The following information is about the science which studies called Linguistics.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It endeavours to answer the question--what is language and how is represented in the mind? Linguists focus on describing and explaining language and are not concerned with the prescriptive rules of the language (ie., do not split infinitives). Linguists are not required to know many languages and linguists are not interpreters.
The underlying goal of the linguist is to try to discover the universals concerning language. That is, what are the common elements of all languages. The linguist then tries to place these elements in a theoretical framework that will describe all languages and also predict what can not occur in a language.
Linguistics is a social science that shares common ground with other social sciences such as psychology, anthropology, sociology and archaeology. It also may influence other disciplines such as english, communication studies and computer science. Linguistics for the most part though can be considered a cognitive science. Along with psychology, philosophy and computer science (AI), linguistics is ultimately concerned with how the human brain functions.
The fields of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and language acquisition are considered the core fields of study and a firm knowledge of each is necessary in order to tackle more advanced subjects.
source : www.geocities.com
Friday, February 13, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Culture
In The Japanese Mind, Roger Davies offers Westerners an invaluable key to the unique aspects of Japanese culture. Readers of this book will gain a clear understanding of what really makes the Japanese, and their society, tick.
Among the topics explored: aimai (ambiguity), amae (dependence upon others’ benevolence), amakudari (the nation’s descent from heaven), chinmoku (silence in communication), gambari (perseverence), giri (social obligation), haragei (literally, "belly art"; implicit, unspoken communication), kenkyo (the appearance of modesty), sempai-kohai (seniority), wabi-sabi (simplicity and elegance), and zoto (gift giving), as well as discussions of childrearing, personal space, and the roles of women in Japanese society. Includes discussion topics and questions after each chapter.
With Respect to the Japanese: A Guide for Americans
I work at a Japanese Company and recently participated in across-cultural learning class. This book was provided as apre-requisite to the class. I was able to get more out of this book than any other book on this subject that I had previously read. The book explains how children are raised in the Japanese Environment, their belief/value system, and how that translates into their eventual adult/working life environment. I have recommended this book to both people inside my company and Companies I deal with on a daily basis. It has taken some of the "mystery" out of the Japanese Culture for me.
Introduction to Japanese Culture
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his is an essential overview of Japanese life and society today.
About the Author
Narumi Yasuda, born in Kagawa Prefecture in 1947, is a leading landscape photographer whose work has appeared on calendars and in numerous magazines and other publications, including Michinoku Bojo (Journey into Northern Japan), Furusato no Shiki wo Yuku: Nihon no Joki-Kikansha (Steam Locomotives through the Japanese Countryside), Japan: An Invitation, Nippon: Land of Beauty and Tradition, and Beautiful Japan.
Daniel Sosnoski is an American writer who has lived in Japan since 1985. His experiences as an editor of travel and cultural guides have taken him the length and breadth of Japan and given him an appreciation of the country’s natural beauty. He continues to explore and discover new elements of the land and its people.
his is an essential overview of Japanese life and society today.
About the Author
Narumi Yasuda, born in Kagawa Prefecture in 1947, is a leading landscape photographer whose work has appeared on calendars and in numerous magazines and other publications, including Michinoku Bojo (Journey into Northern Japan), Furusato no Shiki wo Yuku: Nihon no Joki-Kikansha (Steam Locomotives through the Japanese Countryside), Japan: An Invitation, Nippon: Land of Beauty and Tradition, and Beautiful Japan.
Daniel Sosnoski is an American writer who has lived in Japan since 1985. His experiences as an editor of travel and cultural guides have taken him the length and breadth of Japan and given him an appreciation of the country’s natural beauty. He continues to explore and discover new elements of the land and its people.
Japanese Culture
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For nearly three decades Japanese Culture has garnered high praise as an accurate and well-written introduction to Japanese history and culture. This widely used undergraduate text is now available in a new edition. Thoroughly updated, the fourth edition includes expanded sections on numerous topics, among which are samurai values, Zen Buddhism, the tea ceremony, Confucianism in the Tokugawa period, the story of the forty-seven ronin, Mito scholarship in the early nineteenth century, and mass culture and comics in contemporary times.
For nearly three decades Japanese Culture has garnered high praise as an accurate and well-written introduction to Japanese history and culture. This widely used undergraduate text is now available in a new edition. Thoroughly updated, the fourth edition includes expanded sections on numerous topics, among which are samurai values, Zen Buddhism, the tea ceremony, Confucianism in the Tokugawa period, the story of the forty-seven ronin, Mito scholarship in the early nineteenth century, and mass culture and comics in contemporary times.
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