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携帯電話の効用
携帯のせいで、人前で平然と話をする人が増えた。
英会話の練習には話し相手が必要だと思う方は
携帯を利用して面白い話をしてみては?
Talking to yourself
Thanks to cellphones, talking to yourself in public is now acceptable. Think back to the pre-keitai days. A person walking down the street couldn't simply start talking away to himself. Not without drawing strange looks. But nowadays, it is possible to expound on the intricate details of a life crisis — right in the middle of a sea of people — as long as you are holding a cellphone up to your ear.
I was startled when I first saw — or rather heard — someone doing this. I was diligently studying the bubbles of a cappuccino in what had been a rather quiet cafe. "Uso. Maji? What a dope that guy is. You know, I heard that he ..." Someone across the room began spewing out gossip. She punctuated her observations with gales of hearty laughter, and then smacked the table now and again. Not altogether unlike a kodan master, I thought. The woman seemed quite oblivious to the fact that everyone in the place could not help but overhear her. How unusual, I thought. But then, I saw other people doing it. While in line waiting for a taxi, for example, someone behind me was saying, "Sorry, I'm broke. I need more time to pay up. Please?!"
Some might suggest that these are just isolated incidents of people displaying bad manners, but the issue should not be so easily dismissed. What we are seeing is more of a fundamental social transition. Cellphone users are gradually feeling more comfortable — and more compelled — to engage in intimate, personal conversations on their phones whenever and wherever their phone rings. I suppose people are also gradually learning to tune out such conversations — at least, to some extent.
Thus, one must accept the fact that this type of behavior is probably here to stay. And if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Come to think of it, being able to talk to yourself in public is perfect for language learners. No one says you have to use your native tongue when talking to yourself, so why not use a second language that you are still learning?
Consider that you needn't really have anyone on the line to enjoy this new freedom. In fact, the cellphone needn't be turned on at all. You could just hold it up to your ear and babble away. For those of you who have been complaining that you have no one to practice English with, now you do. You can talk to yourself.
Of course, muttering simple phrases into the receiver won't do. For people to believe you are on the phone, the "conversation" has to be vivid, like something from a soap opera, perhaps. Here's something to get you started:
"The nerve of that guy! Going off to date my sister, then my best friend and then chatting up my mother. Now he wants to come back to me again? Well, I never want to see him again as long as I live. Never! Hmm? Oh, I know I'm going to hate myself for saying this, but ... maybe just once more, then."
Shukan ST: June 17, 2005
(C) All rights reserved
- Talking to yourself
- 独り言を言うこと
- in public
- 人前で
- Think back to 〜
- 〜を思い起こしてもらいたい
- pre-keitai days
- 携帯が広まる前の時代
- Not without 〜
- 〜なしには
- drawing strange looks
- 不審げな視線を浴びること
- expound on 〜
- 〜について詳しく説明する
- intricate
- 込み入った
- life crisis
- 人生の一大事
- was startled
- びっくりした
- was diligently studying the bubbles of a cappuccino
- カプチーノのあわをまじまじと観察していた
- in what had been a rather quiet cafe
- それまではかなり静かだったカフェで
- dope
- 間抜けなやつ
- began spewing out gossip
- うわさ話をぶちまけ始めた
- punctuated
- 時々中断した
- observations
- 話
- with gales of hearty laughter
- 爆笑で
- smacked
- バンとたたいた
- Not altogether unlike a kodan master
- まるで講談師まがいだ
- oblivious
- 気付かない
- could not help but overhear her
- いやでも彼女の話が聞こえる
- I'm broke.
- 文無しなんだ
- pay up
- 完済する
- (be)dismissed
- 片付けられる
- compelled
- せざるを得なくなる
- intimate
- 個人的な
- tune out
- 注意を払わない
- if you can't beat 'em, join 'em
- 勝てないなら受け入れろ(長い物には巻かれろ)
- Come to think of it
- 考えてみれば
- needn't be turned on at all
- 実際に通話している必要はない
- babble away
- たわいのないことをしゃべり続ける
- soap opera
- 昼メロ
- Here's something to get you started
- こんなのから始めてみたらどうだろう
- The nerve of that guy!
- 図々しいったらありゃしない
- chatting up 〜
- 下心みえみえで〜に話しかける