9月27日のレッスン

管理人様
早速の楽しいキャンプレポート有難うございます。この辺は、まさに管理人さんの本領発揮ですね。続きも是非宜しくお願いします。キャンプ後の27日及び29日のレッスンでもキャンプ参加者からはご好評の声を頂き、また写真をお見せした非参加者の方からも興味を持たれて、いろいろとご質問を頂きました。至らぬ点も多かったとは思いますが（遅刻した会長が一番悪い？）皆様のご協力で、成功裡に終えることが出来ました。改めて準備にご苦労をされたコミティーメンバーおよび、参加者、2名のネイティブの先生に心より謝意を表します。
ところで、せっかくの英会話サークルのBLOG、管理人さんから、レッスン内容をUPすべき、との課題を頂いておりましたので、27日木曜日分のADVANCEレベルのGrant先生のマテリアルをＵＰしてみます。良くなければ、削除していただいて結構です。試行錯誤したいと思います。
興味深い内容だったと思います（スキャナの精度が良くないので、誤りがあるとは思います・・）　　　　　　　BY　ＭＯＲＯ

IS　ENGLISH　SLOWLY TAKING OVER?
Back-to-front　books open new chapter on globalizing Japanese By TOMOKO OTAKE
As Japan struggles with the　mushrooming of English　loanwords　in its midst, there are signs that the　Japanese　language might be exploring　another　new　relationship with English＝by absorbing the
English alphabet and even some grammar directly.
This emerging trend is not to do with the superficial　profusion of　English　letting in advertising copy　and the names of buildings. In fact it is potentially far more profound, and suggests Japanese may be on　the way to adopting the English alphabet as its fourth set of characters along with hiragana, katakana　and　kanji．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
The　futurist who is predicting such a scenario is　Jun　Yamada　editor　of　a　paperback book series　at
major Japanese-language publisher　Kobunsha.　When he launch－the series in　2001，Yamada　broke
new ground by present｀　the copy in lines　 running　left　to　right, top to bottom on the pages, and by　starting the book at the　front　as　in　western publications － like typical Japanese books that start at　what　Westerners think of as the　back,　and have copy running top to bottom, right to left.
The paperback series　,which　Yammada､targets at ‘successful business　people with experience　of　living　overseas,¨is printed on recycled paper and volumes are about the same size as normal Western　paperbacks(which are usually bigger than those in Japan)，
But the most controversial decision Yamada made was to insert English words and phrases　throughout
the copy －not yet as substitutes of　Japanese　(because few Japanese　could understand stand-alone
English words),but　by　speaking English translations for key phrases throughout the text.　　￣
“The era　of　globalization　means　the era　of　English,　”said the outspoken editor, adding　this conviction　that¨Japanese　is　a　very flexible　language. It can absorb the English alphabet with no problem.゛.
However,　Yamada did admit that even now, more than five years after the series launch, he　is　still
inundated　with　phone calls from angry　readers､ Undeterred,　though,　he said that, while seven　out of　10　callers complained, he has no plans to quit the part-English policy. “I tell those people/You are angry　because you can’t read English. You don’t belong to our　target audience, so don’t even bother to buy our　books,¨’he said. “l don’t know how many times I’ve run into fights like that.”
As　outlandish　as　Yamada’s argument might be, there are bubbling signs that the Japanese language
Might　indeed　be｀Anglicizing,　and already most school textbooks, government and business reports and　e-mails are presented in lines running left to right from　top　to bottom.
Masamitsu Ito， a linguist at the department of Japanese Language Information and Resources at the
National Institute for Japanese Language, has monitored the volume of　English phrases hl J-pop lyrics　and　found that mixing in English words － rather than　katakana　words－has become far more
common since the 1980s.
“The English alphabet seems to be preferred because katakana　phrases are ubiquitous and so they no
longer sound fresh,”　Ito said“When　you　consider　the　size　of　English-language　school　chains,　and　the　fact that so many Japanese are studying English, few people find it odd to find English around　them　anymore.”
As a　result, some movie titles and newspaper headlines today include “the” and “in” between Japanese　words，although the grammatical concept of　articles and prepositions has never existed in Japanese, Ito　said.¨It is quite a big deal (if　everybody starts using those words),because it means　Japanese　grammar　is changing as well.”