scholarly journals Bodies in Japanese Language An Introduction to the Polysemous Character of Corporeality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Centonze
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Production ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Central Position ◽  
Japanese Word

This article presents an inspection into the vast arena occupied by terms and signs in Japanese language that designate the word ‘body’. The study is centred around etymons and semantic descriptions offered in selected monolingual lexical sources, thereby revealing slight divergencies that surface when confronting these entries in order to underscore the ambiguity and hybridity that characterise corporeality itself. In addition, part of this study is dedicated to Ichikawa Hiroshi’s semantic analysis of the Japanese word mi (body), to Uno Kuniichi’s discourse on the shintai (body) and to insights on corporeality offered by Kan Takayuki. The purpose of illustrating this diversified lexical treasure that surrounds, sustains and recreates bodies is to draw attention to the central position occupied by corporeality itself in Japanese culture, where the body/bodies emerge as a catalyst of cultural production.

The Involvement of Native Speakers in Teaching and Learning Japanese Language at UiTM

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Choong Pow Yean ◽  
Sarinah Bt Sharif ◽  
Normah Bt Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Lexical Density

The Nihongo Partner Program or “Japanese Language Partner” is a program that sends native speakers to support the teaching and learning of Japanese overseas. The program is fully sponsored by The Japan Foundation. The aim of this program is to create an environment that motivates the students to learn Japanese. This study is based on a survey of the Nihongo Partner Program conducted on students and language lecturers at UiTM, Shah Alam. This study aims to investigate if there is a necessity for native speakers to be involved in the teaching and learning of Japanese among foreign language learners. Analysis of the results showed that both students and lecturers are in dire need of the Nihongo Partner Program to navigate the learning of the Japanese language through a variety of language learning activities. The involvement of native speaker increases students’ confidence and motivation to converse in Japanese. The program also provides opportunities for students to increase their Japanese language proficiency and lexical density. In addition, with the opportunity to interact with the native speakers, students and lecturers will have a better understanding of Japanese culture as they are able to observe and ask the native speakers. Involvement of native speakers is essential in teaching and learning of Japanese in UiTM.

Dancing Women

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usha Iyer
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
The Body ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
History Of ◽  
Material History ◽  
Cultural Forms ◽  
Hindi Cinema

Dancing Women: Choreographing Corporeal Histories of Hindi Cinema, an ambitious study of two of South Asia’s most popular cultural forms—cinema and dance—historicizes and theorizes the material and cultural production of film dance, a staple attraction of popular Hindi cinema. It explores how the dynamic figurations of the body wrought by cinematic dance forms from the 1930s to the 1990s produce unique constructions of gender, stardom, and spectacle. By charting discursive shifts through figurations of dancer-actresses, their publicly performed movements, private training, and the cinematic and extra-diegetic narratives woven around their dancing bodies, the book considers the “women’s question” via new mobilities corpo-realized by dancing women. Some of the central figures animating this corporeal history are Azurie, Sadhona Bose, Vyjayanthimala, Helen, Waheeda Rehman, Madhuri Dixit, and Saroj Khan, whose performance histories fold and intersect with those of other dancing women, including devadasis and tawaifs, Eurasian actresses, oriental dancers, vamps, choreographers, and backup dancers. Through a material history of the labor of producing on-screen dance, theoretical frameworks that emphasize collaboration, such as the “choreomusicking body” and “dance musicalization,” aesthetic approaches to embodiment drawing on treatises like the Natya Sastra and the Abhinaya Darpana, and formal analyses of cine-choreographic “techno-spectacles,” Dancing Women offers a variegated, textured history of cinema, dance, and music. Tracing the gestural genealogies of film dance produces a very different narrative of Bombay cinema, and indeed of South Asian cultural modernities, by way of a corporeal history co-choreographed by a network of remarkable dancing women.

Barre Matters: Hybrid Formations of Ballet and Group Fitness

Somatechnics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-210
Author(s):  
Pirkko Markula
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Production ◽  
The Body ◽  
Material Object ◽  
Group Exercise ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Gendered Identities ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Fitness Industry ◽  
Body Ideal ◽  
Health Eating

