Posts published in “Uncategorized”

By Ayuka Tamaki

Do you think there are any characteristics of women’s way of speaking? Do you know these characteristics of women in your country? I think every country has something in common as a feature of women’s way of speaking. So, I decided to investigate the characteristics of women in conversation about women in Japan, the United States and Korea.
First, it is about Japan. Imanishi (2006) indicated that Japanese women try to avoid making decisions. “～かしらね” is words of agreement. This word is used to be considerate of those around there. Also, they like to use sweet adjectives and pretentious adverbs. “かわいい” and “すごーい” are often used among women. Imanishi (2006) said that Japanese women make ambiguous expressions. More likely to use king expressions than men.
Second, it is about the United States. Kim (2005) said that the United States’s women often use uncertain, ambiguous, and unsure words. For example, “I guess”, “I think”, “I wonder” are used. They use these phrases for self-defense. In addition, Kim (2005) indicated that the use of exclamations, adverbs, and adjectives unique to women is seen. For example, there are “oh dear”, “oh fudge”, “so much”, “adorable”, “charming” and “lovely”. Also, the use of euphemisms or derogatory expression is seen. “Close the door.” is a euphemisms or derogatory expression: “Won’t you close the door?” In this way, characteristics of the United States’s women way of speaking can be expressed.
Finally, it is about Korea. Kim (2005) indicated that there are many characteristics of women in Korea. For example, they use ambiguous expressions. Kim (2005) said that it has the effect of reducing the mental burden on the listener by making ambiguous expression. In other words, this can convey the nuance of leaving it to the other person’s judgment. This is an expression that doesn’t show yourself completely. What king of words are there? “글쎄” is Korean word. This mean is “well” and “hm”. Also, “ㄴ 것 같다” is “ it looks like~”. That’s why, Korean women use ambiguous expressions. In addition, Korean women use emphasize expression. Why do Korean women use such an emphasis expression? Kim (2005) said that they tend to emphasize their senses and to make their confidence stand out. Also, Kim (2005) indicated that it is known that women are more likely to agree.
I compared three countries; these countries have something common. This is to use euphemisms. Japan, the United States and Korean which country use this expression when they talk to people. Also, they use gentle expression. The reason why we use these methods is to be considerate of the other person, to leave the decision to the other person, and to avoid getting into a flight. I learned something while researching these three countries. This means that women were treated differently in society, which is expressed in words. Imanishi (2006) said that In Japanese, there is a traditional belief that men are in a higher position than women, so women sometimes use honorific language for men. In this way, it is thought that because each country has businesses like Japan, there are characteristics in the language used by women. Since the characteristics of the three countries were very similar, I thought the same could be said of other countries.
 
References
Imanishi, Y. (2006) Views on women reflected in women’s words” common to English and Japanese.  Japan: Aichi Shukutoku University Graduate School of English Literature Society
Kim, S. (2005) Current status and problems of linguistic gender difference research in Korea. Japan: Department of International Plural Cultures, Graduate School of International Languages and Cultu 

By Hanon Mitsumasa 

What time do you sleep? Sleeping too long or too short has a negative effects on the body. I think sleep is important in people lives. Many doctors agree we should sleep 7 hours. But some people might feel 7 hours of sleep is to long or too short. And people may say long sleep is a waste of time. In this essay, I will explain the effects of sleeping too long, too short or having the recommended 7 hours of sleep.
  There are a number of serious negative effects of sleeping too long. Sleeping too long increases the risk of death about 1,5 times. For example, it increases the risk of cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure, according to doctor Utiyama Makoto from Tokyo Adachi hospital (2014). In addition sleeping for too long can also lead to brain aging. Sleep is improved to be good your health, however instead it makes your body tired. Sleeping too much can cause jet lag feeling. Your body clock is going crazy. Too much sleep has negative effects on both the body and the brain.
  There are a number of serious negative effects of sleeping too short. If you sleep for too short a time stress will accumulate without you even realizing it. Only by sleeping can your brain and body recover. When sleep shortage continues, concentration and attention decline, according to doctor Mishima Kazuo from National center for Psychiatry and Neurology (2023). Lack of sleep increases the risk of dementia in the long term. According to doctor Uchimi Tomohiro from NCNP hospital (2022), the risk is about twice as much as that of people who sleep for 7 hours. When stress builds up due to lack of sleep, it can cause headaches, stiff shoulders, dizziness, depression, and loss of appetite. If you lack sleep, stress will build up without you even realizing it, so you should get enough sleep.
  There are number of positive effects of having 7 hours of sleep. 7 hours of sleep protects you from illness and stress, improving your immunity and concentration. We fight against pathogens by adjusting the body’s rhythm and increasing immunity when we sleep. Resting your brain through sleep will help you concentrate on your studies and work. And the risk of illness decreases, moreover resting the brain also improves memory. Resting the brain also improves concentration and suppresses emotions. 7 hours of sleep is good for both your body and your brain. If you study while resting your body and brain well, your grades may improve.
  Sleeping too long or too short can have negative effects on us. Sleep is essential to people’s lives. 7 hours of good sleep has a positive effect on your body and mind. Make the most of your sleep time, which takes up a large portion of your 24 hours a day. Let’s all sleep for 7 hours every day. 

By Haku Matsutan

There are some beliefs about the way women speaking: women talk more than men; women have more advanced verbal skills than men; women use more emotionally expressive language than men (Cameron, 2019). Besides, according to Montell, A (2019), “while men’s speech style can be categorized as “competitive, women’s is “cooperative””. Some argue that it is true men and women talk differently. But others might not think of it.  Are there truly differences between men and women speaking?
     First, what do you think about the question, “who speaks more, men or women”? It is not true that women talk more than men. Recent research revealed that men and women use almost same number of words when talking for a day; about 16,000 words (Mehl, R. 2007). However, it is also true that it depends on the situations whether either men or women talk more. Sieghart (2021) stated that how people express themselves through language based on their gender is influenced by various factors such as age, race, ethnicity, social class, education, national origin, and their abilities.
     Second, grammatically differences are seen between men and women. In English, however, there are few grammatically differences. Therefore, English is categorized as neutral gender language. According to an article of Frontiers (2019), “Natural gender languages (e.g., English) don’t classify inanimate nouns according to different genders”. But it does not mean that English does not have gender bias. In English, gendered masculine have exist; using he, his, him to express us, some terms like firemen, policemen, and congressmen. To solve the problem, alternative words are appearing these days, which is called politically correct pronouns such as firefighters and police officers. 
     Third, it is likely that there are some features of men speaking on conversation. Sieghart (2021) mentioned that “this is conversational manspleading, taking up too much conversational space at the expense of the people around you”. She also stated that men are more aggressive than women to secure place for conversation. 
     In conclusion, women and men talk differently. But some beliefs about women speaking are not true. Both women and men speak almost the same number of words. English is gendering inclusive language, but there are some masculine words like firemen and policemen. On conversation, men tend to speak much more than women, which means men have more power in conversation. However, their speaking will be affected by their circumstances.
 
References
Cameron, D. (2019). The myth of Mars and Venus (pp. 156-159). Oxford University Press.
Mehl, R., Vazire, S., Ramirez, N., Slatcher, R., & Pennebaker, J. (2007). Are women really more talkative than men?  https://jpn01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencemag.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C804d86d1c7b14ff7456c08dc272011ef%7Cf11434e8abcf41f48154a9b2608dcd42%7C0%7C0%7C638428265899237522%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eakPAD0zGxZt7aNAtFjRFkOZ6kRuRsj3PNSKaceMb%2F0%3D&reserved=0.
Sieghart, M. (2021). The Authority Gap. New York: Doubleday.
Technology Report Article. (2019). https://jpn01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontiersin.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C804d86d1c7b14ff7456c08dc272011ef%7Cf11434e8abcf41f48154a9b2608dcd42%7C0%7C0%7C638428265899244456%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=8sOZpY04RgDTlCjz1D9BkrSpxGEGpzgLBpIFTaLNp4s%3D&reserved=0

