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eikaiwa??????????

 
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easyasabc



Joined: 13 Jul 2003
Posts: 179
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 11:46 am    Post subject: eikaiwa?????????? Reply with quote

I just saw this on the FAQ section
Quote:
6. What is an eikaiwa?
This is the Japanese word for language school or conversation school.........
and it made me wonder (for the umpteenth time) why some people seem to think that the word "eikaiwa" actually means "conversation school".

"Eikaiwa" just means "English conversation" it does not mean "school". An "Eikaiwa Gakkoo" or Eikawa Gakuin" or something else along those lines would mean "English converation school".
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shmooj



Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1758
Location: Seoul, ROK

PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 4:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And...?
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 8:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Strictly speaking, you are right. However, everybody and his brother uses the word eikaiwa to mean the school. Live with it.
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easyasabc



Joined: 13 Jul 2003
Posts: 179
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 1:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

shmooj wrote:
And...?
My point is simple. Eikaiwa is NOT the Japanese word for language school or English school so why does the FAQ section say it is? I wondered if people really do think that's what it means.

Glenski wrote:
However, everybody and his brother uses the word eikaiwa to mean the school. Live with it.

Yes, strictly speaking I am right. I don't use it and neither do my Japanese friends! Hence "everybody" does not use it.
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PAULH



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 1:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

easyasabc wrote:

Glenski wrote:
However, everybody and his brother uses the word eikaiwa to mean the school. Live with it.

Yes, strictly speaking I am right. I don't use it and neither do my Japanese friends! Hence "everybody" does not use it.


Your Japanese friends probably also do not use Japanese/foreign words in the middle of an English sentence either, any more than they use English words in a Japanese sentence (when there is a Japanese/katakana equivalent "boku wa library ni ikimasu" ) - they would use "conversation school" in English, or 'eikaiwa gakkou" when speaking Japanese- its a kind of code-switching by mixing Japanese and English.

English does not lend itself easily to abbreviating words relating to places.
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shmooj



Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1758
Location: Seoul, ROK

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 2:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

easy, I'm afraid that what you said about it not being the name Japanese use is simply wrong.

About four years ago, to try to rid our school of the associations that the name eikaiwa lends to our establishment, I tried to lobby for a name change to something like gakuin or gengo gakkou or something more upmarket sounding.

My Japanese owners closed me down pretty quick. They liked the name eikaiwa because they said it communicated directly with the clientele that this was a conversation school. Nowhere in our name does it mention school and yet the word eikaiwa, despite your correct literal rendering of the word above, has the meaning conversation school i.e. a place where you study and learn English no matter how loosely study and learn are defined. When you say eikaiwa, Japanese people think foreign teachers, students, desks, classrooms etc. It therefore means school to Japanese people.

My bosses wanted to keep eikaiwa as the name of our school because of this very meaning.

I'm not sure how being pedantic about what the word means really helps the profession of TESOL in Japan either but I'm hoping that you have a reason for your thread that is valuable to us.

And if you split any more of my hairs, I'll no longer be follicularly challenged! Wink
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Canuck2112



Joined: 13 Jun 2003
Posts: 239

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 2:46 am    Post subject: Re: eikaiwa?????????? Reply with quote

easyasabc wrote:

"Eikaiwa" just means "English conversation" it does not mean "school". An "Eikaiwa Gakkoo" or Eikawa Gakuin" or something else along those lines would mean "English converation school".


And.......I personally found this interesting. Thanks for posting it easyasabc
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guest of Japan



Joined: 28 Feb 2003
Posts: 1601
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I often hear Japanese refer to conversation schools as eikaiwa.
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Brooks



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1369
Location: Sagamihara

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 3:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I sometimes hear people say they go to eigo gakko.
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