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  Man angry at English on Japanese TV (29th June, 2013)

A Japanese man is angry with Japan's television company NHK. He is tired of hearing so many English words on TV. Mr Hoji Takahashi, 71, says he is stressed every time he hears an English loanword on NHK. He is taking NHK to court. He wants the TV company to pay him 1.4 million yen ($14,300) for his "mental distress". Mr Takahashi's lawyer told the AFP news agency that Japanese TV is too "Americanised". Takahashi doesn't understand why NHK uses words borrowed from English instead of Japanese words. He said NHK should use Japanese and not loanwords for vocabulary such as "toraburu" (trouble), "risuku" (risk) and "shisutemu" (system). He said this would help protect Japanese culture.


 

Mr Takahashi started a small group called "The Treat Japanese as Important Association". He started it after he wrote to NHK but got no reply. He said NHK does not care about his opinions. Takahashi said older Japanese people often have problems with the many loanwords on NHK. He said they have trouble understanding what announcers on NHK say. He told reporters: "Young people can probably understand a lot of this stuff, but for older people like myself…I don't know what it means." The Japanese language has thousands of words borrowed from English and other languages. It uses a special alphabet called katakana to write them. It also changes the pronunciation to fit with Japanese phonics.

Source:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/27/national/gifu-man-71-sues-nhk-for-distress-over-its-excess-use-of-foreign-words/#at_pco=cfd-1.0
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23079067
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/pensioner-sues-nhk-for-using-too-many-foreign-loanwords


 
 

WARM-UPS

1. LOANWORDS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about loanwords. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

 

angry  /  tired of hearing something / loanword / mental distress / borrowed / culture / small group / no reply / have trouble / announcers / alphabet / pronunciation / phonics

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. STRESSED: What advice do you have for people who get stressed about these things? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often.

 

What do you stress about?

Advice for others

Speaking English

 

 

Homework

 

 

Television

 

 

Computers

 

 

Friends

 

 

Transport

 

 

4. CHANGE: Students A strongly believe it is good that languages change; Students B strongly believe it isn't.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.



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5. LANGUAGE ANGER: Rank these and share your rankings. Put the things that make you angry most at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • English loanwords
  • swearing
  • texting abbreviations
  • poor spelling
  • bad grammar
  • untidy handwriting
  • new slang
  • forgetting easy words

6. VOCABULARY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word 'vocabulary'. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.

An Englishman is angry because of poor English on Japanese TV.

T / F

b.

A man is taking a Japanese TV company to court to get money.

T / F

c.

The man said Japanese is becoming too Americanised.

T / F

d.

The man said he wants the TV company to talk about Japanese culture.

T / F

e.

The man wrote to the TV company but it didn't write back.

T / F

f.

The man said young people do not understand English loanwords.

T / F

g.

There is a special alphabet in Japanese just for borrowed words.

T / F

h.

The pronunciation of loanwords in Japanese is the same as in English.

T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.

angry

a.

pain

2.

tired

b.

answer

3.

distress

c.

presenters

4.

instead of

d.

fed up

5.

protect

e.

views

6.

reply

f.

mad

7.

opinions

g.

match

8.

trouble

h.

rather than

9.

announcers

i.

preserve

10.

fit

j.

problems

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.

He is tired

a.

to court

2.

He is taking NHK

b.

and not loanwords

3.

words borrowed

c.

announcers on NHK say

4.

NHK should use Japanese

d.

fit with Japanese phonics

5.

this would help protect

e.

alphabet called katakana

6.

he wrote to NHK

f.

of hearing so many English words

7.

trouble understanding what

g.

understand a lot of this stuff

8.

Young people can probably

h.

Japanese culture

9.

It uses a special

i.

but got no reply

10.

changes the pronunciation to

j.

from English

 

GAP FILL

A Japanese man is angry with Japan's television company NHK. He is (1) ____________ of hearing so many English words on TV. Mr Hoji Takahashi, 71, says he is stressed every (2) ____________ he hears an English loanword on NHK. He is (3) ____________ NHK to court. He wants the TV company to pay him 1.4 million yen ($14,300) for his "(4) ____________ distress". Mr Takahashi's lawyer told the AFP news (5) ____________ that Japanese TV is too "Americanised". Takahashi doesn't understand why NHK uses words (6) ____________ from English instead of Japanese words. He said NHK should use Japanese and not loanwords for (7) ____________ such as "toraburu" (trouble), "risuku" (risk) and "shisutemu" (system). He said this would help (8) ____________ Japanese culture.

