Meaning of love

My girlfriend came tonight. She's now sleeping beside me.
What is the meaning of love for lovers who can only see once in two weeks?
I think it's scarce.

Future of this country

No future lies in this country since there's no rule and regulation, order and moral.

About me

I'm a novelist Born in Kokura in June, 1961 Kokura High School Tokyo University graduate Works; Essay on metaphysical pure poem 1978 The Eve 1978 Proclamation of war 1980

I want to be a car.

Teaching method

Message:
Try to enter the heart of each student. Some teachers talk to a textbook and others talk to a blackboard or white whatever.
But in such ways our words do not enter the heart of audience.
Always try to talk to them directly. Grasp their heart with your eyes.


The way you took in this session was appropriate in this regard.

List of all journals

I've been keeping journals, here's a list.


http://slashdot.org/journal.pl?op=list&uid=822671 Oct 2004 - Oct 2008

http://slashdot.org/journal.pl?op=list&uid=1381133 Oct 2008 -

Kokura

Kokura - A Record of An Age -Slashdot Archives

Writers II

Yeah, I think so.
Everyone has got their lives.
Mine is not the only one that is special.
Writers are bestowed the talent to reveal it.
That's the point that differs greatly from others.

Writers

Yeah, I think so.
Everyone has got their lives.
Mine is not the only one that is special.
Writers are bestowed the talent to reveal it.
It is responsibility and at the same time obligation for the writers to write.
I'm just doing what I ought to do.
As if men breathe.

Mistake

Mistake
2006.06.25 23:25

I am a connoisseur of wine, especially red one. My birthday is near and my love told me she planned to give me a present and she asked me what I would like. I said I like wine, a red one. She said she doesn't know many about wine so I proposed to her to visit a wine corner in a department store to tell her a little about wine.
I was looking at the wine section without any serious intention and one clark interrutted me saying, 'This indication is wrong, while this label indicates it's 'full body', it is indeed a 'light body'. So I said, 'Full body and light body are completely different, it's so misleading, why not correct this indication.' He was just keep smiling, for him it seems not an important difference. That was not he but I who made mistake where to come.

My Soap

My Soap
2006.06.25 23:10

I always use the same soap in my daily life. So one thing I don't like to use hotels is that I have to use soaps other than my soap. I had made use of love hotels to have a good time with her for four times and because of the fact that I usually use the same soap I just had evaded using soaps in all the hotels I used so far. I should have evade using the soap in a hotel but because I met her immediately after I finished working today, I made up my mind to use the body shampoo - any soap will be OK as long as it's soap, I mean any soap will do but usually in a love hotel, many times only body shampoo was equipped. I must say I am not interested whether body shampoo is just OK to use for other people, but for me because it gives too much moisturing effect on my skin, I hadn't used it so far...until last night. To tell the truth in fact by this applicaion, I was unable to get tight and it was unable to be bearable well that certainly disappointed her. As a matter of fact we had to have a main dish for five times though we hadn't a room service.
Next Saturday night she agreed to visit my house and we will sure to have a good time in my room. Good-bye to any trouble in a love hotel, sorry I am particular about too many things.

Sign of Virginity

Sign of Virginity
2006.06.25 22:41

On the 3rd of June -actually it was in the morning of the 4th of June, when I met her the second time she started menstruation, I was very glad to see it. Blood is a sign of virginity when the first intercourse was done and it is true that a woman who menstruated when she met a man means he will be a very father of her first baby in future. However old she is, blood is a sign of virginity.
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Huh?(Score:1)
by Scott Lockwood (218839) on 2006.06.25 22:54 (#15600337) (http://www.lrsehosting.com/ Last Journal: 2006.11.07 5:26)
Where do you get that from??? I thought it was, when you stuck it in her, and she went, "Ow!!!!" and bled everywhere (and laid there like a lump) that was a sign of virginity.
--But this is slashdot. A slashdoter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber!
Re:Huh?(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.06.26 0:38 (#15600672) (http://www.blogger.com/profile/11854854 Last Journal: 2006.11.22 3:02)
My point is if we don't eyewitness her bleeding in time of sex, we might not be able to tell for sure that a baby in advance will be our own.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Re:Huh?(Score:1)
by StalinsNotDead (764374) <umbagaNO@SPAMgmail.com> on 2006.06.27 5:34 (#15608325) (Last Journal: 2006.11.21 7:46)
Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own. Aristotle
--The wages sin pays is death. And sometimes I just wanna start passing out paychecks.
[ Parent ]
Re:Huh?(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.06.27 22:31 (#15612210) (http://www.blogger.com/profile/11854854 Last Journal: 2006.11.22 3:02)
If a father showed too much affection on his child, this could be a cause of their living in separation therafter. A mother think it's threatening if a father were so affectionate that he take her baby away, as a result she along with her baby would run away from a father.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]

Big Cross

Big Cross
2006.06.25 21:51

In Kokura we went near the small mountain where I used to live for a long time -15 years. And today I noticed for the first time the Cross has disappeared. We used to have a Big Cross at the top of the mountain, where we called a Memorial Park. I am not sure still the Park exists there though.
This cross was built in commemoration of dead 150,000 American GIs during the World War II in Pacific theatre. Big Cross was big enough to be seen from all over the city Kokura. Why it had to be removed? Because Japan is not a Christian country? Anyway I had seen this landmark throughout my childhood. It had been a landmark in Kokura for many years after the World War II, and still the figure exists clearly in my mind.

Go To Heaven

Go To Heaven
2006.06.23 2:25

I work in a three storey building. I often use elevator. Today I happened to get on an elevator with a young lady in a ground floor. I was going to the second floor, she was going to the first floor.
When she and I were in a very enclosed area, I talked to her with a smile, 'Will you go to heaven with me? She replied, 'It's scary.' In my word I include two meanings -one is why not go with me to the second floor? Though I know you get off at the first floor. And I intended to add sexually suggestive another meaning -of course 'go to heaven' means we feel ecstasy in sex.
But she didn't notice two of them, just thought that going to heaven means being dead.
It was not irrational at all judging from the recent news that malfanction of elavator killed a man.
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Punchline(Score:2)
by linvir (970218) * on 2006.06.23 3:09 (#15583960) (http://linuxvirus.net/ Last Journal: 2006.08.18 23:26)
It was not irrational at all judging from the recent news that malfanction of elavator killed a man.Great punchline (whether you intended it to be or not)!.
Re:Punchline(Score:1)
by helicobacter (930363) * on 2006.06.23 3:27 (#15584086)
Yes, this gave me the giggles! Honestly, I don't know what I would do if someone said that to me in an elevator!
[ Parent ]
Re:Punchline(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.06.24 0:29 (#15589740) (http://www.blogger.com/profile/11854854 Last Journal: 2006.11.22 3:02)
I regret failing to get the message. I was supposed to say, 'Don't worrry, everybody feels it scarey for the first time.'
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters

Safety First
2006.06.24 2:18

I live far away from noisy downtown, so always some time after a midnight I hear a sound of bikers in a very distant place and a subsequent siren of patrol cars -usually like an echo from a cave.
But tonight it is just extremely calm. Absolutely no sound in the least. During the daytime we had torrents -by this very large amount of shower, the road must be still very wet. Even rogue bikers evade driving on such a wet road. Safety first for all.

