ドラマ沼：リスニングはもう無理

たまにテレビドラマ、特に海外ドラマに嵌ります。数年前は「ホームランド」でしたが今は「ウォーキングデッド」。

超長くて2010年開始のゾンビ物、昨年末にようやく完結しましたが私は昨年秋からネトフリで観始めて、まだ真ん中あたり。

ちょっと前に日本でもリメークしたのを放映してましたがスケールから何から全く次元が違う。

思うに戦車でどんどん踏み潰せばゾンビは全部退治できそうですが、そう簡単に終わるのではドラマにならないし、ゾンビの恐怖と同時に人間関係ドラマでもある。

ちょっと中だるみ傾向もあったり、登場人物の行動にイラつくこともありますが、面白いドラマだし、もう時間とエネルギー大分投資したし、最後まで観ないことには収まりがつきません。

英語音声で観てますが、それにしても自分のリスニング力の無さにはホトホト呆れ果ててしまいます。多分、せいぜい半分くらいしか理解できていない。簡単な単語なのに聞き取れない。

例えば、敵襲撃計画を巡ってのRickとDarylの意見の対立を発端とする二人の取っ組み合い（DarylによるRickの首の絞め上げを含む）の後の会話。

1) Rick: There's a plan.  We've got to see it through. （これはOK）

2) Daryl: We gotta win. （ン？）

3) Rick: Yeah, we gotta.  Choke hold's illegal, asshole.　（ン？？）

4) Daryl: Mm-hmm.  Yes, it is.（これもOK）

5) Rick: I'll meet you when I'm down with the last play.（ハ？？？）

6) Daryl: You sure about doing it?（ハ？？？）

上記の2), 3), 5), 6)がほとんど聞き取れず、意味不明。ボソボソ話している、速いし、"choke hold's illegal, asshole"なんて全くお手上げ。

万事この調子で、字幕を確認してようやく完全に理解できる。

もう中学から40年英語勉強して、大学の時は一層熱心にESSで練習して英検1級も取ったし、25年前のトーイックは975だったし、普段から英語で小説読んだりニュース聞いたりして、しかも英語の翻訳を生業としているのに、英語ネイティブであれば恐らく中学生、いや小学生ですら、息をするように、砂に水が染み込む如く当たり前のように、「体全体で」聞き取れる音声言語が聞き取れない。

矢張り、もう一部の天才の方々を除き、並の学習者にはどうしても越えられないリスニングの壁、10歳くらい以前の環境に依存する聴覚的なバリアがあるとしか考えられません。

日本人は気にしてるけどネイティブはあまり気にしない文法ミス6選

Kevin's English Room / 掛山ケビ志郎様の動画の紹介。

 

日常会話においては細かいことは気にしなくていいんでしょう。

昔はどこかの大学の英文学部教授の爺さんみたいなのがしたり顔でバラ撒く眉唾の御高説が色々あったような気がします。

例えば水泳のプールのことを言うんだったら"pool"だと「水溜まり」になるから通じない、"swimming pool"と言わないといけないとか。そんなもん文脈で分かるに決まってるし、実際ネイティブだってpoolと言っている。

「左右」だって英語は右が先で"right and left"だとかいう説を聞いたことがありますが、実際には"left and right"は普通に読んだり聞いたりするし、何の問題もない。

そもそも主張や会話が苦手な国民なので、英語以前に小さい頃から日本語での発表や議論の機会を増やしたほうが良いと思います。

 

追記JAN092025

Chat爺に聞いてみた。

Do you find anything odd or unnatural if I said, "I swam in the pool in the back of my house yesterday"?

ChatGPT:

ChatGPT

There's nothing grammatically wrong or unnatural about saying, "I swam in the pool in the back of my house yesterday." However, it could sound a bit wordy or redundant, depending on the listener's perspective.

Potential Refinements:

1. Simpler phrasing:

   • "I swam in the pool behind my house yesterday."
     • This is more concise and commonly used in everyday conversation.

2. Keeping the original phrasing:

   • If you want to emphasize the specific location (e.g., distinguishing it from other pools), your original sentence works fine.

Ultimately, it's a matter of style and emphasis. The original sentence is perfectly valid; the refinement just makes it a bit more conversational.

あなた:

How about "in the pool"? Isn't it better to say "in the swimming pool"?

ChatGPT:

ChatGPT

Using "in the pool" versus "in the swimming pool" depends on context and how much detail or formality you want to convey:

1. "In the pool":

   • This is natural, concise, and commonly used in casual conversation.
   • If it's clear from context that you're referring to a swimming pool (and not, say, a pond or decorative pool), this phrasing works perfectly.

