Tag Archives: session 5

Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies 1, session 5: May 27th, 2011

Myths of Greece and Rome. From Velvet Moon's blog ブルフィンチ『ギリシア･ローマ神話』 Click image to visit
  1. Homework check: are there any publications in Japanese like the Spark Notes?
  2. Homework check: Choose the best customer review – in pairs, then in groups of 4/5
  3. Check answers to the Study Guide questions for chapters 3 and 4

Homework:

By next Friday, June 3rd: read a Greek, or Roman myth and summarise it

  1. in English (200-300 words).
  2. Add the references (quote your sources): where, in which books/websites did you find the myth? Write the name of the source in the correct MLA format at the bottom of your paper, like this: 「姓, 名. タイトル [またはタイトル」. 出版した地名: 出版会社, 出版した年.」という風に書く。E.g. Suzuki, Kazuaki. Kenkou no Zatsugaku. Tokyo: Kodansha, 2008.
    1. Do not translate the Japanese title into English.
    2. Do not write the Japanese title in kanji, but in Roman letters.
  3. And write a short paragraph about the similarities to the Japanese myth you wrote about. What are the common characteristics?
  4. Email me your best Amazon review and why you chose it, by Monday 23:59.
  5. I will post all the students’ chosen reviews on this blog.
    1. Please visit this blog again between Wednesday and Friday.
    2. Read your classmates’ chosen reviews and choose the best one.
    3. Write down the number, and bring it to class next Friday.
  6. Please think about the following questions. We will discuss them in class, Friday, June 3rd. You don’t have to write about these for your homework: 以下の質問は次回の授業に議論します。議論できる予習をしてください。
    1. What is a myth? Is a myth the same as a folk-tale (昔話）? Are they different? How are they different?
    2. Is a myth different from a fairy-story, or is it the same? How are they different? How are they the same?
    3. What is the difference between a myth and an epic poem such as Heike Monogatari?
    4. What is the difference between a myth and a novel such as the Tale of Genji?
    5. What is the difference between a myth and a legend, such as The One Inch Boy?
Turkish Delight
Turkish Delight
2011 RinE, Research in English

Student voices – Research in English (Linguistics) A session 5: May 20th, 2011

Student Voices
student voices. Image from lummiyouthacademy. Click to visit source page.
  1. What is language? When animals communicate with each other, they may do so by means of touch, smell ,sight or sound. And, most animals have a very limited number of messages they can give or receive.Man probably acquired his sound signaling system at a fairly late stage in his evolution. They can produce an incalculable number of new combinations from the elements of his language. In addition, they can utter sentences which he has never uttered before and be understood.

    Comment

    I was interested in the male grasshopper has only choice of six and bees can communicate only about sources of nectar. In a book I don’t remember, I read about a male gorilla was able to learn sign languages! I want to check in it.

  2. What is Human Language? 動物は、目や音や匂いで、又は触ったりして他とコミュニケーションをします。私たち人間や他の動物はその中で、最も音を使います。それは暗闇の中でも使えるからです。しかし、私たちが喋る時に使う器官(肺、歯、唇、喉など)は、主に、息をしたり、食べたりするために使われるので、進化のかなり後の段階で「話す」ことができるようになりました。動物の場合、合図とそれが伝えるメッセージは強く関連しますが、人間の場合は、殆ど関連しません。例えば、「ほん」という音自体には「本」という意味が含まれていません。殆どの動物は、「今」、「ここで」のことについてしか、伝えることが出来ません。しかし、人間は「今」のこと以外に、「過去」や「未来」についても語ることが出来ます。これを “displacement” と言います。又、動物が送るメッセージの内容には限りがありますが、人間は次から次へと新しい語を加えて(e.g. “computer”, “nuclear”)、色々な状況について話すことが出来ます。これは “productivity” と言います。他に、人間が動物と異なる点は、大体の動物は学ばなくても自動的にコミュニケーションができますが、人間の場合は、言語を習得するのに長い学習期間が要されるということです。私たちは母親や先生に教わって学習します。私たちが使う言語は、情報や自分の思いを伝えたり、良好な人間関係を保つために必要なのです。
  3. Summaryサピア・ウォーフの仮説は、私たちの思考には言語が関与しているため、認識力に制限ができることをいう。例えば、日本語の〈夜泣き〉に相当する語は、英語にない。そのため、英語話者には〈夜泣き〉の概念を認識することは難しい。この仮説は必ずしも肯定されていない。なぜなら、直観や同情心など、言葉の生じない気持ちもあるからだ。人間の言葉と動物のコミュニケーションには違いがある。その一つに、人間の言葉は伝えたい事とその合図の間に繋がりを持たない。例えば、〈elephant〉や〈象〉は同じ動物を意味するけれども、その単語の〈音〉に象は存在しない。また、人間は新しい言葉を作っていける事も違いの一つだ。Comment動物に言葉を話させる実験がある事を初めて知った。
2011 RinE, Research in English

Research in English (Linguistics) A session 5: May 20th, 2011

3 Comments
What is language?
What is language? By dgray_xplane on Flickr, via nfp 2.0 http://www.nfp2.co.uk/2007/06/01/doing-things-together/index.html
  1. What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?
  2. What is Language? (handout: chapter 2 from “Introduction to Linguistics” by Jean Aitchison).

Homework:

  1. Answer the 5 questions to the chapter “What is Language?”
  2. Your mother asks you, “What did you study today in Research in English?” What will you tell her? Explain to her in easy language (in Japanese). Then post this as a comment on the class blog or send as an email to me.
  3. Prepare a paragraph from chapter 2 of “The Mother Tongue”.