Night And Day
2006.06.24 6:16

For these two weeks I never met any people but for in my job. I always lived with a woman in love in my thirties, but after I was over forty, unfortunately so far I live with no woman. This is unusual for a guy of 44.
Tonight I will see her. And next week I will invite her in my house. Hope she will be my last destination. Both two are at work today on Saturday, so we will see at 9 p.m. Probably we enjoy our weekends at a bar. On Sunday we plan to go on a picnic, hiking, or mountaineering. See you on Monday
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Good luck(Score:2)
by SamTheButcher (574069) * <(samthebutcher) (at) (gmail.com)> on 2006.06.25 4:36 (#15597351) (http://www.samthebutcher.com/ Last Journal: 2006.11.25 13:39)
It's been fun reading your journals about your journey with her.
--I'm a smoochysleftearist. I believe in smoochysleftearism.
Re:Good luck(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.06.25 23:39 (#15600466) (http://www.blogger.com/profile/11854854 Last Journal: 2006.11.22 3:02)
My creed or motto is there's no privacy in writers. Writers ought to be free from all concepts of privacy, writers gain universality by revealing any secrets they own. I intend to reveal just all in order to show all the facts I faced. I hope that helped many readers to know a little bit about the fact of life.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Re:Good luck(Score:2)
by SamTheButcher (574069) * <(samthebutcher) (at) (gmail.com)> on 2006.06.29 0:13 (#15621254) (http://www.samthebutcher.com/ Last Journal: 2006.11.25 13:39)
I try to not have much privacy - I like to open it up as much as possible. My wife reins me in with regard to our family and daughters, however, which is a good thing.I've had difficulty when writing songs, though, I try to be open without disclosing too much. That way it makes the song more universal instead of specific. But obfuscation isn't always the best route to truth. :)My fiction stories might be about real-world stuff, but through the eyes of "fictional" characters, so that's usually easier.I've posted lots of stuff in my journals here, but man, there's a lot of those to wade through. :)
--I'm a smoochysleftearist. I believe in smoochysleftearism.
[ Parent ]
Re:Good luck(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.06.29 0:45 (#15621545) (http://www.blogger.com/profile/11854854 Last Journal: 2006.11.22 3:02)
But obfuscation isn't always the best route to truth. :)
As a matter of fact, some facts prevent us from grasping exactly what the fact of life is. In that case I do circumnavigate the main point and try to beat about the bush, then as a result readers understand more what I was driving at.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Re:Good luck(Score:2)
by SamTheButcher (574069) * <(samthebutcher) (at) (gmail.com)> on 2006.06.30 2:42 (#15629131) (http://www.samthebutcher.com/ Last Journal: 2006.11.25 13:39)
Excellent point. Thanks. :)
--I'm a smoochysleftearist. I believe in smoochysleftearism.

Truth One Way
2006.06.25 21:15

I used to live in Kokura till age 20. I went to a high school for four years and still I had to spend two more years to enter the University, so naturally I know many things in Kokura. While we were walking through one of the main arcades we came across Japanese style restaurant -'Young Bamboo' where my young parents first met and kept on meeting till they got married. I told a clark how many years has it passed since it's established. She said, 'It's 53 years.' 'Oh, that makes sense. That means it was established when young parents were 16 or 17, and they happened to meet here at age 23 or 4, I was a first son of them at their age 25. ' My love was listneing silently, I continued. When my dad met her and kept on meeting her here, she told me that dad told her 'I am truth-one-way'. Truth-one-way is not a popular Japanese term but still exists but more widely known a title of one Japanese novel. I don't believe he read it, but he used it to express his willingness to marry her. I told my love whereabouts of the word 'truth-one-way', and I uttered in front of her clearly, 'I am truth-one-way.'

Conversation With Her

Conversation With Her
2006.06.22 3:42

My new girlfriend is Japanese. We use Japanese when we talk, so one day she asked me if I kept on using Japanese with her like this conversation, don't I forget how to speak English?
I said, No, I always think it first in English then I translate it into Japanese, so I don't forget English.
I said I changed my job more than ten times, this is too many according to the tradition in Japan's society, then she asked me whether I tend to get tired of anything in general. I said, No. I am a type of man who always pursue things to their ultimate. I am just opposed to a man who is easily getting tired of it. Around us people are working in a same company in a same job for more than 20 years at the same age as mine. I said I would get puncture if I did this.
My relationship continues.

Hello

How are you?

Kokura -Rock Band

Hi, Luc. Since my love lives in Kokura I make it a rule to visit Kokura once in a week usually at weekends. And I took many photos to send especially for you. Please check. I hope you enjoy.

Fluctuation Of Sleeping Hours

6/3 4:40 - 8:20 [3:40]

6/4 0:25 - 9:00 [8:35]

6/5 7:20 - 9:00 [1:40]

6/6 3:40 - 12:00 [8:20]

Total for these four days = 22:15

22:15 devided by 4 is 5 strong.

Electronic Private Mail III

6/7 19:01My premises are not busy. Especially it's not busy today, since we didn't distribute bills. Today I see Mr **. Are you preparing supper? I don't care if you reply later.

6/7 21:15 Yeah I start waking up from this hour. It's so sad I am unable to see my love. I am weeping every night. I knew the consequences, does love mean endurance? It's a little bit too serious though my real job starts from this hour.

6/8 21:50 I got home at 9 p.m. it rained a little in Fukuoka. Radius 3 km from home is my circle of daily life. I got back to 4a.m. to 9a.m. sleeping patern and renewed my journal for the first time in a week. I was able to feel your feeling and I have got stable, but honestly speaking I'd like to always be with you.

6/9 20:58 What time are you going to finish working tomorrow?

6/9 21:14 Why not see a little? I will start working at 9 a.m. tomorrow night so I can't stay but I have time to have some drink and talk.

6/9 21:28 So we arrange to see in Kokura Station at 6 p.m. I'm glad.

6/10 17:32 I arrive at 5:58. Please come without making haste.