2. "In the swimming pool":

   • Adds clarity if there's any ambiguity about the type of pool.
   • May sound more formal or specific, which could be appropriate in certain contexts (e.g., writing for clarity or in formal descriptions).

Recommendation:

If the context already makes it clear you're talking about a swimming pool, "in the pool" is better for simplicity and naturalness. Use "in the swimming pool" if you need to eliminate any potential ambiguity or if you're aiming for a slightly more formal tone.

あなた:

Which is more common, "left and right" or "right and left"?

ChatGPT:

ChatGPT

"Left and right" is more common than "right and left" in most contexts. This is largely due to convention and the natural flow of language in English. Here's why:

1. Conventional Order:

• Phrases like "left and right" have been ingrained in common expressions (e.g., "looking left and right," "turn left and right"), making "left" come first more familiar and natural.
• This order is similar to other paired expressions like "black and white" or "up and down," where the order feels standardized.

2. Frequency of Use:

• Linguistic studies show that "left and right" is more frequently used in everyday speech and writing. It's the more instinctive order for many English speakers.

3. Contextual Exceptions:

• "Right and left" might be used in specific contexts, such as emphasizing the "right" side first (e.g., in a directional or political discussion).
• It can also appear in creative writing or for rhythmic purposes.

Conclusion:

"Left and right" is more common and widely accepted, but "right and left" can still be correct depending on the context or desired emphasis.

が公知である、知られている：wherein

新規情報導入のwherein

US4902108
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Several different types of devices are known wherein transmittance to electromagnetic radiation can be reversibly varied. Among such devices are those wherein the transmittance is changed by thermochromic, photochromic, or electro-optic (e.g., liquid crystal, dipolar suspension, electrophoretic, electrochromic) means and wherein the variable transmittance is to electromagnetic radiation that is at least partly in the visible range (wavelength from 4200 Å to 7000 Å).

 

US8680763
In the above-described device, emission is from one electroluminescent species only. However, devices are known wherein electroluminescence originates from more than one electroluminescent species. In one such device disclosed in WO 99/48160, more than one electroluminescent material is provided in the electroluminescent layer. WO 2006/067508 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,627 disclose another arrangement wherein the device comprises more than one electroluminescent layer.

 

US8750693
Various types of devices have been employed to dispense vapors into the air. For example, passive dispensing devices are known, wherein a volatile material in a gel, liquid, or solid form is provided within a container. The volatile material is diffused into the surrounding atmosphere and the diffusion may be assisted by the natural airflow within the surroundings. An adjustable vent may be included in such passive dispensing devices to increase and decrease the amount of volatile material emitted from the passive dispensing devices. Aerosol containers have also been employed to eject droplets of volatile material from a pressurized container into a surrounding atmosphere upon activation of a trigger.

 

US20130160143
Operating methods and control devices are known, wherein data is generated and modified right from the planning stage of a product that is to be manufactured through to its fabrication by a processing machine. In the prior art it is not possible or possible only with difficulty to establish who introduced which changes, and which tools (software tools) were used for this purpose.

 

US6185440
Cellular wireless communications systems are known, wherein a geographical area is divided into cells, and each cell includes a base station (BS, BTS) for communicating with subscriber units (SUs) (also called remote terminals, mobile units, mobile stations, subscriber stations, or remote users) within the cell. In such a system, there is a need for broadcasting information from a base station to subscriber units within the cell, for example to page a particular subscriber unit in order to initiate a call to that SU, or to send control information to all subscriber units, for example on how to communicate with the base station, the control information including, for example, base station identification, timing, and synchronization data.

 

US5047989

2. Prior art

In accessing memory, a variety of prior art techniques are known, wherein address signals from a processor accesses the memory. In some instances, a limited address space is available to access the memory, which memory has a greater capacity than that defined by the address space. 

 

既出情報修飾のwherein

 

US20090118130
In some aspects, the methods involve making a plurality of pluralities by generating a first and a second addressable plurality of polypeptide variants, wherein the members of the first plurality are related to one parent polypeptide and the members of the second plurality are related to a second parent polypeptide, wherein at least a portion of the amino acid sequence of each variant is known, wherein each member of each plurality reacts with a substrate to produce a product, and wherein at least two members of the first plurality react with differing levels of activity upon a given substrate and at least one member of the first plurality and at least one member of the second plurality react with different substrates.