Employing a variety of theoretical approaches, feminist researchers have critiqued the fitness industry of its singular emphasis on the impossible, narrowly defined feminine body ideal that is likely to cause more mental (e.g., body dissatisfaction) and physical ill health (eating disorders, injuries) than improve fitness. With the focus on social construction of gendered identities, there has been less problematisation of the materiality of the fitness practices and their impact on the cultural production of the moving body. In this article, I adopt a Latourian approach to seek for a more complete account of the body in motion and how it matters in the contemporary world. A barre class as a popular group exercise class that combines ballet and exercise modalities offers a location for such an examination due to the centrality of a non-human object, the barre, that distinguishes it from other group exercise classes. I consider how exercise practices may be constituted in relation to a material object, the barre, and how the physical and material intersect, historically, with the cultural politics of fitness and dance from where the barre originates. To do this, I trace the journey of the barre from ballet training to the fitness industry to illustrate how human and non-human associations create a hybrid collective.

scholarly journals Шедевры учебной литературы по японскому языку как иностранному (2): Комикс «Мальчуган» (по одноимённой повести Нацумэ Сосэки)

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-117
Author(s):  
Александр Сергеевич ДЫБОВСКИЙ
Keyword(s):  
Comic Book ◽  
Japanese Literature ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Comic Strip ◽  
Literature Teaching ◽  
History Of ◽  
Japanese Writer ◽  
Outstanding Work

В статье даётся краткий обзор учебной литературы по японскому языку, составленной в виде комиксов, а также описываются основные параметры учебника, построенного на материале повести выдающегося японского писателя Нацумэ Сосэки «Мальчуган», а именно: его структура, содержание, приложения, особенности введения лексики, иероглифики и грамматики, система упражнений и связанные с учебником интернет-ресурсы. Описываемый учебник представляет уникальный материал для преподавания японского языка на среднем и продвинутом уровнях, он вводит обучаемых в историю японской культуры, стимулирует интерес к изучению японской литературы. преподавание японского языка, шедевры учебной литературы, жанр комикса в преподавании иностранного языка, комикс «Мальчуган» This publication is dedicated to the Japanese language textbook for foreigners published in Tokyo in 2011 and based on the story of the outstanding Japanese writer Soseki Natsume “Botchan”, which is presented in the textbook in the form of a comic strip. The article gives a brief overview of the Japanese language textbooks compiled in the form of comics. The author describes the main parameters of the above-mentioned textbook, its structure, content and applications, as well as vocabulary, hieroglyphics and grammar, the exercise system, and the Internet-related textbook resources. The creation of an educational comic strip on the basis of an outstanding work of Japanese literature seems to us extremely fruitful, since the educational process is enriched with aesthetic elements. Drawings provide important keys for understanding the text, and the content of a literary masterpiece gives us rich topics for various types of communication in the classroom. The described textbook contains wonderful material for teaching Japanese at intermediate and advanced levels. It introduces students to the history of Japanese culture and stimulates interest in the study of Japanese literature. teaching Japanese language, masterpieces of educational literature, comic book genre in teaching a foreign language, comic book “Botchan”

Persistence in Japanese language study and learners’ cultural/linguistic backgrounds

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 10.1-10.17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masanori Matsumoto
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Important Determinant ◽  
The Other ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Affecting Factors ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Cultural Interest ◽  
Linguistic Backgrounds

Motivational characteristics of students learning Japanese as a foreign language at universities in Australia were investigated to find out what affecting factors are closely related to their intentions for continuing/discontinuing their study. The results showed that students’ cultural/linguistic backgrounds have a significant impact on their performance in learning the language, and sustaining motivation, which is closely related to their interest in aspects of Japanese culture, is an important determinant for persistence in their study. Developing intrinsic cultural interest is an important factor for sustaining motivation, which is more likely to occur when learners have distant cultural/linguistic backgrounds from Japanese. Closer cultural/linguistic backgrounds, on the other hand, may become hazardous for having accurate self-efficacy.

The role of cultural production in celebrity politics: Comparing the campaigns of Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura (1999) and Donald Trump (2016)

Politics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-153
Author(s):  
David S Moon
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Production ◽  
The Body ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Elites ◽  
Political Protest ◽  
Political Campaign ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Celebrity Politics

This article draws out the significant similarities between the political insurgencies of Jesse Ventura in 1999 and Donald Trump in 2016, charting their own premillennial political collaborations as members of the Reform Party, before identifying wider lessons for studies of contemporary celebrity politicians through a comparison of their individual campaigns. Its analysis is based upon the concept of the ‘politainer’, introduced by Conley and Schultz, into which it incorporates Mikhail Bakhtin’s conception of the carnival fool. The heterodox nature of both Ventura and Trump’s political campaign styles, it argues, is in part explained by the nature of the cultural spheres within which their public personas were produced; specifically, the fact that these personas, which they carried over from the entertainment to political spheres, were produced within genres of popular culture generally positioned as having ‘low’ cultural value. This, it argues, furnished both with an anti-establishment ethos as ‘no bullshit’ straight-talkers, marking them as outsider candidates able to act as conduits for political protest by an electorate alienated from mainstream political elites. It concludes by emphasising the potential importance that political celebrities’ specific cultural production can play in shaping a subsequent political campaign in general.