Electronic Private Mail II

6/5 22:27 Last night I was unable to fall asleep from then the time I fell was about 0:20. I got up at 9 -yeah my consciousness was very clear during the day. I work from 10 to noon then go to ** except for Saturday and Sunday. I work for 45 hours in a week. I will eat supper from now. I will write from 23 to 4. Did your daughter get home?

6/6 17:44 I'm now taking a short break. Did you finish working just now?

6/6 20:49 What are you doing? I managed to finish working past 8 p.m. We had ****. I wonder we are working in a same company. I start working at 2 p.m. since we have ****. I don't work in the morning, so I will write a journal in the Net tonight too. I usually keep a meno what I noticed in a notebook and write it at night. I wonder I should send a masterpiece in literal history.

6/7 12:53 I fell asleep about 3:30 and woke up some time ago. 8 hours 30 minutes I slept well. I didn't finish writing in the Net by 4 a.m. and kept on writing till 7:20 a.m. and slept till 9 a.m. I took 22.5 hours sleep in these four days. Average sleeping hours was 5 hours strong, which is best. I sammerise my main work 'The Eve' last night. We can read it in the Net. We are not busy today. I will work fully 8 hours on Thursday and Friday and I will have dayoff on Saturday for the first time in two weeks.

Electronic Private Mail I

5/18 12:21 I want to keep our encounter. I hope I can go with you forever from now on.

5/20 11:35 I'm mercedo I'm at work on Thursday, Saturday. I'm off on Sunday. I am looking forward to Wednesday. I wish it would be fine.

5/25 9:37 Re: ++ I had a happy time too. We will be seeing at the plaza in front of the wicket of Kokura Station at 2 p.m. on the 25th of June. I'm looking forward to seeing you.

5/26 20:12 Good Evening I mainly use personal computer at night so set manner mode in your cell. I will mail to you at night.

My main work is Trecca , http://mercedo.blogspot.com and you can read my main work at your cell too. It is something like an attached photo. My Japanese work is viewable in the Net, though, right now it's scattered, so wait for a while. 'Dusk is a sunset in the morning that leans on water. Irons sweep stones and the future makes this time.' My work is like this I think it's nearly hard for you to understand.

5/30 3:18 I'd like to see you soon. I'd like to see you soon. How about 9 a.m. on the 3rd. I will work till 7:15 p.m. this day so I will reach Kokura around 8:30 p.m. by taking subway and Shinkansen. We can stay till the morning on Sunday if stay is not forbidden. How about it?

5/31 19:37 Finished working today This is the real debut to write it in cell. I was unable to type small letters like 'tsu' and 'ya' , though, I learned to type them. Till now I wrote it in my laptop first then sent to my cell. I sent it to Miss++'s cell. I will be able to write to you when I want. I guess you were dayoff today, how was it?

6/3 19:55 I got on the subway. I will be arriving before 9 p.m.

6/4 12:02 I am satisfied to have been able to have date as I drew in my mind . See you again.

6/4 22:37 Good night my sweatheart, last night I slept 3 hours and 40 minutes -4:40 --8:20 I will sleep for a starter.

Money Back

Money Back
2006.04.27 4:44

In some commodities, the indication says '100% satisfaction guaranteed, or money back.' This one is cheap, and I was unable to feel satisfied. I cannot claim money, because it is so cheap and in addition I had already tasted.
I'd better refrain from buying cheaper products again. They needed to write an excuse -money back, if it's really good we won't complain about its taste.

The Label

The Label
2006.04.27 4:27

I was asked from one of our customers. 'Is this raw fish a wild or a farm-raised?', 'I can tell, will you bring me the fish?' ...'This is wild.'
In our label system, if it's wild, we don't indicate so. If it's farm-raised, we indicate so. I just saw the label, but the customer seemed to have thought that I was able to tell from the skin of fish, which is nearly impossible.

An Able Hawk Hides Its Nails

An Able Hawk Hides Its Nails
2006.04.27 4:07

This is a comical story..
I am a superman, I think I have to hide my talent in my daily life, so people who don't understand my lifestyle don't hesitate to blame me for not working as hard as our supervisers. Our supervisers usually work nearly 12 hours, as for me I don't work more than 8 hours in a day. So when I was accused from one of my colleagues ( a woman the same age as me ) as not working hard, I replied, 'An able hawk hides its nails.' My colleague replied, 'Do you intend to keep on hiding your nails?' I said,' Yes, till the end of time.'

Contents With Charge

Contents With Charge
2006.04.27 3:37

While I was browsing many Japanese bloggs last night, I encountered some sites which requires us to pay for their contents. I want to raise some question on this. There are two reasons why this is not good. Knowlegde has to be prevailed without the difference of our economy. If someone who can pay can only get access to the information, this is not called information as such. The second point is its credibility. Information has to be confirmed by many, not only some readers who were able to pay but others need to get access to the information just to confirm.

