I didn't know he knew some of the words he knows.

Maybe these are the words Ichiro learnt from his intellectual surroundings - the american team.

naw - everybody learning a new language gets the bad words first. no matter where.

ExPrincesKa- Hey! Another anti US comment, without foundation.

Many of the first words of Japanese i learnt were sear words, because i heard the same word being said again and again , and asked what is that word?

Swear words are easy, as they can be used instead of many decent words, so thay are an easy substitute.

Many of the first words of Japanese i learnt were sear words, because i heard the same word being said again and again , and asked what is that word?

Says more about the company you were keeping than anything else. Same goes for Ichiro-kun.

Cleo

I came to Japan in my late teens, and used to go out regulary, as kids those ages do.

Those kids also swear a lot when young. I still know some of them, and they no longer speak that way, things change and people change.

Heck- Be truthfull, didn`t you ever say, or do things you would find ridiculous these days in your youth?

Most of us grow out of these thing, i did. heck, i don`t want to sound negative, but you should ask more about someone, or something before pasing judgement.

USAPatriot -

You just confirmed what I said - the company you were keeping at the time you were learning the language was reflected in the language you learned.

When I first came to Japan, I didn't realise it at the time, but the language I was learning was heavily weighted towards otoko kotoba. Because of the company I found myself in, ie being young, foreign, blonde and not hideous, I had more boyfriends than girlfriends. But they didn't swear at me or in my presence, so it was a while before I learned any swear words.

Cleo- Ok, get your point, but as a male, people thought swearing is normal, as males do, and that was what in picked up on. Doesn`t make them bad people though.

Ichiro is funny. At one news conference, soon after he joined the Mariners, when he was speaking Japanese to a Japanese reporter, and a team mate told him he should speak English now that he was a major-leaguer, Ichiro said "Shut-up!" That cracked me up!

USAPatriot - where on earth did you get the impression I was calling anybody 'bad people'??

Simply linguistic truth, people pick up on the language they hear around them every day.

Cleo- I thought because you said the type of people, so it seems like they are bad.

Heck; I don`t speak now how i did when young.

Maybe i was a uncouth loudmouth, but i changed as i matured.

This guy should know better, he is in the limelight, hat happened to common sense?

Perhaps this is a male/female thing. There are a lot of guys who will go out of their way to learn the swear words first as a priority.

"There are a lot of guys who will go out of their way to learn the swear words first"

I just spilled coffee on my lap! Tee hee!

Actually many women use swear words. There was this woman in our office who swore all the time. Usually she cracked us up, but sometimes when there were visitors she made us cringe...

swearing in a foreign language does not appear to us as ugly and rude as in our native language, so many people prefer to swear in a foreign language instead in their own. Maybe Ichiro swears only in english and not in Japanese because he does not comprehend completely the impact of his words.

Ichiro to Mariners team mate: Shut up!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Good one, Ichiro!

everyone masters the profanisaurus of any language before starting the hellos and goodbyes...

I don't find the swear words. They find me.