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nekokami · 05-27-2008, 05:51 PM

Well, here I am, late again as usual. I would suggest "time sink" for "chronophage," but as others have said, "chronophage" is itself a perfectly good word.

For my contribution, I suggest all the honorific endings in Japanese, e.g. -san, -kun, -chan, etc. I'm supposed to provide definitions, and someone whose Japanese is better than mine can feel free to correct me, but in general:

-san: used for someone who has status in the conversation. A politeness and respect marker. Nearest equivalent in English: prepending "Mr." or "Mrs." probably (though there are problems with "Mrs." and its meanings about marriage status that don't apply here). Usually appended to a surname, but I've seen it appended to given names, as well. (I think this would be a politeness marker within an in-group.) Used for both men and women.

-kun: Very difficult to define in English. I think I would try to explain it this way: used with someone whose status might be lower than yours, but to show that they are still in your "in-group." Also used as a sign of familiarity between people whose status might be similar, who are in the same in-group. (Note that in Japanese culture, status is never "equal.") Can be appended to either a surname or a given name; the latter is more familiar.

-chan: appended to a given name (sometimes a shortened version of a name) to indicate endearment or affection. Usually not used with adults, usually not used with males (but I've seen exceptions). Girls often put -chan after the names of their best friends when addressing them; boys might do this with girls, especially younger girls. Girls addressing boys in similar circumstances are most likely to use -kun instead... I think. Can be used with pets.

Then you have "sensei," "sempai", and "kohai", which can be used by themselves or can be appended after a name. Sensei means "teacher," but can be used with many people who are respected in a professional sense, i.e. not literally teachers, but someone one learns from. Sempai means "upper classman" and refers to a system of obligations between older and younger students (kohai). A sempai is still your sempai even after you have both graduated from whatever school you were in.

Edit: Oh, and I really like "troublé(e)". In the movie The Wind and the Lion, Sean Connery says, "Mrs. Petticaris, you trouble me." And I think he means it in some of the same ways that troublé(e) might mean. But I think "flustered" might be closer.

05-27-2008, 05:51 PM	#225
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	Well, here I am, late again as usual. I would suggest "time sink" for "chronophage," but as others have said, "chronophage" is itself a perfectly good word. For my contribution, I suggest all the honorific endings in Japanese, e.g. -san, -kun, -chan, etc. I'm supposed to provide definitions, and someone whose Japanese is better than mine can feel free to correct me, but in general: -san: used for someone who has status in the conversation. A politeness and respect marker. Nearest equivalent in English: prepending "Mr." or "Mrs." probably (though there are problems with "Mrs." and its meanings about marriage status that don't apply here). Usually appended to a surname, but I've seen it appended to given names, as well. (I think this would be a politeness marker within an in-group.) Used for both men and women. -kun: Very difficult to define in English. I think I would try to explain it this way: used with someone whose status might be lower than yours, but to show that they are still in your "in-group." Also used as a sign of familiarity between people whose status might be similar, who are in the same in-group. (Note that in Japanese culture, status is never "equal.") Can be appended to either a surname or a given name; the latter is more familiar. -chan: appended to a given name (sometimes a shortened version of a name) to indicate endearment or affection. Usually not used with adults, usually not used with males (but I've seen exceptions). Girls often put -chan after the names of their best friends when addressing them; boys might do this with girls, especially younger girls. Girls addressing boys in similar circumstances are most likely to use -kun instead... I think. Can be used with pets. Then you have "sensei," "sempai", and "kohai", which can be used by themselves or can be appended after a name. Sensei means "teacher," but can be used with many people who are respected in a professional sense, i.e. not literally teachers, but someone one learns from. Sempai means "upper classman" and refers to a system of obligations between older and younger students (kohai). A sempai is still your sempai even after you have both graduated from whatever school you were in. Edit: Oh, and I really like "troublé(e)". In the movie The Wind and the Lion, Sean Connery says, "Mrs. Petticaris, you trouble me." And I think he means it in some of the same ways that troublé(e) might mean. But I think "flustered" might be closer.