Enclosed Outside Japan

Enclosed Outside Japan
2006.04.27 2:45

It was probably 1984 or 5 still I was an undergraduate student when French philosopher Jacques Derrida came to Japan to see Akira Asada, Kojin Karatani. In their talk, Derrida used French and English, Asada used French, English and Japanese, Karatani used English and Japanese. Anyway they were able to communicate whatever the tool of communication might be. In their conversation, Karatani said, 'The extremely rapid growth of Japan's capitalism that has been taking place right now is as a phenomenon an extraordinary thing, so I can't help enclose inside Japan all the more.' Derrida's replay was this, 'I'd like to rather enclose outside Japan.'
Both Philosophers were seeking for what the nature of capitalism in progress worldwide those days, but their objective of study was different.
Derrida was gone, but Karatani is now in America. For those who are interested, here're some links.
Nationalism And Ecriture On Kant And Marx
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And to think I just read an article in Asian Times(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@aracnet.com> on 2006.04.27 3:17 (#15206450) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2006.04.29 1:56)
That claimed that Japan was failing at capitalism- and is currently experiencing a very swift reversion to feudalism- seen mainly by a high unemployment rate and professional Gen-Xers thrown onto the welfare system, even as an unamed "economic recovery" shows the nation growing richer. Of course, this is the ultimate cost of privatization: concentration of wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many.
--Admiting that you don't know everything is the begining of wisdom- or the lack of broadband internet.
[ Reply to This ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.27 3:49 (#15206668) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
Yes, we are heading for feudalism again. I have no idea as to how to escape from this process unless I myself feel eager to seek for wealth. Am I corrupted?
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Reply to This Parent ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@aracnet.com> on 2006.04.27 3:57 (#15206725) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2006.04.29 1:56)
Yes, we are heading for feudalism again. I have no idea as to how to escape from this process unless I myself feel eager to seek for wealth. Am I corrupted? Money is power- and power corrupts. The problem with capitalism is that being eager to seek wealth isn't enough- nowhere close. Most people living under capitalism seek wealth. The problem is to actually find wealth, you need wealth- it's a chicken-and-egg problem. That's why capitalism eventually breaks down into corporatism and feudalism- because there isn't enough wealth to start out with.
--Admiting that you don't know everything is the begining of wisdom- or the lack of broadband internet.
[ Reply to This Parent ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.27 4:19 (#15206866) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
In our current society the very rich get richer, the so so rich get poorer, the poor become very poor. This process is just gathering speed very rapidly. If things unchanged as it is, we have another Middle Ages again. I observed that this is inevitable and we cannot change the course of direction toward this. Within two or three years many things will change.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Reply to This Parent ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@aracnet.com> on 2006.04.27 6:11 (#15207805) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2006.04.29 1:56)
Reversing the direction of the flow of wealth isn't very hard- it's just very painful. Truman and Eisenhower showed us how- and between them created the first non-agricultural middle class the world had ever seen. Their method? High marginal income taxes. In 1953 America, 93% income taxes were common, to pay back bonds from the war. By doing this, the spendible income of the very rich was checked. Likewise they put in the first minimum wage the United States had ever seen- which limited the income of the poor as well, so that the rich man could only earn 8x what the poor man earned. Standard market economics took over from there- luxury goods suffered a major deflationary period, neccessity items experienced inflation in their prices- and the postwar housing boom insured that returning GIs could afford a house.This created the world our parents grew up in- Japan experienced something similar in the late 1970s and early 1980s. But such tax rates are not sustainable- and once relaxed, the road of the rich becoming richer and the poor getting poorer returns rather quickly.
--Admiting that you don't know everything is the begining of wisdom- or the lack of broadband internet.

Read A Blog

Read A Blog
2006.04.27 2:05

Last night all night long till 4 AM, I was reading a blog written by Japanese bloggers. I found some of them are extremely knowlegdeable, they know many things and even they show them without stinginess, but that is all. They just show a lack of digestion, comprehension, sublimation at the same time.
To learn and not to think. That is stupid. - Confucious.

Read A Blog

Read A Blog
2006.04.27 2:05

Last night all night long till 4 AM, I was reading a blog written by Japanese bloggers. I found some of them are extremely knowlegdeable, they know many things and even they show them without stinginess, but that is all. They just show a lack of digestion, comprehension, sublimation at the same time.
To learn and not to think. That is stupid. - Confucious.

Leather Back

Leather Back
2006.04.24 3:55

It's been hard to find a book with a leather cover nowadays. But today, I found it. I had asked them to order a book with a leather cover about a month ago -on the 26th of March, then I found the book in a bookstore, especially dealing with a foreign books.
I bought a de lux ninth edition of the New Pocket Oxford Dictionary. That's really what I have wanted.
It cost 47.5 dollars. As a single copy of dictionary of intermediate size, it is not inexpensive. I've been using this edition of paper back since the 10th of October, 2002, so I've been using it for three years and a half. I like it, I like it very much.
This edition was printed in Japan, Japan is good at printing such an intricate work, I recommend yhis country's these technics only limited in those areas.

The Sun Also Rises

The Sun Also Rises
2006.04.24 3:39

I am pessimistic about Japan's near future. As is usual, my girlfriend and I went to Amusement Park called Mari**, where a largest big wheel (or rather a ferris wheel) in Japan is located.
I asked her how many years Japan's position in internatinal society will last. After a while she replied, it's 30 years. I said two or three years instead.
I assume the collapse of Japan, financially, culturally, liguistically will be coming soon surprisingly soon. Japan's stagnant system has already come to a point of no return. I hope the sun also rises, but we have to change ourselves within an extremely short term. And it is second to impossible. Japan's economy is declining, sluggishing conspicuously enough.
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Decline relative to whom?(Score:2)
by AB3A (192265) on 2006.04.25 2:00 (#15190856) (http://slashdot.org/~AB3A/journal Last Journal: 2006.03.15 8:15)
Yeah, Japan isn't the powerhouse it once was. But neither are the US and most of Europe. The up-and-coming countries are China, India, and possibly Brazil. However the up-and-coming ones are growing at unsustainable rates. The only question I have is whether they will "crash" or whether they will find some way to dial back their growth to a more reasonable pace.I have always had great respect for Japan's electronics industry. They still hold the number one position in my mind. Unlike those of us in the USA, where manufacturing seems to be an unwanted and dying art.
--Nearly fifty percent of all graduates come from the bottom half of the class!
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Re:Decline relative to whom?(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.27 1:48 (#15205698) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
The up-and-coming countries are China, India, and possibly Brazil
Agreed.
However the up-and-coming ones are growing at unsustainable rates.
In the case of India, Brazil, it might be so. But China has been showing rapid, steady, sustainable rate of growth in economy. China is an extremely big country. And it is surprising to see such a big country shows such a double-digit figure in economic growth rate.
The only question I have is whether they will "crash" or..
Neither of these countries won't crash but Japan will. Soon -within 2 or 3 years, this country will be gulped from USA, or being already gulped?
Decline relative to whom?
Particularly relative to China, Korea. China is sure to surpass Japan in every respect soon -within 10 years.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters

This Week II

This Week II
2006.04.23 1:16

This week I worked 9.5, 7.5, 6, 8, 8, 6. Total working hours are 45 hours. This is over the top.
Next week working hours will be 8, 8, 6, 6, 8, 6. Total working hours will be 42. Tomorrow is holiday. I must confess that I am completely exhausted now. But it's a comfortable one. With a full of achievement.

