The May 2008 issue of the Japanese science magazine Newton has a feature article on the origin of the alphabet. The magazine has an established reputation for the quality of articles on a wide range of scientific topics, written in an accessible langauge and illustrated with rich graphic materials.
科学雑誌『Newton』の2008年5月号に「アルファベットのルーツ」と題する特集記事が掲載されています。本誌は、平明なことばで書かれ、美しい写真やイラストで飾られた、科学の様々な分野に関する質の高い記事を掲載することで知られています。
Showing posts with label MEDIA REPORT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MEDIA REPORT. Show all posts
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
BBC on Simplified English Spelling
Should we simplify spelling? - BBC News (July 10, 2007)
This article revisits the old and never-ending debate on English spelling reform. It features a series of emails exchanged between Ms. Masha Bell, a member of the Simplified Spelling Society, and Prof. Vivian Cook of Newcastle University. Ms. Bell argues that the current spelling system needs to be simplified to facilitate children's learning to read. Prof. Cook opposes her view from a linguistic standpoint, stressing that spelling is just one of various factors related to literacy.
This article revisits the old and never-ending debate on English spelling reform. It features a series of emails exchanged between Ms. Masha Bell, a member of the Simplified Spelling Society, and Prof. Vivian Cook of Newcastle University. Ms. Bell argues that the current spelling system needs to be simplified to facilitate children's learning to read. Prof. Cook opposes her view from a linguistic standpoint, stressing that spelling is just one of various factors related to literacy.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
The Asahi Shimbun on Kokuji
漢字にも「方言」 早大教授が１００以上の地域文字発見 (Google cache) - The Asahi Shimbun (April 16, 2007)
This article focuses on Japanese kokuji (国字), Siniform characters constituting a subclass of the kanji script. The kokuji characters were created in Japan using the organisational principles of the kanji characters, which had been originally developed in and adopted from China. While some of the kokuji characters encode such basic lexemes as 'farming field' and '(to) work', others represent more vernacular ones such as family names, place names and local commodities. The article introduces the reader to a survey conducted by Professor Hiroyuki Sasahara (笹原 宏之) of Waseda University, in which he has collected more than 100 vernacular characters from communities across Japan. Until now these characters were virtually unattested because they had been known only to particular members of the individual communities. According to Professor Sasahara, kokuji reflect the culture and history of the people's struggle to write their own words.
This article focuses on Japanese kokuji (国字), Siniform characters constituting a subclass of the kanji script. The kokuji characters were created in Japan using the organisational principles of the kanji characters, which had been originally developed in and adopted from China. While some of the kokuji characters encode such basic lexemes as 'farming field' and '(to) work', others represent more vernacular ones such as family names, place names and local commodities. The article introduces the reader to a survey conducted by Professor Hiroyuki Sasahara (笹原 宏之) of Waseda University, in which he has collected more than 100 vernacular characters from communities across Japan. Until now these characters were virtually unattested because they had been known only to particular members of the individual communities. According to Professor Sasahara, kokuji reflect the culture and history of the people's struggle to write their own words.
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