ANMI English Tips & Tools

2008-05-18

Earthquake Richter Scale Japanese Scale of Intensity

In Japan (and Taiwan), earthquakes are measured in units intensity, or shindo (震度). Shindo indicates the strength of earthquakes or literally the degree of shaking. The shindo scale is determined by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA--English / Japanese). A detailed description of the JMA shindo scale can be found at Wikipedia (English / Japanese).

The shindo scale provides a number that tells the public how an earthquake affected their immediate area. Of course, such information would be very helpful before an earthquake occurs. However, technology is not advanced enough yet. So, for now, the shindo scale can only tell us how sever an earthquake was only after it has occurred. In reality, such information is useless to people who have suffered the earthquake itself. If a shindo scale earthquake of 6 or 7 arrived in my area, I would know it before the JMA announced such information on TV or the radio. So, I guess such information would only be valuable to my friends, relatives, and emergency personnel.

In the rest of the world, the Richter scale is used. This includes news sites reporting on the recent earthquake in China.

For example:

The Hindu

Quakes between 5-5.9 on the Richter scale numbered 20, while quakes between 6-6.9 on the Richter scale numbered 3.

Reuters

At least 8,500 people were killed in Sichuan province alone after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the region.

CNN

China's Xinhua news agency reported Wednesday that the death toll from the quake - which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale - had risen to 14,866.

BBC

Around 400 people die when an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale strikes Ducze, in north-west Turkey.

Nikkei News Interactive

The magnitude 7.2 quake struck at 6:33 a.m. in the area of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's border with the Tibet Autonomous Region, and was followed by two strong aftershocks -- registering M5.3 and M5.5 -- within an hour, the USGS said on its website.

So, the next time you discuss the intensity of an earthquake with non-Japanese, you might want to explain the JMA shindo scale, or check the Internet and find the Richter scale number for the earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey monitors earthquakes all over the world, so you can visit their website for the latest info in English.

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2008-04-05

Half Blossom?

Amazon.co.jp ウィジェット

How would you express "五部咲き" in English? Let's break the phrase down:

五 (go) means five.
部 (bu) means part.
咲き (saki/-zaki) means bloom or blossom.

There are several Japanese websites that have translated the phrase "五部咲き" as "half bloom" or "half bloomed," but such a phrase is ambiguous; half of the trees are in full bloom and half of the trees are not; all the blossoms are in half bloom; or half of the blossoms on each tree are in full bloom and the other half are not.

Horticulturists working for the National Park Service at the National Mall & Memorial Parks in Washington D.C. take a scientific approach to expressing the various stages of cherry blossoms.

Bud stage 1: You can see green buds from late February to early March.
Bud stage 2: You can see the florets in March, which means there are about 16 to 21 days until peak (full) bloom.
Bud stage 3: You can see the florets starting to extend, which means there are about 12 to 17 days until peak bloom.
Bud stage 4: You can see the peduncle getting longer, which means there are about 6 to 10 days until full bloom.
Bud stage 5: The buds start to appear puffy white, which means there are about 4 to 6 days before full bloom.

Unless you are a horticulturist or tree grower, most people may not know words like floret and peduncle. So, what is the best way to express the various stages of cherry blossoms in everyday English? Since the concept of 花見, or cherry blossom viewing, is limited to only a few cities in North America, I would suggest you use simple and easily understood phrases. For example:

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom today.
The cherry blossoms are at their peak today.
The cherry blossoms will be in full bloom this weekend.
The cherry blossoms will be at their peak this weekend.
The cherry trees have only partially blossomed so far.
The cherry trees are almost in full bloom.
The cherry trees are nearly in full bloom.
Only half of the buds or so have blossomed.
Only half of the blossoms or so are in full bloom.
The cherry trees haven't fully bloomed yet.
The cherry blossoms haven't fully blossomed yet.

I found one Japanese website that has pictures of the varying degrees of cherry blossom in excruciating detail. To be perfectly honest, I couldn't tell much difference between some of the pictures. For example:

5分咲き
7分咲き
1分咲きも
8部咲き
全景4部咲き
全景5部咲き
つぼみふくらむ
3～5分咲き
つぼみ
満開
ほぼ満開
満開近し

Trying to express these varying degrees of cherry blossoms to someone from outside of the Far East might be a fruitless endeavor. Personally, I would use the following phrases:

The cherry trees are going to blossom pretty soon.
The cherry trees are in full blossom now.
Most of the cherry blossoms are gone.

Remember, the main point is just to enjoy the cherry blossoms, so get out and enjoy the beautiful blossom in all their splendor while you can!