Slashdot Statistics

Slashdot Statistics
2006.04.22 4:27

(The number of fans minus the number of freaks) divided by (the number of friends plus the number of foes) equals the rate of support in Slashdot.
This merely reflects my particular opinion tonight.
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I approve(Score:1)
by weierstrass (669421) on 2006.04.22 6:25 (#15177304) (http://retropolitan.blogspot.com/ Last Journal: 2006.03.10 5:32)
This is a very deep and interesting statistic. I like it.Mine is +1/12 ~= 0.0833
--Slow Down Cowboy! Slashdot requires you to wait longer between hitting 'reply' and submitting a comment.
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Re:I approve(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.22 23:22 (#15180346) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
I tried calculating other noticiable Slashdotters' indices given that the indices must be showing some meaning.
(13 minus 9) divided by 48 is 0.0833, which was your case.
In the case of my best friend MH42, (196 minus 97) divided by 400 is 0.2475.And me myself 60 divided by 172 is 0.3488.Sammy(SamTheButcher)'s case, (247 minus 4 ) divided by 247 is 0.9838.How about Morosoph? 77 divided by 127 is 0.6062.
The more the index is small, the more unique they are. The more the index is big, the more their view is generally accepted.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Reply to This Parent ]
hmm(Score:1)
by weierstrass (669421) on 2006.04.23 1:33 (#15180905) (http://retropolitan.blogspot.com/ Last Journal: 2006.03.10 5:32)
no one so far has a negative score.but there are a few slashdotters who have more freaks than fans, for example former editor 'michael' [slashdot.org].if you didn't make any friends or foes, your statistic is invalid (division by zero!) and you are excluded from the study.
--Slow Down Cowboy! Slashdot requires you to wait longer between hitting 'reply' and submitting a comment.
[ Reply to This Parent ]
Re:hmm(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.24 3:15 (#15185599) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
I've been trying to post carefully not to make a freak. I have been posting a comment with a view to making a new friendship with other Slashdotters. But this behaviour somehow restricts my freedom to speak out freely as I want. I wish I were able to post a comment without worrying about being someone's foe.
By the way since I was a kid, I've been repeatedly told that the division by zero is impossible. What is the mathematical basis on this?
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Reply to This Parent ]
Re:hmm(Score:2)
by slothman32 (629113) <pjackso5@nOspaM.rochester.rr.com> on 2006.04.24 4:50 (#15185988) (http://www.thegaminguniverse.com/ Last Journal: 2006.04.20 17:32)
Since division is defined so a/b = c is the same as a = c*bthen if b=0 it translates to a = c*0 wich would make a=0.If you begin with a=1 and b=0 then also a=1, contradictory to the other result.The make it easy by saying that if you have a/b = c and b=0you can't take the b from the bottom of one side and put it at the top of the other. That means there is no way to figure it out unless a/0 is defined some other way.It isn't needed so they don't do that.'i', the imagionary number wasn't defined until it is needed so 1/0 isn't either.Think of it this way, if you know limits:The limit of (1/x) as x goes to n=1/n, unless n=0.If n=0 then it diverges, i.e. goes to infinity.Mathematitions don't like dealing with infinities in arithmetic so they get rid of it.P.S. You talked about MH42. It could theoretically be possible for one mole of a metal to deal with 42 moles of hydrogen.Some higher elements like Platinum can actually disolve Hydrogen. It doesn't work with even Helium though.Some factories use it to purify Hydrogen.They are also thinking it could be used to store Hydrogen at room temperature instead of liquid really cold for use in Hydrogen cars.Yes I know who you mean but I always think of chemistry when I see a few letters like that.
--Why don't you guys have friends or journals?
[ Reply to This Parent ]
Re:hmm(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.27 0:46 (#15205123) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
My basic position as to the use of acronym is we'd better not use it as much as we can. The reason is clear -because of its ambiguity. The speaker only understands what that acronym really means, but oftentimes readers are subject to taking them for something completely different.
'i', the imagionary number wasn't defined until it is needed so 1/0 isn't either.
I didn't try calculating it even experimentally. As long as mathematic basis concerns, I understand.
then it diverges, i.e. goes to infinity.
In my imagination, I've got a similar conclusion. 'We cannot divide by zero.' It's a rule in mathematics. Though ambiguity still remains if we were asked this rule is derived from our empirical conviction. Almost all mathematics is firmly rooted in our empirical conviction based on our close observation to the order of things. I mean division by zero is not impossible in our daily life.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Reply to This Parent ]
heres mine(Score:2)
by slothman32 (629113) <pjackso5@nOspaM.rochester.rr.com> on 2006.04.24 4:56 (#15186004) (http://www.thegaminguniverse.com/ Last Journal: 2006.04.20 17:32)
Mine is about 0.10989 or 1/9.I just cleared up a bunch of foes though.
--Why don't you guys have friends or journals?
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Re:heres mine(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.27 1:14 (#15205392) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
I'm in my mid forties. I came to be much more moderate than my twenties. My supposed index those days -in my twenties would have been (62-738)divided by(400+400).
(F+F) means someone's scope of interest -matrix, wheras (F-F) means the number of support from this matrix.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters

The Spiral Rod

The Spiral Rod
2006.04.22 2:52

helicobacter, thank you for befriending me. Is your nickname made from the combination of helico=spiral, bacter=rod ? Literally it means 'spiral rod', if the word were invented, I thought it so artistic.
Japanese slashdotter 'NoGood' created an account and befriended me. Thank you very much.
And the ship pulls up the anchor again.
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So very close!(Score:1)
by helicobacter (930363) on 2006.04.22 9:24 (#15178418) (Last Journal: 2006.04.29 22:25)
Helicobacter Pylori is a spiral shaped organism [mpiib-berlin.mpg.de] that causes ulcers.
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Re:So very close!(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.24 2:54 (#15185496) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
I've got a very strong stomach. Even if you invaded, I welcome.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters

West Meets East

West Meets East
2006.04.21 3:21

I haven't read any political news for more than one month. Apparently it is not good as a teacher of social studies. Any way I did tonight. Oh, Chinese leader went to see U.S. President. The photo is here. The two leaders will never fight against one another, because two are too strong to fight with. They will seek for a peaceful co-existsnce very naturally.

