This is a notebook and guide for learners of English as a second or overseas language, all over the earth. Most of the writings here are in Basic English, first designed by C. K. Ogden, using 850 necessary words and a number of international words only.
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Decision for Moving
I have made up my mind to make this Jugem daybook my base station in English. Ryota's Daybook at blogspot.com will be open [for] a while, but I will not put a new writing there.
| Quick Notes | 12:13 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
Andersen's Little Match Girl
Hans Christian Andersen was a writer from Denmark, who put out a number of beautiful stories. They were in Danish language, but put into other languages like German, English, Japanese and so on.

"The Little Match Girl" was one of the noted stories by Andersen, with his love for little ones and his feelings on troulbes in the society put in a beautiful writing.

I put the story into Basic, in 2003, as a part of my training for writing Basic English. Even in Basic with a very limited number of words, you will see Andersen was a great writer.

Mr. Ohyama, one of my Japanese friends, kindly made it public in his online pages. It may be a bit early, but I have a hope that you will have, with this Christmas story, a happy Christmas.

Hans Christian Andersen, "The Little Match Girl"
| Basic English | 12:21 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
Bus
is great automobile used frequently in public transport systems. The word is not on Ogden's list of 850 words. One of the international words, however, is for the same thing: autobus. So I make use of the new and shorter form.

| Quick Notes | 16:35 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
English Prose Fiction
There are two different sorts of long fiction stories in English language: romance and novel.

Romance is long story, in verse or prose, about someone, long time back or in a far-a-way place, doing something special. The person is generally of a high birth, very good looking or with a special quality. A romance is frequently a love story or an accout of a long journey. Romance has a very long history. One of the most noted examples in English is the stories of King Arthur and his men of the round table, by Thomas Malory.

Novel is new sort of romance in prose, about a common person in nearer times in a place not so far away from the reader. It's generally fiction with a taste of true stories: the persons in the story are like the ones living in your town, doing common things every day.

Edward Said sees the development of English novels with the development of England ruling over other nations. Their going out on ships gave birth to Robinson Crusoe, the bridge from English romance to novel, or, in a way, the first English novel.

Robinson Crusoe, though most of the story takes place in a far-a-way land, is more like a true story: the common man Robinson gives an account of his experience in simpler English with everyday details.

After Robinson Crusoe, Britain had a number of new writers giving out novels. Those noted English novels were chiefly about persons in England, with some connection from countries ruled by England. What is strange and interesting is most of the persons in the novels, and most of university teachers working on those writings, are not conscious of the strong power-connection which was the physical base of English culture.
| Reading Edward Said | 11:21 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
Richards-Gibson System: Training for Starters
Graded Direct Method, or GDM, is a system of teaching language by step-by-step way, making thing-word connections. It was made up first as a way of teaching Basic English, at Harvard University, by I. A. Richards and Christine Gibson. So I make use of the name "Richards-Gibson System."

The Japanese group of language teachers are going have a training day for starters on 23 November at Bentencho Shimin Gakushu Center, Osaka, starting 13:00.

There will be a talk and hands-on training. The talk will be about the theory which the system is based on. The training will be seeing an example by an experienced teacher and taking part in the teaching.

Details in Japanese: <www.gdm.pos.to>
| Basic English | 14:32 | comments(2) | - | pookmark |
What Is Culture?
Culture, first of all, is farming: giving food to animals, making plants take roots in the fertile land, helping their growth, and getting more food.

Culture, frequently, is development in the society: ways and tendency of living, working or playing. It's like farming: the land and the weather make the tendency.

Culture, most of all, is fruit of the society: development of arts, music and writings.

Said's book I'm reading is about culture, or arts, specially prose fiction of noted British writers, and how those works took Britain's relations with other countries.

| Reading Edward Said | 05:46 | comments(2) | - | pookmark |
BES: Upcoming Event in Tokyo
The Basic English Society, Japan, is going to have a meeting in Tokyo.

Time: 20 November, from 10:00 till 16:30.
Place: Izumi Eifuku Chiiki Kumin Center, Eifukucho, Tokyo.

Part 1. Reading The Grammar of the English Language, a book by Randolph Quirk and others.

Part 2. Reading the book Learning Learning Basic English by I. A. Richards and C. Gibson, and The Bible in Basic English and the Bible in other forms of English. Hands-on training of writing with Basic words like "change," "cheap," and "cheese."

See more details in Japanese:
http://homepage3.nifty.com/BasicEnglishSociety/
| Basic English | 18:00 | comments(0) | - | pookmark |
Culture and Imperialism: The Book
Culture and Imperialism

This is the book. You may get a copy at any international bookstore online. The cover picture is a bookmark to Amazon.co.jp.


| Reading Edward Said | 09:10 | comments(0) | - | pookmark |
Why Said?
His last name, when it was put into writing with Roman letters, went like S-A-I-D, but the sound was like "sa-ee-d." It was not like "sed," the past form of "say." It was probably an Arabian name. He had, however, a common English name for his first: Edward.

Edward Said was a Christian from Palestine, expert of English writings, and noted voice on Middle-East political discussion.

Some of his books are on the lists by a great number of readers and university teachers working on prose fiction and on international relations. Knowledge of his ideas will be an important backdrop for discussion of international language or teaching English.

Empires of the Mind, the book by Rodney Koeneke, gives an account of what I. A. Richards did in China, in the light of the theory outlined by Said. For the purpose of coming to grips with Dr. Koeneke's book, it will be necessary to go through some books by Edward Said.

I'm reading his Culture and Imperialism, a book on noted English writings and their political backdrop. It's about 360 pages long, but it's not a simple book to go through.

So I will put what I have taken from my day-to-day reading of the book, bits of my thoughts and feelings of the book.

| Reading Edward Said | 17:00 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
Sunday
The air is white with very small bits of water. It isn't possible to see the other side of the river. The sun is sending a soft light down through the white air.This is Day 2 of our university open house. Boys, girls,men and women are on the train. This fall event is different from what we had in summer. This time teachers do not have much part. Young persons have food, drinks, music and dances. It is time for play and pleasure.

| Quick Notes | 10:14 | comments(0) | - | pookmark |
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