By Tomoka Eri

People have a language. Deaf people also have language for them. That is the sign language. Do you think sign language is common worldwide? That is not true. According to the book by Hinohara(2023), English-speaking countries communicate the same in the United States, England, and Australia, but deaf communities use different sign language. Each country uses its own sign language. The following is an investigation of these differences. Especially, Japanese Sign Language (JSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) will be mentioned.
The first explanation is Japanese Sign Language (JSL). JSL is classified in detail into “Japanese Sign Language” and “Japanese-compatible Sign Language”. According to the thesis by Sasaki and Kubota(2002), “Japanese Sign Language” refers to a form of expression that occurs naturally among deaf people and has a different system from the Japanese . On the other hand, “Japanese-compatible Sign Language” replaces Japanese words with sign language words and arranges them as they are, so the only difference in form of expression is whether it is an auditory symbol or a visual symbol. Therefore, it is often used by people with hearing loss, hearing difficulties, and hearing.
         The next explanation is American Sign Language (ASL). According to the National Association of the Deaf, ASL is a language with its own unique rules of grammar and syntax. Like all languages, ASL is a living language that grows and changes over time. Asl is used predominantly in the United States and in many parts of Canada. ASL is accepted by many high schools, colleges, and universities in fulfillment of modern and “foreign” language academic degree requirements across the United States.
Compare JSL and ASL with some examples. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Welfare website, first, when indicating “eat”, in JSL, the palm of the left hand is turned up and the index finger and middle finger of the right hand are carried to the mouth. On the other hand, in ASL, repeat the movement of the pursed right hand close to the mouth, as if eating bread. Second, when indicating “Thank you”, in JSL, put the right hand vertically on the instep of the left hand and raise only the right hand. At this time, lower the head lightly. On the other hand, in ASL, move the right hand away from the mouth and move like a throwing kiss. From these examples, sign language methods are completely different between JSL and ASL in the same meanings.
Therefore, people have a language, and deaf people also have a language called sign language. It is essential for them. In addition, sign language is used differently from country to country, even though it is a language used all over the world, and it is based on gestures that capture each country’s culture and characteristics in the same meanings. According to the book by Hinohara(2023), recently, the value of learning sign is once again appreciated, and not only in schools for the Deaf. That is why, it is very important to learn the sign language of each country.


References
Hinohara, E. K. (2023). What is Language? A CLIL Course for Learners of English
Sasaki, H & Kubota, M (2002) Japanese Sign Language and Japanese 
National Association of the Deaf What is American Sign Language?
https://jpn01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nad.org%2Fresources%2Famerican-sign-language%2Fwhat-is-american-sign-language%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cf4dfcf35a1c347c08a0108dc265dbcc2%7Cf11434e8abcf41f48154a9b2608dcd42%7C0%7C0%7C638427431823198313%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=TIh%2BGv9DUMHAPIzk3hZmlS5%2Bl%2FppEjLQlEcNq4aOQ54%3D&reserved=0
Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Welfare
https://jpn01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fukushi.metro.tokyo.lg.jp%2Fshougai%2Fkoho%2Fsekaiwotunagusyuwa.files%2Fgaikokunosyuwa.pdf&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cf4dfcf35a1c347c08a0108dc265dbcc2%7Cf11434e8abcf41f48154a9b2608dcd42%7C0%7C0%7C638427431823205905%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wmO2K2MPno5h5v5GI6Q2uZ7ESDHzLcSPe0sPR9jsnlQ%3D&reserved=0

By Saki Shimoda

Have you ever wondered the meaning of emoji? Many people often had experienced mysterious emoji. According to a survey conducted by Slack (2022), it found that 58% of people were unclear about the meaning of emoji. Younger generations were also more likely to say they had experienced someone misunderstanding an emoji they had sent. I have had this experience. I also noticed that the amount and type of emojis sent by men and women are different. So, in this article, I will compare the differences between men and women. These ideas suggest that women are more concerned about the meaning of emoji than men.
        First, is there a difference in the frequency of using emoji between men and women? According to Wirza (2019), women are better than men at interpretation of sending and receiving non-verbal cues in conversation. Women who give speeches tend to use more cues than men. Liu (2023) has found that women use emojis more frequently than men, and that women love emojis and men love emotions. Furthermore, Prada (2018) declares that women had a more positive attitude towards the use of emojis. It also revealed that women use them convey humor. On the other hand, men use them to tease or express sarcasm. Women also valued emojis as more friendly, clear, and meaningful. 
        Second, do differences in the usage of emojis exist between men and women? In the survey (Wirza, 2019), the emoji of a face crying tears of joy was the second most used by women, while for men the second most used emoji was the emoji of folded hands. It was reported that women were more likely to express joy and sadness, while men were more likely to express anger, and there was a tendency for women to use positive emojis and men to use negative emojis more often (Liu, 2023). Men were more likely to use the ‘monkeyface’ and ‘drink’ categories, while women were more likely than men to use emojis in the ‘emotion’ category, such as hearts. 
        Finally, there is not only a difference between men and women on the user’s side, but also on the feeling side of the receiver. Herring and Dainas (2018) claim that women interpreted both the frowning and smiling emojis as having more functions than men. Some male respondents also interpreted the Heart Eyes emoji as describing physical behavior. Furthermore, differences in impressions between men and women were found in the same yellow smiley emoji. Women rated human faces that expressed negative emotions more negatively than men, which is similar to the neural processing of emoji. These suggest that women value pessimistic emojis more negatively than men (Jones, 2020).
        Women are more likely than men to use emojis and use a variety of emojis. Furthermore, women are more impressionable about emojis than men and interpret then more negatively. These perspectives show that there are differences in the frequency and types of pictograms used by men and women, as well as differences in the feelings of the receivers. 