At The End Of The Day

2006.04.21 2:57

I worked 8 hours today as was usual. I visited Slado tonight, SassyOS2, NoGoodslash..., cyber205, oddmake are Japanese Slashdotters in which cyber205, and NoGoodslash...are a regular contributer. As opposed to numerous entries from other countries, the number of members from Japan is still small.
I have noticed I am not keen on latest world movement. I work very hard, but I don't want to attribute my lack of common knowledge in the current world to the lack of free time as a result of this hard work, but sadly I must say it's true, I have no time to browse 'even' the latest news. This vicious circle already affects so badly over all ourselves.
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I rarely find that national news matters to me(Score:2)
by Degrees (220395) * <degrees AT comcast DOT net> on 2006.04.21 11:16 (#15170167) (http://slashdot.org/~Degrees/journal Last Journal: 2006.04.19 12:51)
I rarely find that national news matters to me. I do however, use an RSS feed from my local newspaper to keep up with local news.
And I visit the /. front page to skim the article headlines.
--Define the finite space of spelling definitely - no A exists there
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Re:I rarely find that national news matters to me(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.22 0:51 (#15174043) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
Before the advent of the Internet era, the lifestyle of almost all Japanese people were similar. They work from 9 to 7 and at home they watch the same TV program. They read the same newspaper. They were talking about the same social topic, hold the similar opinion. Always say we Japanese think, believe, act, not I. We had been feeling very secured when we put ourselves in this group psychology. They rarely thought they act because it is right. Everybody does, therefore I do. They didn't care whether it is right, or not. Our mentality was so simplified as if they ceased thinking that nobody wasn't willing to take responsibility for their act, nothing but their act. According to their criteria, they do because everybody does so.
I was one of the very few renegades in such an era. But I didn't change my lifestyle. I had been keeping my lifestyle though it was opposite to majority of Japanese people.
Time has passed. Things have been changing drastically these ten years. Preferences of people have been just diversified so we no more point out someone is different from others. People nowadays prefer to live according to their preferences. People are different essentially.
Japan's society has been changing. But in comparison to American society, still it's very conventional.
Twenty years ago I was much more particular about what Prime Minister said about national politics in a newspaper than what my friend said about politics. Now what Degree said about politics is much more worthy of than what one unknown critic said in a TV show.
Thank you for befriending NoGoodsla..., I feel deep gratitude to you on his behalf. I think it surely encourages him.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Reply to This Parent ]
Re:I rarely find that national news matters to me(Score:2)
by Degrees (220395) * <degrees AT comcast DOT net> on 2006.04.22 4:19 (#15176161) (http://slashdot.org/~Degrees/journal Last Journal: 2006.04.19 12:51)
I do like reading Journal Entries and associated comments more than I like broadcast media. Particularly, I like the fact that people from (sometimes wildly) different viewpoints can post their ideas. Once in a while, I add my own opinion; but often, I just read other people's opinion.
--Define the finite space of spelling definitely - no A exists there

Jenseits

Jenseits
2006.03.20 0:21

This is a German word for 'beyond' - in other words, 'another world'. Around this time in a year -autumnal and vernal equinox, two times in a year we call them Jenseits, we go to cemetry with a bunch of chrysanthemum to talk to the dead. Then I thought about why we call this time Jenseits. Because the length of day and night is the same, ancient people must have thought this fact leads them to the world of the dead smoothly. From the living to the dead, from this world to another they must have thought that they need a parallel of two different worlds.
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Minor nitpick(Score:2)
by Ethelred Unraed (32954) * <john@grantGAUSSham.de minus math_god> on 2006.03.20 4:30 (#14952915) (http://www.grantham.de/ Last Journal: 2006.04.28 21:01)
It's actually "Jenseits" with an s, not a z. It also literally means "beyond" or "other side", and indeed in English it's acceptable to use the term "the beyond" in the same sense as "Jenseits" is used in German.
Cheers,
Ethelred
--I think those monkeys whose butts turn bright red are onto something. -- ryanr
Re:Minor nitpick(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.03.21 0:43 (#14956982) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
Thank you very much, I will mend it later.
I learned the term first of course in Jenseits von Gut und Boese by Nietzsche, later I found the small writtings by Freud called Jenseits von Lustprinzip. I guess the term Jenseits has been so used in German soil. Indeed it's philosophical rather than practical. When I looked it up the term -Jenseits, I was able to find the meaning of outside, that world, etc. But as to the meaning of beyond, I was unable to find the noun which refers to the underworld, gehenna, besides the English translation was 'Beyond Good and Evil' 'Beyond Pleasure Principle' so I thought there's no noun usage in beyond.
Now I look it up in dictionary.com. I found the noun. Twenty years ago I looked it up in a middle size dictionary, where certainly I couldn't find the noun usage. I should have done it in Oxford English Dictionary.
Later on when I found the movies called 'Beyond' I thought the term might refer to the noun meaning of the hereafter, but it was just a matter within a movie, I didn't mind it. Many years later when I came up with the idea of use Jenseits, I thought about the word 'beyond', I could have titled it as 'beyond' But just I didn't like to confirm again what the meaning the term beyond contains.
Now I clearly know what the beyond means. It was not beyond my capacity.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters

Venom

Venom
2006.03.20 0:02

I as well as other two co-workers found a woman worker whose age is 55, who started working in our team about 8 months ago a lyer, or a person who freqently makes a false story and start spreading in our team members.
Bad currency kicks out good currency. I am now facing two or three alternatives how to deal with the matter. The first one is to try to kick her away from the job. This one is tough. The second one is just to ignore the situation, this one seems worst choice, since this accelerates her to lead to worse situations, she will keep on telling a lie and we our reputations all are going to be damaged strongly. Eventually we all have to get away from the team. The third one is for me to change my job. It's safer and easiest. I've been in many offices a lot of times and this is the first such a bad time I had. She tells us like she can see fairy behind somebody's back, or she saw someone in the office in the morning when the person was not there. It seems to me she has been not merely telling a lie or making a false statement, I think she actually saw what she thinks fairy and what she thinks him.
I don't believe she's merely a bad person. She might be a sufferer from tumour in her brain. But we all got into great trouble, since usually we believe what someone told.

Interesting Word

Interesting Word
2006.03.18 4:09

One of my colleagues asked me how to read some Japanese word and what the meaning of it. I read it as 'Asage' that means breakfast in ancient Japanese, we normally don't use the word.
She said, 'But my dictionary doesn't indicate the word.' I said, 'Is it internet connected?' She said, 'Yes, it is.' Then I said, 'It's strange it doesn't have.' I laughed at her, then adding, 'Please feel secured, I know the word. Normally one writer knows the word more than a dictionary can indicate.'

Repeat After Me

Repeat After Me
2006.03.17 4:19

I went to the office before 10 AM then I was in my office till over 8 PM.
I was about 10 hours in an office.
Recently I am working relatively hard, but not as stupid as I used to be, after two days I will have another Sunday. It's dayoff Sunday.. I will go on a picnic with my ex.

Physical Work

Physical Work
2006.03.17 2:25

I am completely sleeping except for the will to read.

