It just hit me

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

When a Japanese person tries to say "election" it comes out as "erection".
For a Chinese, it's the other way around.

There HAS to be a deeper philosophical meaning to that.

Either that or I'm really bored.

[Don_G]

1. You're Bored

http://www.engrish.com/

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. OMFG

[Don_G]

6. You Missed This

[olddem43]

2. Yeah, 2000 was much more than an erection

it was the whole thing.

[elperromagico]

5. It's like the saying goes:

When a Dick and a Bush are involved... somebody's getting screwed.

[trof]

7. Nice one!

You almost old as me.
1941

[trof]

4. Ah so, glasshoppel

You can probably figure out my last name because my Japanese friends and co-workers called me Rambard-san.

Before the '96 elections I was asked "Rambard-san, you think Crinton have erection?"
Yeah, Saito-san, I'm pretty sure.
;-)

And that time in a Tokyo C&W karaoke bar..."You took a rong time to reave me Rucirre". I 'bout wet my pants.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. Funny...

I've known a number of Japanese people, Chinese people, and Korean people; and none of them had difficulty with their Rs or Ls.

Could it be that the old racist stereotypes are wrong?

[trof]

10. Every native Japanese I know does.

Does the "r" for "l" thing. I don't think they "hear" it.
Peculiar ethnic speech patterns have always puzzled and interested me.
I'm no expert on Chinese or Koreans, but given 10 years of living among and working with the Japanese, I will claim expert there.

I have asked Japanese friends about it, and tried to help them with the pronunciation. They just don't seem to hear it.
"It's ee-LUH-LUH-LUH-lection.
"Ee-RUH-RUH-RUH-rection"
For most, it's difficult to impossible. For Japanese born in the U.S , it's not a problem. ???

They also have a terrible time with "v".
If they have to pronounce the letter, it comes out something like "bree". I was in an aviation ground school in Japan. We were discussing "V" speeds and what they meant. The Instructor referred to "Bree 1" and "Bree 2".

We, on the other hand (native English speakers) have a hard time wrapping our tonsils around the peculiar Dutch (and a bit in German) throat-clearing glottal stop(?) thing.
Gouda=C-c-c-h-h-howda

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

11. I once watched a documentary about this

Apparently, humans construct their internal phonem library in the first three years of life and it never grows further after that. Any new sound heard is categorized into one of the already existing phonems. It happens in all cultures. Almost every Brazilian, for instance, will have a really hard time not pronouncing "the" like "de". That "th" is a comnpletely alien phonem to us.

The Japanese and Chinese cases are most known because, in all Western countries, R and L are such common, easily distinguished phonems.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

12. By the way

Find an Arab. Ask him/her about the phonems in the Arab language. You'll be amazed at how many of them sound exactly the same!

[Beaverhausen]

9. Imagine them talking about Lou Rawls

:spank: sorry