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May 03, 2024
 

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LANGUAGE 3

COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2013
This glorious English language that is open to all
The multinational Man Booker shortlist shows 'outsiders' are the new normal. It's time to celebrate the unruly English tongue.
WORLD / Society
Sep 7, 2013
A 'he or she' may actually prefer to be called 'ze'
As Nicholas Gumas settles into his third year at George Washington University in the U.S. capital, he won't just ask incoming students for names, majors and hometowns. If the situation calls for it, he will ask for preferred gender pronouns (PGPs).
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2013
Nova reinstated as name of English-language school chain
Jibun Mirai Associe Co., which took over bankrupt English-language school Nova, said it has set up a fully owned subsidiary under that name to operate the chain of schools.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2013
JET alumni advocates for Japan
Clifton Strickler never thought of coming to Japan until he met his boss at the University of Texas while engaged in an undergraduate work-study. His boss lived in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, teaching English with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 25, 2013
When does one's native language stop being native?
A 71-year-old man in Gifu Prefecture made headlines recently when he attempted to initiate a lawsuit against broadcaster NHK. Through its excessive use of foreign derived words, the man claimed, NHK had caused him 精神的苦痛 (seishinteki kutsū, psychological pain). He demanded ¥1.41 million in 慰謝料 (isharyō, damages).
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 12, 2013
Ainu fight for return of plundered ancestral remains
Shigeru Kayano, one of the most well-known and respected Ainu figures of modern times, writes in his autobiography "Our Land Was a Forest" about the loathing he felt as a young man for the shamo (Japanese) researchers who used to visit his village and family home.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2013
Panel plans strategy for overseas Japanese language education
Experts discussing ways to increase the number of Japanese language learners overseas propose promoting 'Cool Japan' pop culture and online services to provide more opportunities for speaking the language.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 28, 2013
Hyper, mega, ultra: talking in superlatives
One of the ultra-fascinating facets of Japanese is its super-large arsenal of intensifying prefixes that provide an otherwise neutral expression with some emphatic edge. The best-known (and least spectacular) of them is dai (大), which usually translates as "big." When something went really well, for instance, people call it dai-seikō (大成功, big success), whereas in the opposite case they acknowledge dai-shippai (大失敗, big failure). The trick works not only with Sino-Japanese words but also with native Japanese vocabulary. In such cases, the character usually takes its kun-reading, ō. Some examples are ō-yorokobi (大喜び, big delight), ō-machigai (大間違い, big mistake) and ō-sawagi (大騒ぎ, big fuss). Exceptions to this reading rule of thumb are ō-sōji (大掃除, big end-of-the-year house cleaning)and ō-genka (大喧嘩, big quarrel), where despite the Sino-Japanese main word the prefix reads ō rather than dai. The reverse combination is also possible, as in the antonym pair dai-suki (大好き, love) and dai-kirai (大嫌い, hate).
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2013
4 million studying Japanese abroad
4 million studying Japanese abroad: A record 3.98 million people were studying Japanese abroad in 2012 amid widespread interest in the country, the Japan Foundation announces.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2013
Job potential draws Midwest students to classes in Japanese
More college students in the U.S. Midwest are taking Japanese classes because of the potential for future employment.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2013
Sign-language service via iPads tested by JR East
East Japan Railway Co. began testing a sign-language interpretation service in Tokyo on Monday using a videophone application on an Apple iPad tablet for the hearing-impaired.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2013
Deaf bartender raises game to thrive in Ginza
Dai Igarashi is a bartender in Tokyo's glitzy Ginza entertainment district, attending to customers like any barkeep but with one difference — he is totally deaf.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 3, 2013
Shinto's kami and jinja seeking world acceptance
Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮, Ise Jingu Shrine) has recently published a sasshi (冊子, booklet) in English, titled "Soul of Japan — An Introduction to Shinto and Ise Jingu."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 28, 2013
Online signing making life easier
An Internet-based sign language service launched by a university student a few years ago is finding its way into hotels, restaurants and other public places.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 27, 2013
Oyaji gyagu, more than just cheesy puns
Stop me if you've heard this one. Two men aged around 50 enter a sushi restaurant. One orders a raincoat, the other a garage. What looks like the beginning of a "Monty Python" sketch is in fact the stuff of a most typical oyaji gyagu (おやじギャグ), or old man's joke/gag. Such jokes normally center around words with similar or identical reading, but with an entirely different meaning. Linguists call these homophones.
WORLD
May 20, 2013
English-language education proposal has French up in arms
There was a time, not so long ago, when anyone with a proper education spoke French. Diplomacy and business were conducted in French. Knowledge was spread in French. Travelers made their way in French and, of course, lovers traded sweet nothings in French.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 20, 2013
Product names show language creativity at work
Recently I was asked to write a blurb for a new liquid plant-nutrient. As soon as I saw the name of the product, u65e9u6839u65e9u8d77 uff08Hayane Hayaoki), I smiled at this example of linguistic creativity.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 5, 2013
Media weighs in on LDP's English education plan
The Liberal Democratic Party has a thing for archery. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's financial policies comprise "three arrows." The symbolism is based on the old Japanese saying, "Three arrows are harder to break." Since "Abenomics" has proven to be a PR success, at least with the electorate, he's using the same metaphor to push his education agenda, a "three-arrow" approach that 1) reclaims dominance in the areas of science and math, 2) emphasizes IT education and 3) improves English language skills.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 29, 2013
Bilingual beauty, straight and permed
Beauty must be a bilingual thing. At least that's the impression one gets from looking at signs outside hairdressers, beauty parlors and similar types of businesses in Japan.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 22, 2013
Ways to 'spell' Japanese out loud
I dial a number and ask to speak to my literary agent, Mr. Suzuki.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Saudi Arabia steps up Gaza-related arrests as Israel ties edge closer
The arrests for Gaza-related posts indicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime will take a hard line against citizens not toeing the line when it comes to normalizing ties with Israel.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

Podcast

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[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

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By Alex K.T. Martin

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