If I Were Asked

If I Were Asked
2006.03.16 2:06

If I were asked why I don't write Japanese any more, I would replay. They(Japanese people) don't understand my Japanese, while English speakers understand my English.
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Well, I do understand your English(Score:1)
by jawtheshark (198669) * <slashdot@jawthesh[ ].com ['ark' in gap]> on 2006.03.16 7:08 (#14928088) (http://www.jawtheshark.com/ Last Journal: 2006.04.26 23:29)
And I most certainly would not be able to understand your Japanese.
I did read some Japanese recently, tough. Okay, it was translated in German. Have you ever heard of the manga "hadashi no gen". During *the* anniversary I read some articles about the event and I saw there was a manga. A praised manga. I bought all of them. I did not regret it...
I know, this is not the kind of reply you expected. I'm sorry about that. My replies do confirm that you are read tough...
---- A sharkless slashdot is a toothless slashdot. -- Turg (19864)
Re:Well, I do understand your English(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.03.17 3:01 (#14935007) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
People didn't understand my Japanese because my way of use Japanese was too diffucult. Japanese is as a language not cut out for expressing logics, theoretical thinking, yet if I use it I had to make a tower of Babel in Japanese - I mean my Japanese was too difficult for them to understand.
In my lifetime I never read any manga (except for tabloid version of pornography). I think that the book of title you mentioned are related to the aftermath of atomic bomb atrocity in Hiroshima. Manga limits the range of my imagination, so I've been kept them away from my life.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Language is a funny thing(Score:2)
by AB3A (192265) on 2006.03.16 9:39 (#14929276) (http://slashdot.org/~AB3A/journal Last Journal: 2006.03.15 8:15)
I've been bilingual in my past too. I attended Israeli public school for fourth grade and seventh grade. Toward the end of seventh grade I was pretty close to bilingual in Hebrew as well as English. In some ways I found that speaking Hebrew was easier, and in some things I spoke English easier.It was mostly a matter of where my vocabulary was. With subjects relating to school I spoke Hebrew better. However if the subject was electronics, I tended to speak English.Just because a language is one's mother tongue doesn't mean that you'll remain proficient with it in every endeavor. Some subjects will develop better if you use the vocabulary from the language where you learned it first.I think that may be why you've written your JE...
--Nearly fifty percent of all graduates come from the bottom half of the class!
Re:Language is a funny thing(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.03.17 3:37 (#14935457) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
As a matter of fact I was reading almost all valuable reading stuffs or classics in Japanese in my freshman and sophomore year. My reading stuff had been gradually changed from sophomore year to junior. When I started majoring in economics in junior year(3rd grade), my entire reading stuff changed almost drastically. I started reading English articles earnestly at age 23, but till that time I had already completed reading almost all classics of general education in Japanese. (I mean I started reading books in my speciality from age 23.)
Some subjects will develop better if you use the vocabulary from the language where you learned it first.
This is in part true, but not entirely. I learned English mostly by trying to learn by heart all the vocabulary in a dictionary. Then later I applied my English skill to the subject specified. So I must say almost all my knowledge was acquired through my Japanese first then later I have been translating my acquired knowledge into English expression. Still this way has been working well.
But now I don't particulary define the knowledge acquired by Japanese and by English. I have been obtaining knowledge, information from both mainly in English, partly in Japanese.
Language only indicates superficial differences, if we look into the depth of nature underlying these superficial expressions, we can see through the insight by penetrating their superficial differences.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Re:Language is a funny thing(Score:2)
by Interrobang (245315) * on 2006.03.17 6:38 (#14936952) (http://www.sara-stewart.com/ Last Journal: 2006.04.25 10:00)
That's an interesting observation about Hebrew. I'm learning Hebrew, and I'd like to become better at it because I think it's a powerful engine for expressing emotion and experience -- very good for a writer who wants to climb into the peak seat and drive.Mercedo, do you think that Japanese's radical change in the last half-century or so might be contributing to your becoming distant from the linguistic mainstream? I thought of this because I was discussing (and we're back to Hebrew again) how present-day Modern Hebrew is radically different from the Hebrew of even 50 years ago. NaveWeiss was helping me translate "Omrim Yeshna Eretz" into English, because I was having a hard time with it. Then I remembered how different older Japanese is to newer Japanese, even if we're talking about Japanese as it was spoken around WWII, so that sticks with me.I am more or less functional in English, French, and Spanish, and I have some Japanese, although I've lost much of it in the 10 years or so since I last really used it, and I also have some basic Hebrew (better than my Japanese at this point, I think).
--I'm not a geek, I'm just a clever script. [slashdot.org]
[ Parent ]
Re:Language is a funny thing(Score:2)
by AB3A (192265) on 2006.03.17 22:37 (#14941061) (http://slashdot.org/~AB3A/journal Last Journal: 2006.03.15 8:15)
I should mention that modern Hebrew is very nearly a different language from biblical Hebrew. Reading Biblical Hebrew is like an English speaker reading Beowulf.Language morphs. Even modern english changes. New words are added. There even some ethnic additions. The "Ebonics" craze may have been good for a laugh here and there, but the reality is that many phrases from it made it to mainstream culture of North American English speakers.
--Nearly fifty percent of all graduates come from the bottom half of the class!
[ Parent ]
Re:Language is a funny thing(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.03.18 3:33 (#14943528) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
Mercedo, do you think that Japanese's radical change in the last half-century or so might be contributing to your becoming distant from the linguistic mainstream?
Uhm...difficult question. But I must say No. My key to success was not to concern around me.
Japanese language as an official language in our daily use, hasn't changed at all from what it was 50 years ago. Grammar is exactly the same. Vocabulary..I think you are talking about vocabulary. Vocabulary we use in our daily conversation may be very different from what it was 5, 10, 25, 50 years ago. But the language our constitution, many other laws were written, or the language in the main newspaper, is completely the same as what we now use. According to the survey, the number of foreign loan words are increasing continuously. The rate of foreign words in our national language -mainly from English was about 7% soon after the World War II, now the rate is 17%, the rate has been definitely increasing but it is just a matter in rate, when it comes to the frequency of using words, we use tens of thousands times of more Japanese traditional words -mainly from China than other foreign words like English. In the world of law, we use no English words.
This reply might not be the one you are expecting from me, but the truth is so.
I thought of this because I was discussing (and we're back to Hebrew again) how present-day Modern Hebrew is radically different from the Hebrew of even 50 years ago.
This doesn't apply to the case of Japanese. Japanese language is basically consisted in a large number of Chinese words -it is the same as the case of Korean language. We -both Koreans and Japanese always use more than 70% of Chinese words very frequently in our daily life, and this is still unchanged. Our basic strata of culture take deep roots in Chinese culture, and it is not likely to change in half a century or a century, it takes much more century -though I can't tell exactly what will become of as to the future of Japanese language. Unless we experience entire social change -catastrophy, being invaded by other country, earthquake, Japan archipelagoes submerge, etc., Japanese language won't change.
NaveWeiss was helping me translate "Omrim Yeshna Eretz" into English, because I was having a hard time with it. Then I remembered how different older Japanese is to newer Japanese, even if we're talking about Japanese as it was spoken around WWII, so that sticks with me.
