Atsui Desu Ne!!!

Nagoya summer. I know I shouldn't complain because there are much worse places - Death Valley comes to mind - but it is freakin' hot and humid here. I grew in Michigan and my blood is a healthy mix of northern Europe, so clearly I wasn't built for this heat - as evidenced by the sweet heat rash I'm currently dealing with. Between the office being kept at the ripe temperature of 28C (82.4F), trying to protect our budget from the exorbitant energy bills by maintaining a cool 25C (77F) at home, and dealing with the 30-40C (86-104F) Nagoya summer temps outside, I think complaining is justified somewhat. Tack on the humidity, and I've almost been given a mandate (not quite a Bush 51% of the vote mandate, but same ballpark).

And it's not just me. I can safely say that this is uncomfortable weather for the native Japanese judging by their constant, almost obsessive use of the phrase "Atsui", meaning 'hot'. It can be heard everywhere, by anyone doing just about any activity requiring the least bit of energy. I think, though, that the use of this word exemplifies the nuances of the Japanese language. It's just one word, but by stressing various syllables, or cutting out syllables, the degree to which the person wants to express how hot it is can be manipulated. For example,

It's hot. = Atsui Desu.
Kinda hot today, huh? = Atsui ne.
Man this sucks! It's freakin hot! = Atsui neeeee.
Alright. This blows. I am very hot and very uncomfortable!!! = AAaatsuu.
O jeez...(sigh)...it's so hot...I can barely move = aatsss

Now think about it. Imagine if we went around manipulating the word, 'hot', all day. Confirming and reconfirming to each other or randomly to anyone in the vicinity just how hot or annoyed you feel.
"Hot."
"Hhhhhot."
"Hottttttt."
See, pretty weird, huh? The English finds fun adjectives, swear words, or clauses to make a point. Japanese, on the other hand, uses few words to make a statement.

By the way, in the winter, you can substitute "Atsui" with "Samui" (Japanese word for cold), and you get the same effect. Same inflections and manipulations apply. And yes, the same frequency abounds.