 

 

agency
vocabulary
time
mental
tired
protect
borrowed
taking

Mr Takahashi started a small (9) ____________ called "The Treat Japanese as Important Association". He started it after he wrote to NHK but got no (10) ____________. He said NHK does not care about his (11) ____________. Takahashi said older Japanese people often have problems with the many loanwords on NHK. He said they have (12) ____________ understanding what announcers on NHK say. He told reporters: "Young people can probably understand a lot of this (13) ____________, but for older people like myself…I don't know what it means." The Japanese language has (14) ____________ of words borrowed from English and other languages. It uses a special (15) ____________ called katakana to write them. It also changes the pronunciation to (16) ____________ with Japanese phonics.

 

trouble
alphabet
reply
thousands
fit
group
stuff
opinions

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)

He is ______ so many English words on TV.

 

a.  tired of hearing
b.  tired if hearing
c.  tired for hearing
d.  tired on hearing

2)

He is taking NHK ______

 

a.  to quart
b.  to coat
c.  to court
d.  to caught

3)

He wants the TV company to pay him 1.4 million yen ($14,300) for ______

 

a.  his "mental this dress"
b.  his "mental this tress"
c.  his "mental distressed"
d.  his "mental distress"

4)

He said NHK should use Japanese ______

 

a.  and no loanwords
b.  and non-loanwords
c.  and not loanwords
d.  and note loanwords

5)

He said this would help protect ______

 

a.  Japanese cultures
b.  Japanese culture
c.  Japanese cultured
d.  Japanese cultural

6)

a small group called "The Treat Japanese ______"

 

a.  as Important  as so see action
b.  as Important Associates
c.  as Important Associate shun
d.  as Important Association

7)

he wrote to NHK but ______

 

a.  got no replies
b.  got no replied
c.  got no reply
d.  got no replying

8)

they have trouble understanding ______ NHK say

 

a.  what announces on
b.  what announcers on
c.  what announced on
d.  what announce is on

9)

Young people can probably understand a lot ______

 

a.  of this stuff
b.  of this staff
c.  of this stiff
d.  of this stuffs

10)

It also changes the pronunciation to fit with ______

 

a.  Japanese comics
b.  Japanese phonic
c.  Japanese comic
d.  Japanese phonics

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

A Japanese man is angry with Japan's television company NHK. He is (1) ________________________ many English words on TV. Mr Hoji Takahashi, 71, says he is stressed every time he hears an English loanword on NHK. He is (2) ________________________. He wants the TV company to pay him 1.4 million yen ($14,300) for his "mental distress". Mr Takahashi's lawyer (3) ________________________ that Japanese TV is too "Americanised". Takahashi doesn't (4) ________________________ words borrowed from English instead of Japanese words. He said NHK should use Japanese and not loanwords (5) ________________________ "toraburu" (trouble), "risuku" (risk) and "shisutemu" (system). He said this would help (6) ________________________.

Mr Takahashi (7) ________________________ called "The Treat Japanese as Important Association". He started it after he wrote to NHK but got no reply. He said NHK does not (8) ________________________. Takahashi said older Japanese people often have (9) ________________________ loanwords on NHK. He said they have trouble understanding what announcers on NHK say. He told reporters: "Young people can probably understand (10) ________________________, but for older people like myself…I don't know what it means." The Japanese language has thousands of (11) ________________________ and other languages. It uses a special alphabet called katakana to write them. It also changes the pronunciation to (12) ________________________.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.

What TV company is the man angry with?

2.

Where is he taking the TV company?

3.

How much money does he want in yen?

4.

What did the man's lawyer say he felt about Japanese TV?

5.

What would using Japanese words only protect?

6.

What kind of answer did he get after he wrote to the TV company?

7.

Who did he say has problems with loanwords?

8.

Who did he say could understand loanwords?

9.

How many loanwords are there in Japanese?

10.

What changes to fit with Japanese phonics?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.

What TV company is the man angry with?

6.

What kind of answer did he get after he wrote to the TV company?