In particular fields like computer, etc. its Japanese is different from old Japanese, but such situations entirely depend on the 'fields' - we had no fields as to computers, so we had nothing for it but to use English. In the fields where no English alternatives are necessary, we always use Chinese. That won't change easily.
I'm afraid the situation in Hebrew and Japanese around language circumstances is just different. Hebrew is written in consonants with the help of vowel signs. Japanese is, on the other hands, written basically in ideograms called Chinese characters with the help of Japanese phonetic signs, so if we thought about the difference in origin of language in the first place between two languages, the chasm is enormous.
In spite of all claims I made, Japanese people start using English more and more from now on. I'm just saying that doesn't cause the change of Japanese language. Japanese language will remain unchanged till it's used by nobody.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Re:Language is a funny thing(Score:2)
by Interrobang (245315) * on 2006.03.19 13:47 (#14950841) (http://www.sara-stewart.com/ Last Journal: 2006.04.25 10:00)
I think the vocabulary and the orthography is changing, and, speaking as someone who speaks some Japanese (and no Chinese) but who has been around a lot of fluent and/or native Chinese speakers, I think your contention that Japanese contains Chinese words is somewhat inaccurate. It's true that some kanji retain the original Chinese meanings, but a lot of even the basic words aren't the same anymore; otherwise someone with an understanding of Japanese would be able to understand more spoken Chinese than they can. Japanese may preserve older Chinese pronunciations, but that's a linguistic constant anywhere you have two isolated, diverging linguistic groups. You even find that in some subdialects of English, where old regional dialect words are preserved in linguistically and geographically isolated speaker groups, but lost in the originating linguistic group (eg. late Middle English Northern dialect words preserved among Appalachian communities in the United States, but lost in England's north).I think you're misunderstanding my point. I'm speaking linguistically, and you seem to be reacting out of a sense of cultural pride. I'm not impugning your language, and it isn't like I know nothing about either of the languages I'm talking about. (As we speak, I'm listening to IDF Radio.) I would posit that the vocabulary and orthographical changes in Japanese (and you can't deny that there are more hiragana and katakana used in modern Japanese than even post-WWII, and again, I can explain why from a linguistic point of view, if you like) are in fact significant, and indicative of a change in the language at large, albeit a slow, incremental change. That, again, is not meant to imply that Japanese is disappearing, or even changing as much as the difference between Old and Middle English. I tend to think of it in terms of the language becoming more user-friendly. ;)I'd argue that there is a fundamental parallel between the Israeli and Japanese cultural experiences that has shaped your languages -- both cultures underwent a radical redefinition of cultural self right around 1945. In Japan, you had the end of WWII and the US occupation (and that reshaped your culture probably more than you're aware, and left some really interesting ripple effects in North American culture, too -- ask me about W. Edwards Deming sometime), and in Israel, they expelled both the British and Palestinians and established their own state.The actual mechanics of speaking or writing are actually irrelevant to the processes going on behind the scenes.
--I'm not a geek, I'm just a clever script. [slashdot.org]
[ Parent ]
Re:Language is a funny thing(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.03.19 18:49 (#14951356) (http://mercedo-compl.../2006/04/zen-ya.html Last Journal: 2006.04.28 3:11)
I think the vocabulary and the orthography is changing,
Before the end of World War II we were using exactly the same number and kinds of Chinese character as Chinese people had done, I mean we didn't have limitation to use Chinese character. Chinese people use 5000 Chinese characters, and we were using the same number, only after the World War II, the number of Chinese character we use in our daily life was limited to 1850. We called them the list of Chinese characters in our daily use (toh'yoh' kanji). I just feel amazed to see how our culture was so derived from Chinese culture. And also the shape of kanji was altered to simpler ones, and hiragana started being used to write phonetic connection between kanjis, and katakana was exclusively started being used to write loan words. Besides the way to use hiragana, katakana also altered to more colloquial ones( this was similar to the cases like you start spelling thru instead of through, anyway when it comes to orthography, the way to write and spell changed greatly. So orthography changed one time very greatly soon after the World War II, but since then orthography has remained the same.
I think your contention that Japanese contains Chinese words is somewhat inaccurate.
You see English words contain tens of thousands of Greek and Latin words, yet their meaning is somewhat different from Greek (especially in the case of Greek, since Latin only exists in classics). So it depends how to see current languages, we can say Japanese contains many Chinese words in a way we say as English contains many Greek words, but apparently their meanings greatly differs from what Chinese people today use them. So when you say,
It's true that some kanji retain the original Chinese meanings, but a lot of even the basic words aren't the same anymore;
Sure, and when it comes to pronunciations, we can hardly tell two words are correlated. (For example, Japan-English, Ilbon-Korean, Rieben-Chinese, Nippon/Nihon-Japanese are all from a Chinese word that referred to old Japan. This is similar to the cases like episcopal-bishop, both are from Greek, but it's hard to tell just guessing from pronunciation and spelling.)
and you seem to be reacting out of a sense of cultural pride. I'm not impugning your language,
No, no, I'm not a kind of person who takes prides in our own culture. Our native language -both English and Japanese only show temporal appearnces affected from our historical backgrounds. Our native tongue had been formed from exteremely strong influence of Chinese culture since China had been played an exteremely important role in the history of East Asia, but now since USA has been playing a very decisive role upon our culture in general, our native tongue will have more and more English words and will be affected by it much more than ever. Changes seem to be slow, incremental though.
That, again, is not meant to imply that Japanese is disappearing,
But I meant it. I think Japanese as a language is disappearing. The number of Japanese speakers and English speakers were almost the same when Admiral Perry arrived at the offshore of Uraga, Yokosuka, late 19 century. But now the speaker of English is five or six times more than Japanese speakers. Japanese is as a way to communicate with the people of the rest of the world, it is obsolete. We Japanese even among same nationals will start using English as is the case with pilots in aeroplane. At least I believe we ought to adopt more convenient way of communication. The way for us to use language ought not to be absolute ones.
I tend to think of it in terms of the language becoming more user-friendly. ;)
I observe since in the fields of anime, manga, or other fields where Japanese culture is dominant, many Japanese words started being used directly -it's more friendly for us to use origami instead of saying 'the way to fold paper artistically',sashimi, instead of saying 'slice of raw fish that can be eaten in handy'.
and that reshaped your culture probably more than you're aware
I guess so, since I was born after the war.
ask me about W. Edwards Deming sometime
I ask you now.
The actual mechanics of speaking or writing are actually irrelevant to the processes going on behind the scenes.
The Internet or other many media allow us to get closer more and more. We will start using the same language soon. Probably English vocabulary will adopt more loan words than now from now and English will be used more and more in many occasions here in Japan. Language only indicates our superficial difference that we had in our historical background, but honestly speaking we feel pain when we got injured, we feel happy when we could communicate. We share the nature underlying our verbal expressions. That's more important than any other things.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]