Re: verbal diarrhoea

I have seen u~mu used in Japanese. Only once, though, in a song (Lambada
Ranma, the fourth closing for Ranma 1/2). A handy transcription of the
lyrics includes a translation, so I'll post it to give context: "Hm, how
can I best explain this".

-Betsumei the Lurker, Beginning Conlanger

"Douglas Koller, Latin & French" wrote:
>
> Nik wrote:
>
> >As I understand it, _anou_ is a polite way of getting someone's
> >attention.
> >Anou ...
> >Hai?
> >Can you tell me how to get to the post office?
>
> For me, "anoo" can be used as "um" or "er", but as Nik explained, it
> is a discreet way of getting attention, akin to "ahem" (gently
> clearing the throat), since you wouldn't *dream* of presuming to
> impose on someone else's space (I am reluctant to bother you, but...)
> . "Anoo saa" is a wee bit more pushy, but still gets the job done
> politely. "Eeeeeeto" is "um" in the sense of "where was I?", "what
> was I just talking about?", "let me reprise my train of thought"...
> "Ma" is also an option in the sense of "well, um, gee, er, so...".
>
> Kou

Reply