Rocking in Hakata

I love musicals. Can’t help it. Stumbled across the famous 1964 Warner Brothers Production of My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison in the DVD section of Aeon in Niihama during the last weekend. (日本語のウィキペディア記事) I’m strongly considering using it in class – or at least in a club. Click for a video clip and translation comparison.

Why Can’t The English?

Henry: Look at her, a prisoner of the gutters,
Condemned by every syllable she utters.
By right she should be taken out and hung,
For the cold-blooded murder of the English tongue.

Eliza: Aaoooww!

Henry: Aaoooww! Heavens! What a sound!
This is what the British population,
Calls an elementary education.

Pickering: Come, Sir, I think you’ve picked a poor example.

Henry: Did I? Hear them down in Soho square,
Dropping “h’s” everywhere.
Speaking English anyway they like.
You sir, did you go to school?

Man: Wadaya tike me for, a fool?

Henry: No one taught him ‘take’ instead of ‘tike!’
Hear a Yorkshireman, or worse,
Hear a Cornishman converse,
I’d rather hear a choir singing flat.
Chickens cackling in a barn just like this one!

Eliza: G’aan!

Henry: G’aan. I ask you, sir, what sort of word is that?
It’s “Aoooow” and “G’aan” that keep her in her place.
Not her wretched clothes and dirty face.
Why can’t the English teach their children how to speak?
This verbal class distinction by now should be antique.
If you spoke as she does, sir, instead of the way you do,
Why, you might be selling flowers, too.

Pickering: I beg your pardon?

Henry: An Englishman’s way of speaking absolutely classifies him,
The moment he talks he makes some other
Englishman despise him.
One common language I’m afraid we’ll never get.
Oh, why can’t the English learn to set
A good example to people whose
English is painful to your ears?
The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to tears.
There even are places where English completely
disappears. Well, in America, they haven’t used it for years!
Why can’t the English teach their children how to speak?
Norwegians learn Norwegian; the Greeks are taught their
Greek. In France every Frenchman knows
his language from “A” to “Zed”
The French don’t care what they do, actually,
as long as they pronounce in properly.
Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning.
And Hebrews learn it backwards,
which is absolutely frightening.
But use proper English you’re regarded as a freak.
Why can’t the English,
Why can’t the English learn to speak?

I love Rex Harrison’s wacky half-singing, half-talking style. It’s amusing to me. Anyway, this song has soooo many parallels to learning Japanese (and for Japanese people learning English), I think it’s quite fitting to put it up on this blog. What I’ve done to make it more interesting is to copy down the Japanese subtitles from the film and then retranslate them into English. The results are interesting to me. The song’s thematic content remains basically unchanged, but the humor and wit and colorful phrases seem to have been expertly excised. That’s sad to me. Things like “with the speed of summer lightning” and “which is absolutely frightening” are nice lyrics that I wish remained. Anyway, this is my first experiment with a low level HTML table, so please be kind about my formatting problems. Comments and questions are always welcome! Without further ado, here’s the translation – almost in parallel text.

なぜイギリス人は英語が話せない？ （ヒッギンズ） 一生ドブ板暮らし 一語一語がドブ臭い 吊し道がふさわしい 国語に対する反逆罪 何たる発音 初等教育の成果がこれだ （ピッカリング） 彼女は極端な例だ （ヒッギンズ） そうかな ソーホーではHの音を 落とし下町の言葉 学校へは行ったかね？ （男） バカにすんねェ （ヒッギンズ） AとIの区別もつかぬ 音痴の合唱より 耐え難しい地方なまり まさに鶏小室の鶏 （イライザ） てやんでェ （ヒッギンズ） これが人間の言葉か 問題は言葉 汚い服でも顔でもない なぜか話し方を教えない？ 階級を隔てる言葉の壁 言葉一つで すぐ花売りと知れる 話し方で人を差別し 話し方で人をさげすむ その壁は崩せぬものか なぜ手本を示してやらぬ？ 耳障りな英語を話す輩に 泣きたくなる北部なまり 英語が滅びた所さえある アメリカではとうに死語 なぜ話し方を教えない？ どこの国でもやる事だ フランス人の誇りは言葉 正しい発音なら内容不問 アラビアでもアラビア語 ヘブライ人は逆さまに 英語だけがほったらかし なぜ英語を学ばない なぜ学ぼうとしない 正しい英語を

Why Can’t The English Speak English? （Prof. Henry Higgins） A whole life spent on sewer covers Word after word reaking of the gutters Hanging would be appropriate For treason with regard to the English language What pronunciation! This is the result of an elementary education （Colonel Pickering） She is an extreme example. （Prof. Henry Higgins） Is that so? In Soho, the sound of H’s drop, Words of the lower parts of town Did you go school? （Man） Don’t try to make me look stupid. （Prof. Henry Higgins） Can’t grasp the distinction between A and I More so than a tone-deaf chorus A regional dialect quite hard to endure Exactly like chickens in a coop （Eliza Doolittle） Pshhh… （Prof. Henry Higgins） Is this a human word? The problem is words Not dirty clothes or faces Why don’t we teach how to speak? Walls of words isolating classes With a single word Knowing a flower seller We discriminate based on speech We scorn people due to speech Is that wall invincible? Why not point out role models To parties speaking English painful to your ears? Northern accents make one want to cry Some places destroy English In America it’s already a dead language Why don’t we teach how to speak? Countries everywhere do it Words are the pride of the French If pronunciation is correct, the contents aren’t problematic Arabians learn Arabic Hebrews invert it English alone is neglected Why isn’t English studied? Why don’t we intend to study Proper English?

Well, what do you think, folks? More or less of this kind of thing in the future? Was this interesting? Do you like the song? Are you as crazy about musicals as I am? Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a Japanese (Region 2 with subtitles) DVD of the 1967 Dr. Dolittle, or the 1968 Oliver!, or the 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, or any other musical you can think of? The 1972 film version of 1776 would be particularly awesome…you know…with its American theme and all…it would be like an American jidai-geki.

Deas Customary Drivel, Media, 日本語