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NIGHT CHERRY BLOSSOM VIEWNG TOP 10 RANKING Otherworldly Experience With Lit Up Cherry Blossoms At Night
1	Hirosaki Park, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture Blossoms on about 2600 cherry trees waft in the nightly air during the Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri (Hirosaki Cherry Festival). Night light-up period: April 23 - May 5, sunset to 11 pm.
2	Takato Joshi Park (park in the ruins of the Takato castle), Ina City, Nagano Prefecture About 1500 cherry trees, mostly strains inherent in the area, are in bloom for about two weeks. Night light-up period: About two weeks from mid-April, sunset to 10 pm.
3	Hinokinaigawa-Tsutsumi (riverbank), Bukeyashiki-Dori (samurai residence alley), Senboku City, Akita Prefecture Cherry blossom viewing in two different types of atmosphere. Night light-up period: Mid-April to early May, sunset to midnight for the riverbank, 6:30 pm-10:30 pm for the alley.
4	Takada Park, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture The park is lit up during the cherry blossom viewing festival around the Takada Castle. Night light-up period: April 4-20, sunset to 11 pm.
5	Chidorigafuchi Ryokudo, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Rows of about 260 cherry trees lining the moat of the Imperial Palace are reflected on the water. Night light-up period: March 28 - April 6, sunset to 10 pm.
6	Kiyomizu-dera, (Kiyomizu Temple), Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Visitors can enjoy both cherry blossoms and a view of Kyoto in the evening. Night light-up period: March 29-April 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm (special night viewing)
7	Rikugien (Garden), Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Enjoy the otherworldly view of 17m-wide cascading blossoms on 70-year-old trees. Night light-up period: March 20-30, sunset to 8:30 pm.
8	Maruyama Park, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Cherry trees about 80 years old are in full bloom, aesthetically lit up in the night sky. Night light-up period: March 10 - April 15, sunset to 1 am next day.
9	Miidera (Temple), Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture Free access to the mountain temple while the cherry blossoms are lit up in the evening. Night light-up period: April 1-17, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
10	Hamarikyu Onshi Teien (Garden), Chuo-ku, Tokyo Cherry blossoms of about 80 trees are reflected on the lake water as they are lit up with high-rise buildings in the background. Night light-up period: April 12-20, sunset to 8:30 pm.
Note: The period and hours during which the cherry blossoms are lit up are shown. They are subject to change just before the stated period depending on the level of blooming. Some places charge visitors for viewing.

(The Nikkei Plus 1 Saturday edition)

References:

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2008-03-22

Siamese Twins

Henry Watson Fowler (1858 - 1933) used the term Siamese twins to refer to groups of words that are joined by and or or. One critical point about Siamese twins is that you cannot reverse the words. For example, black and white but not white and black.

Here is a list of other word pairs that I think are more common everyday conversation:

back and forth: 前後に(= to and fro), (前後[左右]に)行ったり来たり
The lawyers argued back and forth.
bells and whistles: 必要とはされないが楽しいまたはあると便利なソフト機能
New cell phones have a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles.
black and blue: （打撲で）青黒いあざになった
My arms and legs were black and blue after the motorcycle accident.
cat and mouse: 猫とネズミ：ネズミになった子が猫になった子につかまらないようにして遊ぶ遊戯
The CIA and KGB played deadly cat and mouse games during the Cold War.
down and out: 一文なし
He was down and out after losing all of his money at the casino.
here and there: あちこち
The young man lived here and there before settling down and getting married.
high and dry: 見捨てられている
We were left high and dry when our company moved to China.
ins and outs: ノウハウ; 何もかも
The engineer worked hard to learn the ins and outs of the system.
knife and fork (not fork and knife)

ladies and gentlemen (never gentlemen and ladies)

lost and found: 遺失物取扱所
I went to the station lost and found to get my wallet back.
loud and clear: はっきりと分かる
It was loud and clear that he was angry after slamming the door shut.
mother and father (not father and mother)

night and day: 昼も夜も休まずに
We worked night and day to meet the deadline.
nuts and bolts: 基本を心得ている
You can't move to a higher level until you learn the nuts and bolts.
pros and cons: メリットとデメリット; 利点と不利点]
Using a credit card has its pros and cons.
sick and tired: 嫌気が差す, うんざりする
I am sick and tired of her constant complaining.
stop and go: のろのろ[運転]
I was stuck in stop-and-go traffic for three hours.
thick and thin: 楽な時もつらい時も
Their marriage survived through thick and thin.
tooth and nail: 猛烈に戦う
Hillary Clinton is fighting tooth and nail to become the next president.

Here are a few more phrases. What do you think they mean? Please leave a comment or ask me in class!

touch and go
up and coming
all or nothing
day or night
more or less
rain or shine
sink or swim
sooner or later
black and white
give and take
hit and miss

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