Japanese: The Law of Inverse Returns
Scott Barlow December 6, 1996 Shoji Azuma Japan 355 - 1
The law of inverse returns states that the better the foreign learner's Japanese is, the worse the reaction of the Japanese native population will be to the learner's use of Japanese. In this paper, I argue that the better the learner's
Japanese is, the better the treatment to the learner of Japanese from native
Japanese. I will argue this point by making three statements and then provide opinions and reactions of others whom I have interviewed over the Internet. The better the Japanese language that one has, the more the freedom he feels. I felt this feeling while I was in Japan and I could finally go to the bank and make a deposit or withdraw without fumbling and literally making up my own Japanese vocabulary. Until further Japanese study, did I find out that the word to
"withdraw" money from the bank was the same as "taking something down," like from a shelf. These are the same words, but in Japanese it is the context that they are used is what is important. Not only does better Japanese save you the embarrassment of making a mistake, but having better in Japanese also helps natives feel less of a burden on them, than if you didn't speak good Japanese.
In Japan as a missionary, I had the opportunity to visit a retirement home once a week. During our visit with the elderly, we also cleaned up. doing the normal housekeeping that was necessary for them to live in a cleaner, better environment. I am very glad that I had Japanese that I was able to understand the retirees, especially when the needed someone to talk to and when I was able to understand and help them clean where they asked me to. Through the understanding that I had then as a missionary in the Japanese language, I feel that the full-time workers there were less worried about us performing duties for them because we had better Japanese. This resulted in the better treatment I received as I was in Japan because of the position I was in able to serve.
The second argument I would like to make on a related topic of being less burdensome to the Japanese. Everyone doesn't like a lazy person, although a lot of people in America like being the lazy person. In Japan if you aren't busy doing something, it is like being counter-productive and demeaning the existence of society. The better the learner's Japanese is, the more likely he is to be
By the flip of a coin, 12 members were assigned to act as prison guards and the other 12 members were assigned to act as the prisoners. According to the source Stanford Prison Experiment it states, “The guards were given no specific training on how to be guards.” The assigned guards were free at will, to do what they believed what needed to be done to keep order within the prison walls. The experiment contained three different types of guards that acted out in the experiment. One-third of...
Mathews, Gordon. 1996. What Makes Life Worth Living? How Japanese and Americans Make Sense of Their Worlds.Berkeley: University of California Press.
The procedure for the Stanford Prison Experiment was that Zimbardo place and advertisement in the local paper for male volunteers for a psychological study of what prison life is like. Zimbardo stated that all volunteers would be paid fifteen dollars a day for two weeks. The twenty four most stable (mentally and physically) men were selected and randomly assigned to their positions, either a prisoner or a guard. There were two reserves and one dropped out finally leaving ten prisoners and eleven guards. Zimbardo set up a mock prison in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford University. Once the mock prison was set up Zimbardo had all the prisoners unexpectedly arrested at their homes on a Sunday morning before church when he knew they would all be at home.
To begin the experiment the Stanford Psychology department interviewed middle class, white males that were both physically and mentally healthy to pick 18 participants. It was decided who would play guards and who would be prisoners by the flip of a coin making nine guards and nine prisoners. The guards were taken in first to be told of what they could and could not do to the prisoners. The rules were guards weren’t allowed t o physically harm the prisoners and could only keep prisoners in “the hole” for a hour at a time. Given military like uniforms, whistles, and billy clubs the guards looked almost as if they worked in a real prison. As for the prisoners, real police surprised them at their homes and arrested them outside where others could see as if they were really criminals. They were then blindfolded and taken to the mock prison in the basement of a Stanford Psychology building that had been decorated to look like a prison where guards fingerprinted, deloused, and gave prisoners a number which they would be calle...
...nts to feel more comfortable discussing academics and make friends in a way more geared to school than American children. In short, although the U.S. education system is superior to most, there are many things that if taken from the Japanese and incorporated into our system, would help our students to become more enthusiastic about school; thus making the education experience more positive and more productive.
I almost always received a wheelchair ride around the house. I can't recall my grandpa ever complaining about those long wheelchair journeys down the hall to the bedrooms and the bathroom.
Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...
The experiment was conducted in the Stanford Psychology department basement. The mock guards were told they could use anything to enforce prison rules except violence. Their goal was to be strict and psychologically demeaning to the prisoners. Guards were told to dehumanize the prisoners, calling them by their assigned number instead of their name. Zimbardo (1971) took the role as prison superintendent and watched over the guards and prisoners. To begin the experiment, Zimbardo (1971) cooperated with local law enforcement and had all 12 pri...
Japan and America each have their own value system that draws comparable interest for how it shapes society and patterns of interaction. Even though there are similarities between the two-value systems, it is essential to understand the fundamental differences that deal with equality, respect, and communication style. Understanding the motivations behind behaviors will lead to successful intercultural interactions.
Up until a few years ago I never thought that one of my grandparents would be in a nursing home. I had always been lucky to have them healthy. However, this changed about a year ago when my grandfather had a mini-stroke, which caused him to require extra care my grandmother could not provide. Watching my family deal with my grandfather made me aware of the care and services the elderly need and has made me realize how important it is to volunteer at a local nursing home.
I understand that there is differences and I have to overcome the challenges.Those challenges and changes are very effective because it can make you better or worse. For example, somehow I use more English than my Chinese. As the time goes on, I can just forgot my native language. Since of this, I found out how to preserve my native language and improve is another challenge for me.
The commonly debated “greenhouse effect” refers to “the global-average temperature increase that has been observed over the last one hundred years or more” (Spencer). President Barack Obama addressed the issue as an effort to highlight its severity, "We have to all shoulder the responsibility for keeping the planet habitable, or we’re going to suffer the consequences – together” (Leader). The earth’s increasing atmospheric and oceanic temperatures result in climate changes due to cumulative amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.
Japan is also differentiated by the widely known comparison between other nations, especially those of Europe when it comes to lifestyle and how various economical groups live similarly, since there are no foreign populations in japan the advantage is given to those of authentic Japanese origins regarding the fact they follow their traditions and ethics.
extremely hard to control. If the temperature keeps rising, more carbon dioxide will be released.
This attraction to Japan combined with my passion for working with children is what has drawn me to the JET programme. I have always strived to give young people the best start in life they can have throughout my working career and believe that I can continue this in my work with Japanese students by teaching them the English language and culture. As a previous youth worker I am sensitive to the needs of young people and empowering them to make choices that will improve their life situation. Every client that I worked with indicated that they felt an improvement in mood on the feedback form. This can translate to the classroom by being aware of what students find most engaging and allowing them to tell me how they learn best. Furthermore, it allows me to present