 

a) Japan Today
b) BBC
c) NHK
d) CNN

 

a) an angry reply
b) no answer
c) one full of loanwords
d) a long one

2.

Where is he taking the TV company?

7.

Who did he say has problems with loanwords?

 

a) to court
b) to the USA
c) to dinner
d) to a language school

 

a) Americans
b) announcers at the TV company
c) everyone
d) older people

3.

How much money does he want in yen?

8.

Who did he say could understand loanwords?

 

a) 4.1 million
b) 14,300
c) 13,400
d) 1.4 million

 

a) British people
b) young people
c) everyone
d) announcers at the TV company

4.

What did the man's lawyer say he felt about Japanese TV?

9.

How many loanwords are there in Japanese?

 

a) there aren't enough Japanese actors
b) it's too Americanised
c) there should be more news
d) it's boring

 

a) thousands
b) fewer than the Japanese loanwords
    in English
c) 17,873
d) a few

5.

What would using only Japanese words protect?

10.

What changes to fit with Japanese phonics?

 

a) English
b) systems
c) Japanese culture
d) loanwords

 

a) TV announcers
b) dictionaries
c) spelling
d) the pronunciation of loanwords

ROLE PLAY

Role  A – Mr Takahashi

You are angry that TV companies use so many loanwords. Tell the others three reasons why. You are worried young people will not speak Japanese properly. You think the bosses of TV companies don't care about Japanese. You want people to stop watching TV until the companies stop using loanwords.

Role  B – TV company boss

You think loanwords are great on TV. Tell the others three reasons why. Mr Takahashi is old and does not understand the modern world and new vocabulary. Tell Mr Takahashi that loanwords are Japanese words now. Tell him you will pay for him to study loanwords.

Role  C – Young Japanese person

You don't like TV companies using so many loanwords. Tell the others three reasons why. You don't understand many of the words. You would understand the news better if there were no loanwords. You think your Japanese is poorer because of loanwords. Agree with everything Mr Takahashi says.

Role  D – Japanese language expert

You think loanwords are totally normal. Tell the others three reasons why. Every language uses loanwords. Many Japanese words are used in English. Loanwords make Japanese more interesting. They can also help Japanese students learn English. TV is important to teach people new loanwords.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'loan' and 'word'.

loan

word

 

 

 

  • Share your findings with your partners.
  • Make questions using the words you found.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

  • Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

  • tired
  • hears
  • pay
  • agency
  • vocabulary
  • culture
  • small
  • reply
  • older
  • stuff
  • thousands
  • fit

LOANWORDS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about loanwords in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 

  • Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

LOANWORDS DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)

What did you think when you read the headline?

b)

What springs to mind when you hear the word 'vocabulary'?

c)

What do you think of English words being used in your language?

d)

What do you think of Mr Takahashi's feelings?

e)

What makes you stressed about your language?

f)

Are you worried your culture is becoming Americanised?

g)

Why do you think Japanese TV chooses loanwords instead of Japanese?

h)

Are there any English loanwords in your language you love or hate?

i)

Is NHK helping to damage Japanese culture by using loanwords?

j)

What questions would you like to ask Mr Takahashi?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?

b)

What do you love about your language?

c)

What are your favourite words in your language and why?

d)

Why do you think NHK did not reply to Mr Takahashi's letter?

e)

Should older people just understand that language changes?

f)

What do you think it's like to listen to the news in your own language and not understand many loanwords?

g)

Can loanwords help you understand more English words?

h)

Many languages might be half English in the future. Is this good or bad?

i)

What do you think NHK will say to Mr Takahashi?

j)

What questions would you like to ask the boss of NHK?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1.

________________________________________________________

2.

________________________________________________________

3.

________________________________________________________

4.

________________________________________________________

5.

________________________________________________________

6.

________________________________________________________

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1.

________________________________________________________

2.

________________________________________________________

3.

________________________________________________________

4.

________________________________________________________

5.

________________________________________________________

6.