scholarly journals A Critical Analysis of the Representation of Japanese Culture in Japanese Language Textbooks

2019 ◽  
pp. 127-150
Author(s):  
Katarina Šukelj
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Cultural Content ◽  
Language Textbooks

Obtaining both linguistic and cultural competence in order to develop communicative proficiency is considered important in modern foreign language education, and various textbooks are used for that purpose in the field of Japanese language education in Croatia. Therefore, it is also important to examine the cultural content that these textbooks present to learners. To accomplish this goal, three intermediate-level Japanese language textbooks were critically analysed, with a focus on the portrayal of “Japanese culture”. The framework for the analysis was created by combining the findings of several previous studies, and was used to examine categories of topics presented under the designation of “culture”, or more specifically, “Japanese culture”, the prevailing types of culture presented, and to whom the culture is presented as belonging. The issue of whether or not certain ideologies relating to Japanese culture are reflected in the content of the textbooks was also investigated.

Skill Level Differences of Urushi Craftspeople in Urushi Products

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaro Shimode ◽  
Atsushi Endo ◽  
Chieko Narita ◽  
Yuka Takai ◽  
Akihiko Goto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skill Level ◽  
Manufacturing Industries ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Word ◽  
Eye Motion ◽  
Modern Manufacturing ◽  
Painting Process ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Black Color

There are various traditional crafts in Japan. Japanese modern manufacturing industries have stemmed from the traditional crafts. And there is craftspeople’s wisdom in the traditional crafts technique inherited for years, which is well known as “tacit knowledge”. Especially in Kyoto which has 1200 years history, many traditional crafts have been inherited. In this study, Urushi crafts was focused. Japanese lacquer is called “Urushi” in Japanese. Urushi have meanings such as Urushi tree, its resin and also Urushi crafts. Urushi has been used 9000 years ago in Japan. In this long history, Urushi crafts techniques have been developed, refined and inherited by many Urushi craftspeople. As a result, Urushi affect Japanese culture and aesthetic feeling greatly. Urushi has been viewed as special, and admired as black with the highest grade. Therefore, the Japanese word “Shikkoku” has been generated, inhere, “Shi” means Urushi, and “Kkoku” means black color. Urushi has various characteristics. For example, Urushi coating surface is very smooth and glossy. It is considered that these characteristics are influenced by skill level of craftspeople. Then this study aims to analyze a difference between expert craftspeople and non-expert craftspeople in the painting process of Urushi. Body and eye motion between expert and non-expert craftspeople were analyzed and compared. As a result, there were differences in the time of painting with brush. And more there were differences in eye movement. It is considered that these differences were due to the difference of skill level, and in turn, the quality of Urushi products has been influenced.

Morrissey as Latina/o Literary and Cultural Icon

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa M. Hidalgo
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Fourth Decade ◽  
The World ◽  
United States Mexico ◽  
North And South America

Morrissey is a singer and songwriter from Manchester, England. He rose to prominence as a popular-music icon as the lead singer for the Manchester band The Smiths (1982–1987). After the breakup of The Smiths, Morrissey launched his solo career in 1988. In his fourth decade as a popular singer, Morrissey continues to tour the world and sell out shows in venues throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, Asia and Australia, and across North and South America. Although Morrissey enjoys a fiercely loyal global fan base and inspires fans all over the world, his largest and most creatively expressive fans, arguably, are Latinas/os in the United States and Latin America. He is especially popular in Mexico and with Chicanas/os from Los Angeles, California, to San Antonio, Texas. How does a white singer and pop icon from England become an important cultural figure for Latinas/os? This entry provides an overview of Morrissey’s musical and cultural importance to fans in the United States–Mexico borderlands. It introduces Morrissey, examines the rise of Latina/o Morrissey and Smiths fandom starting in the 1980s and 1990s, and offers a survey of the fan-produced literature and other cultural production that pay tribute to the indie-music star. The body of fiction, films, plays, poetry, and fans’ cultural production at the center of this entry collectively represent of Morrissey’s significance as a dynamic and iconic cultural figure for Latinas/os.

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