This woman (who is ethnically Chinese, according to one of her videos, but is second generation American) picked up the phrase “いただきま” (“Itadakimasu,” or “I humbly receive,” for you not in the know) when her husband worked in Japan decades ago. Note the way she says the word – kind of sing-songy. Is this proper Japanese pronunciation or is she doing a bit?
I lived in Japan for a year and have lived with Japanese people for 40 years, and she sounds fine to me, not sing-songy at all. Perhaps a little foreign accent, it’s hard for me to be sure from just one word.
The intonation of Japanese is very different from English (and probably most European languages, but I’ll stick to English). There is much less difference of emphasis from one syllable to another than in English words. Notice that she gives approximately equal emphasis to every syllable, and I think that to an ear that is used to English, that might sound a little like singing. Recognizing and implementing this way of speaking is one of the hardest things for many foreign (non-Japanese) speakers to master, at least at the beginning.
Yeah, sort of singsongish. It’s natural but it sounds different than normal Japanese sentences.
Itadakimasu (note that the last -su is properly shortened to -ss ) when used as an expression before eating is said differently than when used in other circumstances.
For example, in this joke video by Japanese newlyweds, the wife says 実家に帰らせていただきます。Jikka ni kaerasete itadakimasu (literally, I will humbly receive being allowed to return to my family’s home, but actually means “fuck you, I’m going back to my parents!” — context is important in Japanese.
Note the difference in how itadakimasu is said. That is the normal pronunciation in usual sentences.
Also, the link in the OP reflects the slightly exaggerated tone which is used in particular situations, for example in cooking shows or sampling food on TV, as well as something formal such as at a company event.
The intonation in the video I linked, slightly lower in tone and less singsong, would be more natural to say at home with your family.
Here is a video of a father teaching his two-year old daughter to say itadakimasu. The first time he says it, he’s asking his daughter why she didn’t say it. The second and third time he’s modeling how he wants her to pronounce it. Can you hear the difference?
It doesn’t sound unnatural to me but also wouldn’t say it’s the “typical” pronunciation either. But there are plenty of phrases in Japanese that do come with a specific intonation, like when a store clerk says “Irashhaimase!” (along the lines of “welcome in”) and sort of draws out the last syllable, sometimes pitched up
I have never lived in Japan but I studied the language for three years and have spoken it quite a bit. I’ve also had conversations with native Japanese speakers and been at businesses (like restaurants) that speak in Japanese.
This is one of those phrases that is sometimes spoken in a different way than normal speech and that’s typical. We have the same thing in English though. You might say “congratulations” to a person a different way than you would another phrase. Or maybe a phrase like “I’m sorry for your loss” which you’ll say with an automatic solemnity that you don’t even think about.
It’s a culturally-ingrained thing you might not even notice when you’re immersed in that culture.
That’s another one that popped in my head. It’s like the Japanese equivalent of a Walmart greeter. 