________________________________________________________

MULTIPLE CHOICE - LANGUAGE

A Japanese man is angry with Japan's television company NHK. He is (1) ____ of hearing so many English words on TV. Mr Hoji Takahashi, 71, says he is stressed every time he (2) ____ an English loanword on NHK. He is (3) ____ NHK to court. He wants the TV company to (4) ____ him 1.4 million yen ($14,300) for his "mental distress". Mr Takahashi's lawyer told the AFP news agency that Japanese TV is too "Americanised". Takahashi doesn't understand why NHK uses words borrowed from English (5) ____ of Japanese words. He said NHK should use Japanese and not loanwords for vocabulary such as "toraburu" (trouble), "risuku" (risk) and "shisutemu" (system). He said this would help (6) ____ Japanese culture.

Mr Takahashi started a small group called "The Treat Japanese as Important Association". He started it after he wrote to NHK but got no (7) ____. He said NHK does not care about his (8) ____. Takahashi said older Japanese people often have problems with the many loanwords on NHK. He said they have (9) ____ understanding what announcers on NHK say. He told reporters: "Young people can probably understand a lot of this (10) ____, but for older people like myself…I don't know what it means." The Japanese language has thousands of words borrowed (11) ____ English and other languages. It uses a special alphabet called katakana to write them. It also changes the pronunciation to (12) ____ with Japanese phonics.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.

(a)

tire

(b)

tired

(c)

tiredness

(d)

tires

2.

(a)

listens

(b)

hears

(c)

hearing

(d)

listening

3.

(a)

raking

(b)

faking

(c)

making

(d)

taking

4.

(a)

loan

(b)

pay

(c)

borrow

(d)

spend

5.

(a)

place

(b)

rather

(c)

prefer

(d)

instead

6.

(a)

protection

(b)

protecting

(c)

protect

(d)

protective

7.

(a)

reply

(b)

comply

(c)

apply

(d)

supply

8.

(a)

opinions

(b)

bunions

(c)

opinions

(d)

reunions

9.

(a)

concern

(b)

headache

(c)

worry

(d)

trouble

10.

(a)

stuff

(b)

stuffed

(c)

stuffing

(d)

stuffs

11.

(a)

from

(b)

of

(c)

for

(d)

if

12.

(a)

fit

(b)

bit

(c)

pit

(d)

wit

SPELLING

Paragraph 1

1.

he is dsetessr

2.

He is taking NHK to rutoc

3.

Japanese TV is too "iercmdsaeinA"

4.

English sitdena of Japanese

5.

vyabalcuro such as "toraburu" (trouble)

6.

Japanese lecurtu

Paragraph 2

7.

"The Treat Japanese as Important ssaitcinAoo"

8.

NHK does not care about his snnooipi

9.

what unresnacno on NHK say

10.

tudhsason of words

11.

a special lhptbeaa

12.

It also changes the auioicnpnrtno

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

(    )

of Japanese words. He said NHK should use Japanese and not loanwords for vocabulary such

(    )

an English loanword on NHK. He is taking NHK to court. He wants the TV company to pay him 1.4 million yen ($14,300) for

(    )

"Americanised". Takahashi doesn't understand why NHK uses words borrowed from English instead

(    )

Mr Takahashi started a small group called "The Treat Japanese as Important Association". He started it after he wrote

(    )

problems with the many loanwords on NHK. He said they have trouble understanding what

(    )

announcers on NHK say. He told reporters: "Young people can probably understand a lot of this

(    )

as "toraburu" (trouble), "risuku" (risk) and "shisutemu" (system). He said this would help protect Japanese culture.

(    )

to NHK but got no reply. He said NHK does not care about his opinions. Takahashi said older Japanese people often have

(    )

hearing so many English words on TV. Mr Hoji Takahashi, 71, says he is stressed every time he hears

(    )

his "mental distress". Mr Takahashi's lawyer told the AFP news agency that Japanese TV is too

(    )

called katakana to write them. It also changes the pronunciation to fit with Japanese phonics.

1  )

A Japanese man is angry with Japan's television company NHK. He is tired of

(    )

stuff, but for older people like myself…I don't know what it means." The Japanese language has

(    )

thousands of words borrowed from English and other languages. It uses a special alphabet

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.

is    Japan's    man   with   company   Japanese   angry   television    A.    

2.

of    tired    is    He    TV    on    words    English   many    so    hearing.    

3.

hears    an   English    loanword    He    is   stressed   every   time    he.    

4.

from    words    English    instead    Words    of    borrowed    Japanese.    

5.

Japanese     this     culture     would     help     He     protect     said.    

6.

but    wrote   it   got    to    after    He    no    NHK   he   started   reply.    

7.

not     his     He     does     about     NHK     care     opinions     said.    

8.

trouble    NHK    understanding    say    what    announcers   Have   on.    

9.

people   can   probably   understand   a    lot    of   this    stuff    Young.    

10.

Japanese    also    pronunciation    with    It    the    fit    changes     to.    

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

A Japanese man is [angry / anger] with Japan's television company NHK. He is tired of [listening / hearing] so many English words on TV. Mr Hoji Takahashi, 71, says he is [stressed / stress] every time he hears an English loanword on NHK. He is taking NHK to [caught / court]. He wants the TV company to pay him 1.4 million yen ($14,300) for his "[mentally / mental] distress". Mr Takahashi's [lawyer / law] told the AFP news agency that Japanese TV is too "Americanised". Takahashi doesn't understand [why / what] NHK uses words borrowed from English [instead / rather] of Japanese words. He said NHK should use Japanese and not loanwords for vocabulary such [has / as] "toraburu" (trouble), "risuku" (risk) and "shisutemu" (system). He said this would help [protect / protection] Japanese culture.

Mr Takahashi started a small [group / groups] called "The Treat Japanese as Important Association". He started it after he [writes / wrote] to NHK but got no [reply / replay]. He said NHK does not care about his [opinions / onions]. Takahashi said older Japanese people often have [problem / problems] with the many loanwords on NHK. He said they have [trouble / troubles] understanding what announcers [on / in] NHK say. He told reporters: "Young people can probably understand a lot of this [stuff / staff], but for older people like myself…I don't know what it means." The Japanese language has thousands of words borrowed [for / from] English and other languages. It uses a special alphabet called katakana to write them. It also changes the [pronunciation / pronounced] to fit with Japanese phonics.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

_ J_p_n_s_ m_n _s _ngry w_th J_p_n's t_l_v_s__n c_mp_ny NHK. H_ _s t_r_d _f h__r_ng s_ m_ny _ngl_sh w_rds _n TV. Mr H_j_ T_k_h_sh_, 71, s_ys h_ _s str_ss_d _v_ry t_m_ h_ h__rs _n _ngl_sh l__nw_rd _n NHK. H_ _s t_k_ng NHK t_ c__rt. H_ w_nts th_ TV c_mp_ny t_ p_y h_m 1.4 m_ll__n y_n ($14,300) f_r h_s "m_nt_l d_str_ss". Mr T_k_h_sh_'s l_wy_r t_ld th_ _FP n_ws _g_ncy th_t J_p_n_s_ TV _s t__ "_m_r_c_n_s_d". T_k_h_sh_ d__sn't _nd_rst_nd why NHK _s_s w_rds b_rr_w_d fr_m _ngl_sh _nst__d _f J_p_n_s_ w_rds. H_ s__d NHK sh__ld _s_ J_p_n_s_ _nd n_t l__nw_rds f_r v_c_b_l_ry s_ch _s "t_r_b_r_" (tr__bl_), "r_s_k_" (r_sk) _nd "sh_s_t_m_" (syst_m). H_ s__d th_s w__ld h_lp pr_t_ct J_p_n_s_ c_lt_r_.

Mr T_k_h_sh_ st_rt_d _ sm_ll gr__p c_ll_d "Th_ Tr__t J_p_n_s_ _s _mp_rt_nt _ss_c__t__n". H_ st_rt_d _t _ft_r h_ wr_t_ t_ NHK b_t g_t n_ r_ply. H_ s__d NHK d__s n_t c_r_ _b__t h_s _p_n__ns. T_k_h_sh_ s__d _ld_r J_p_n_s_ p__pl_ _ft_n h_v_ pr_bl_ms w_th th_ m_ny l__nw_rds _n NHK. H_ s__d th_y h_v_ tr__bl_ _nd_rst_nd_ng wh_t _nn__nc_rs _n NHK s_y. H_ t_ld r_p_rt_rs: "Y__ng p__pl_ c_n pr_b_bly _nd_rst_nd _ l_t _f th_s st_ff, b_t f_r _ld_r p__pl_ l_k_ mys_lf…_ d_n't kn_w wh_t _t m__ns." Th_ J_p_n_s_ l_ng__g_ h_s th__s_nds _f w_rds b_rr_w_d fr_m _ngl_sh _nd _th_r l_ng__g_s. _t _s_s _ sp_c__l _lph_b_t c_ll_d k_t_k_n_ t_ wr_t_ th_m. _t _ls_ ch_ng_s th_ pr_n_nc__t__n t_ f_t w_th J_p_n_s_ ph_n_cs.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

a japanese man is angry with japan's television company nhk he is tired of hearing so many english words on tv mr hoji takahashi 71 says he is stressed every time he hears an english loanword on nhk he is taking nhk to court he wants the tv company to pay him 14 million yen ($14300) for his "mental distress" mr takahashi's lawyer told the afp news agency that japanese tv is too "americanised" takahashi doesn't understand why nhk uses words borrowed from english instead of japanese words he said nhk should use japanese and not loanwords for vocabulary such as "toraburu" (trouble) "risuku" (risk) and "shisutemu" (system) he said this would help protect japanese culture

mr takahashi started a small group called "the treat japanese as important association" he started it after he wrote to nhk but got no reply he said nhk does not care about his opinions takahashi said older japanese people often have problems with the many loanwords on nhk he said they have trouble understanding what announcers on nhk say he told reporters "young people can probably understand a lot of this stuff but for older people like myself…i don't know what it means" the japanese language has thousands of words borrowed from english and other languages it uses a special alphabet called katakana to write them it also changes the pronunciation to fit with japanese phonics

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

AJapanesemanisangrywithJapan'stelevisioncompanyNHK.Heistiredofhearing
somanyEnglishwordsonTV.MrHojiTakahashi,71,saysheisstressedeverytimehe
hearsanEnglishloanwordonNHK.HeistakingNHKtocourt.HewantstheTV
companytopayhim1.4millionyen($14,300)forhis"mentaldistress".Mr
Takahashi'slawyertoldtheAFPnewsagencythatJapaneseTVistoo
"Americanised".Takahashidoesn'tunderstandwhyNHKuseswordsborrowed
fromEnglishinsteadofJapanesewords.HesaidNHKshoulduseJapaneseandnot
loanwordsforvocabularysuchas"toraburu"(trouble),"risuku"(risk)and
"shisutemu"(system).HesaidthiswouldhelpprotectJapaneseculture.Mr
Takahashistartedasmallgroupcalled"TheTreatJapaneseasImportant
Association".HestarteditafterhewrotetoNHKbutgotnoreply.HesaidNHKdoes
notcareabouthisopinions.TakahashisaidolderJapanesepeopleoftenhave
problemswiththemanyloanwordsonNHK.Hesaidtheyhavetrouble
understandingwhatannouncersonNHKsay.Hetoldreporters:"Youngpeople
canprobablyunderstandalotofthisstuff,butforolderpeoplelikemyself…I
don'tknowwhatitmeans."TheJapaneselanguagehasthousandsofwords
borrowedfromEnglishandotherlanguages.Itusesaspecialalphabetcalled
katakanatowritethem.Italsochangesthepronunciationtofitwith
Japanesephonics.

FREE WRITING

Write about loanwords for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

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ACADEMIC WRITING

English loanwords damage other languages and cultures.   Discuss.

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HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about loanwords. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. LOANWORDS: Make a poster about loanwords. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. MR TAKAHASHI: Write a magazine article about Mr Takahashi and his problem. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against English loanwords being in other languages.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to NHK's boss. Ask him/her three questions about loanwords on its programmes. Give him/her three ideas on how to make Mr Takahashi happy. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

F

b

T

c

T

d

F

e

T

f

F

g

T

h

F

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.

angry

a.

mad

2.

tired

b.

fed up

3.

distress

c.

pain

4.

instead of

d.

rather than

5.

protect

e.

preserve

6.

reply

f.

answer

7.

opinions

g.

views

8.

trouble

h.

problems

9.

announcers

i.

presenters

10.

fit

j.

match

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.

NHK

2.

To court

3.

1.4 million yen

4.

It's too Americanised

5.

Japanese culture

6.

No answer (no reply)

7.

Older people

8.

Young people

9.

Thousands

10.

The pronunciation of loanwords

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

c

2.

a

3.

d

4.

b

5.

c

6.

d

7.

b

8.

d

9.

a

10.

d

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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