
なおみ: 犬が大好きだった母もしょんぼりしている。
Peter: My mother who also loved the dog looks crestfallen too. Let’s break it down.
なおみ: 犬が大好きだった母
Peter: My mother who also loved the dog.
なおみ: も
Peter: Also.
なおみ: しょんぼりしている。
Peter: Is crestfallen.
なおみ: 何か風船がしぼむ感じ
Peter: So deflated, it’s like the air coming out of the balloon.
なおみ: そう Or when the flower gets old
Peter: And wilts
なおみ: そうそうそう、首が下を向いちゃう感じ
Peter: しょんぼり
なおみ: そうですLike your chin ______ (0:05:38) is not up, it’s down.
Peter: Yeah so picture someone that had just fallen down in the shoulder slouching.
なおみ: そうそうそう。しょんぼりしないで
Peter: 頑張りますOkay speaking of depressing, is がっかりするto be disappointed also in onomatopoeia?
なおみ: I think so. がっかりis similar to がっくり and there is one more onomatopoeia I’d like to introduce.
Peter: Which is
なおみ: くよくよする
Peter: To fret over a trivial manner.
なおみ: そうそうそう。くよくよしないで
Peter: Don’t sweat small stuff.
なおみ: そう。ピーターさんは、くよくよしないですよねYou are not that kind of person.
Peter: くよくよするよ。
なおみ: うそー
Peter: That’s pretty hard to say.
なおみ: Yeah くよくよするよ
Peter: Yeah no I do feel guilt over little things.
なおみ: 本当
Peter: くよくよするtype.
なおみ: 本当I said the nasty thing to Naomi again みたいな
Peter: Yes.
なおみ: ほんとかな
Peter: So let’s recap the usage of the words we looked at today and we are going to do this with some sample sentences. Naomi Sensei, what’s the first phrase?
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
なおみ: がっくりくる
Peter: To lose one’s heart, to be discouraged. Sample sentence,
なおみ: 大切な車が壊れてがっくりきた
Peter: My beloved car broke down and I felt really down. Okay second word,
なおみ: ぼんやりする
Peter: To be absentminded, to be spaced out.
なおみ: 危ない!運転中はぼんやりしないで。
Peter: Watch out, don’t space out while you are behind the wheel.
なおみ: 当たり前ですよね。
Peter: Naomi Sensei, have you heard this expression said to you before?
なおみ: ぼんやりしないで。私言われたことあります。 I am often told not to ぼんやりする
Peter: 思った通り Just as I suspected.
なおみ: ほんと!
Peter: Umm…
なおみ: わたしぼんやりしてる?
Peter: 時々 Once in a while.
なおみ: そうだよね。
Peter: But I think everybody in the office does it. That just -
なおみ: そうね。
Peter: Okay. Lastly
なおみ: しょんぼりする
Peter: Crestfallen, dispirited, deflated, to be sunk in dejection.
なおみ: 犬は怒られた後、しょんぼりしていた
Peter: The dog had its tail in between his legs after being scolded.
なおみ: 尻尾が足の間にあるんだTail between its legs.
Peter: Right it’s usually up.
なおみ: Umm…面白い。しょんぼりする。そうそうそうそう、そんな感じですね。
Peter: So Naomi Sensei, out of the onomatopoeia we introduced today, which one do you use the most or which one is said about you the most?
なおみ: ぼんやりする。どうしたのぼんやりしてAre you daydreaming みたいな
Peter: Kind of like are you zoning out? Still there もしもし
なおみ: そうそうそうそうそう、ピーターはHow about you Peter?
Peter: Ah…
なおみ: ないでしょ
Peter: Yeah. Recently because I am always so tired, I usually hear from my wife ぼっーとするな
なおみ: 本当
Peter: Yeah. You know because we are trying to have a conversation and she is like aha, aha, aha!
なおみ: なるほどね。
Peter: So everybody, Minasan, what phrases do you hear or what phrases do you use, please definitely let us know.
なおみ: はい、お願いします。

Outro

Peter: Okay. That is going to do for this lesson. Now remember, learning onomatopoeia is essential for greater fluency and for taking your Japanese to the next level. Be sure to stop by the website japanesepod101.com and pick up the lesson notes. There you will find a detailed write up of onomatopoeia that appeared in this lesson. Also on the website, you can access some of the previous lessons. With a basic or premium membership, you can access all the audio and lesson notes from this and other lessons. To find out more, stop by japanesepod101.com. That’s going to do for this lesson.
なおみ: じゃあまた。

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