REFERENCES
Prada, M (2018). Motives, frequency and attitudes toward emoji and emoticon use. Telematics and Informatics, 35,7,1925-1934.
Jones, L (2020). Sex differences in emoji use, familiarity, and valence. Computers in Human Behavior, 108. 
Wirza, Y (2019). The Difference in Emoji Usage Between Genders. 
Liu, M (2023). Individual differences in emoji use across age, gender, and personality: Based on a Survey of Simeji Users in 10s and 20s. social informatics, 11,3. 
Herring, S & Dainas A (2018). Receiver Interpretations of Emoji Functions: A gender perspective. 
TECH+ (2022). Beware of emojis that can be interpreted in different ways; an attempt to convey happiness may be misinterpreted as anger.

By Ayuka Tamaki
Story: Do You Have a Chance to Go to A Wedding in Another Country?
What would you do if you were to attend a wedding in a different country? There are various weddings in the world. It’s important to respect the culture of the country if you are invited. Guests should be aware of the right cresses, gifts, and behaviors. In this essay, I would like to compare the differences between Korean and Japanese weddings.

First, I’m going to talk about three things about Korean weddings. The Korean wedding ceremony is very short. The average time for a wedding in Korea takes only 30 minutes to an hour and a half. Some people come in between work because the time is so short. Why is it short? There is a good reason. That’s because the bride and groom often leave for a honeymoon right after the wedding. So, there is no after-party after the wedding. Second, the congratulatory gift is interesting. In Korea, guests send money, but the amount is not as big as that of Japanese. The average amount of money they give at a wedding is 3,000 yen to 5,000 yen. In the case of a close person, the average amount of the gift money is 5,000 yen to 11,000 yen. In general, guests give a congratulatory gift their parents instead of the newlyweds. Finally, the bouquet toss is also interesting. In Korea, the bride doesn’t throw a bouquet. The bride decides who will receive the bouquet in advance. The groom will talk to her friend who is likely to get married soon and ask her to get the bouquet. Why do the groom act like this? That’s because there is a superstition that if you don’t get married within six months after receiving a bouquet, you won’t be able to get married for another six years.
     Next, I’m going to talk about three things about Japanese wedding. First, the average time of a Japanese wedding is two and a half hours. In addition, there is also a second party. So, it takes a lot of time if you go to the second party. Second, the congratulatory gift money is sent to the newlyweds. In the case of friends and colleagues, the amount of money is 30,000 yen. However, in the case of relatives, they give  50,000 yen to 100,000 yen. The guests must wrap money in nice envelopes. Finally, the bouquet toss became popular in Japan and performed at chapel-style weddings. The bride throws her bouquet, and any an unmarried woman can try to get it.

In conclusion, the wedding culture of Korea and Japan are different. If you’re going to a wedding in a different country, you should do research in advance.

By Kokoa Takashima
     Financiers and madeleines are popular baked sweets that are often found at convenience stores and cake shops. They taste somewhat similar, but they have interesting differences.

     The origin of the shape of the financier is interesting. The financier is a  rectangle, which reminds of a gold nugget. The shape is auspicious for those who work in the financial industry, and the name of the sweet means “rich” in French. It is also a sweet that businessmen can eat quickly without getting their hands dirty. It is said that it was born in the 19th century. The ingredients of it include egg white, sugar, almond powder, cake flour and burnt butter. The freshly baked financier is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
　　The origin of the shape of the madeleine imitates a scallop. There are several theories about the origin of madeleine, but it is not clear. One theory says that a maid baked the cake that her grandmother had taught her. Her name was Madeline. In Japan, people may see round chrysanthemum-shaped sweets called madelines, but they are are not real madeleines. The ingredients of it is whole egg, sugar, almond powder, cake flour and melted butter. Some of them are flavored with refreshing citrus fruits such as rum and lemon and have a moist texture.
　　The basic ingredients are almost the same, but financiers use egg whites and almond powder, and madeleines use whole eggs. The texture of the financier is crispy, and the texture of the madeleine is soft. Financiers and madeleines are very similar, but in fact, the origin, ingredients, and texture are different.

By Sakura Yamane
There are many movies in the world. Two famous animation companies are Disney and Ghibli. This essay will presens the difference between Disney and Ghibli movies from three perspectives: who and where each movie is produced, how each of them is created, and why they are popular.
       Disney movies are produced by Walt Disney Studios which is part of the Walt Disney Company. There are seven main subsidiary companies in Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures. For example, one of Walt Disney Studios’ main subsidiary companies, Disney Pixar is an American animation production company. Therefore, Disney movies are produced in America.  And Disney movies are produced by computer. Disney Pixar draws storyboard by using story Pad and special apps of iPad. Many staff including directors and writers are involved in the production of a movie. And they have a lot of discussion about storyboard and decide the contents. Disney movies have charming songs and music. Three features of Disney movie’s music make Disney movies famous and popular. Those are integration with video, expression of feelings of story and characters and a wonder that makes you want to sing.  Also, Disney movies convey messages from the story structure and the characters way of life. These messages are one of reasons that Disney movies become famous and popular. Also, Disney movies are produced by many people from the beginning to the end. It is interesting to see each person’s personality though the process of the making each movie. 
        But Ghibli movies are produced by only four people, Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata and Yasuyoshi Tokuma. And Ghibli is a Japanese animation production company. Therefore, Ghibli movies are produced in Japan.  And Ghibli movies are produced by full hand-drawn and computer on the last edit. In Japan, it is said that directors or writers work alone facing storyboard. So, Hayao Miyazaki as a director of Ghibli doesn’t have any discussion until the outline is completed. In addition, because Ghibli movies are produced by one person at first, the audience may feel Japanese from the characteristics of working alone. Also, Ghibli music is unique. Most Ghibli’s music is composed by Joe Hisaishi. His music is very famous and popular not only in Japan but also overseas because the music he composed have a mysterious power that get drawn into the world of Ghibli movies. Thanks to his music, we can enjoy seeing Ghibli movies. Also, Ghibli movies convey messages from a unique worldview. So, Ghibli movies became famous and popular because they have these features of music and messages.
       In conclusion, there are also similarities between two kinds of movies, but they clearly have different points, such as who and where each movie is produced, how to produce and draw and why each movie is famous and popular. From now on, each new movie will be born while maintaining the different features.

By Teppei Morimoto
     One of popular Japanese dishes is okonomiyaki, which is a pancake with meat and vegitable. There are two styles: Kansai-style and Hiroshima-style. Japanese want to discuss their favorite foods, so I am going to show the differences of this popular dish from three perspectives.
The biggest difference of them is the existence of noodles. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki contain noodles. Noodles are first boiled and placed on stir-fried cabbage.

     The texture of Kansai-style one is harder than that of Hiroshima style. The cabbage is cut into 3 cm wide pieces in Kanasi, while it is smaller in Hiroshima. The pancake batter of Kansai-style is thicker. In Hiroshima, however, the batter contains a lot of water and thinner. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki does not use a lot of flour and the batter is baked thinly like a crepe.

     The way it is prepared is different, too. In Kansai, all the ingredients are mixed in the batter and spread on a hot pan to be cooked. In Hiroshima, however, the ingredients are cooked separately and placed on each other to create layers.

They tastes similar, but Hiroshima style’s sauce is a little sweeter. As the name, okonomi, meaning “as you like it” of the dish describes, people enjoy as they like it. They may add mayonnaise and other toppings to make it spicier or sweeter.

     Lastly, the price is different. The Kansai-style one costs about 500-600 yen, but the Hiroshima-style one cost about 800-1200 yen. Nonetheless, both are very good. If you have a chance, please try both.