Not sure if this is necessarily a good change...
For years, I've been studying Japanese off and on. I admit -- the whole "OMG JAPAN!" trend was what sparked my interest at first, but after really dwelving into the language, I saw no point in backing out. It's been pretty fun, and interesting... but I can't say I really have any practical use for it. On the other hand, I guess it's handy to have around in case it might grant me better career opportunities later on down the road.
That aside, I've had to change much of my speech pattern in order to emulate a native speaker as closely as possible. Of course, I'm nowhere near that level of proficiency, but over the years, I've noticed a gradual change in my tone. The biggest change is my usage of onomatopoeia -- or grunts, laughs, screams, etc. I unconsciously emulate a lot of Japanese phonics in daily expressions. It really hit me when I was laughing at something earlier, and it ressembled Kadaj's laugh to a tee. (much more lame than it sounds...) For some reason, I can't seem to go back to the usual "ow!" or "eek!" I've grown up with, even though I try to be more concious of these patterns. Is it necessarily a bad thing? I don't know... but I imagine I'm getting some weird looks.
Well, yeah. This is an awkward post. I'm half-awake, but thought I would share it, anyway. I guess everyone will just have to continue thinking that I have a weird way of expressing myself anytime I stub my toe or laugh out loud. :mad:
