Tag - language

 
Menu
Search
 
July 16, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

LANGUAGE

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 20, 2014
I heart cherry blossoms — the rise of Japan's petit nationalism
My friend Naoki has a new strategy when it comes to getting dates; these days he says the best bet is to kusuguru (くすぐる, tickle, or appeal to) a woman's sense of aikokushin (愛国心, patriotism).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 17, 2014
Gadgets open window to bilingual medical services
Language barriers can be life-threatening when you get sick in a foreign country and don't know how to explain it to your doctor.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 14, 2014
Suit over dismissal to tackle thorny issue of language teachers' employment status
At the heart of the Sulejman Brkic case is the issue of what, in legal terms, the nature of his employment status was while he worked for language school ICC: Was he an employee or a contractor?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2014
Language of Indian politics
Even those Indians who are assumed will automatically vote their caste in the current election have choices and will make a number of fairly sophisticated mental trade-offs.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Apr 6, 2014
EFL for all? Leeds school highlights growing trend
Georgiana Sale, the head teacher at City of Leeds School, has had numerous racial insults directed at her. Ever since it was reported, wrongly, that her school was to give all its pupils Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) lessons, her phone has been ringing off the hook.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Apr 6, 2014
Read up on ways that can help us learn English
Public libraries are important community resources across Japan, but while English is taught from fifth grade, those hoping to find a ready stash of English-language reading material may be disappointed.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 23, 2014
Being laughed at can help your Japanese evolve
Students of Japanese are often Japanese-as-a-second-language (JSL) cavemen. JSL cavemen live a mostly pleasant existence of blissful ignorance, using a devolved form of the language as best they can. However, JSL cavemen are not total ignoramuses — their thick hide can be penetrated by awkward social...
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2014
Thai-Japanese works to promote successes of his adoptive homeland
Phongphan Fujisaki, who is of mixed Thai-Japanese parentage and moved to Japan at the age of 15, believes Thailand can learn a lot from his other mother country.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 7, 2014
'Cove' to become 'aquatic nook' as Abe takes aim at improper eigo
Some say that Shinzo Abe's latest proposed tax increases, part of the 'fourth arrow' in his popular 'Abenomics' policy, are going a step too far. Dubbed the 'language tax,' the new levy is aimed at word usage.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 10, 2014
Teachers must nurture critical thinking, confidence in English for a shot at 2020 goals
Until English teachers start developing critical thinking skills in the classroom and emphasizing confidence over competence, students will never be able to converse with native English speakers 'at a viable level of proficiency.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 10, 2014
Educator with a mission sends out support from Hiroshima
Some people seem to have a knack for turning their hand to anything that comes along and, moreover, making a success of it. This is certainly the case with Hiroshima-based Adam Beck. Over the years, the American has been a children's theater director, an English teacher, a newspaper columnist and the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT ENGLISH
Dec 31, 2013
English to get 2020 push but teachers not on same page
A reform plan released in mid-December by the education ministry looks to bolster English study from elementary to high school from the 2020 academic year to pursue globalization.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 27, 2013
Japan should take English lessons from Philippines
English is an official language of the Philippines but this does not mean that everyone understands or speaks English. However, it does mean that exposure to the language is so widespread that those who do speak it can communicate quite fluently.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 22, 2013
Don't let the holidays leave you homesick this year
Homesickness is a particular concern for foreign residents in December, when the holiday season starts to conjure up images of family dinners and drinking parties with old friends. For new arrivals, it's further complicated by the simultaneous challenge of adjusting to a different culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2013
Deaf-mute wins one for sign language
Daigo Ishibashi, 40, got a lump in his throat when the Tottori Prefectural Assembly passed a groundbreaking sign language promotion ordinance in early October, the first of its kind in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 15, 2013
The war on katakana starts at school
Eliminating katakana's use as a pronunciation aide would benefit Japanese students' ability to communicate, but that clearly can't be achieved overnight. However, it's still worth putting up a 'faito.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 15, 2013
December: A last tango with soba
Some men go out to buy that flaming red sportscar. Others embark on a messy but absorbing divorce process. Then there is of course, nirvana: the gorufujō (ゴルフ場, golf course). But in Japan, when men hit a certain age they have another option to turn to. The authentic mark of a honmono (本物,...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 15, 2013
Linguists, like, totally clue us in on 'Valley Girl talk'?
Amanda Ritchart is a native speaker of Southern Californian English, the dialect also known as "Valley Girl talk" — you know, the one that's, like, totally full of the word "like."
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2013
Industry minister Motegi boasts patent for menu translation software
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday he has acquired a patent on a software system allowing foreigners to check food ingredients in their own language when ordering at restaurants.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2013
Japan to announce ¥20 billion for ASEAN cultural exchanges
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will announce at a regional summit this weekend that Japan will extend ¥20 billion in official development assistance to promote cultural exchanges ASEAN, a government source said.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality
Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER