7月 27

EL本棚紹介(79) Stitches: A Memoir, by David Small

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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One of the reasons why comic books and graphic novels have become popular in the United States recently is that they are a creative “medium.” Instead of writing only with words, artists combine words and pictures to show how they feel. When the boy in Stitches feels lonely and retreats into his drawing, he literally falls into his coloring book. When adults are angry and difficult to understand, they start looking a little less human, and more like monsters.

Stitches is an autobiographical story by David Small. He writes about a horrible experience he had growing up in 1950s America surrounded by homophobia (anti-LGBTQ hate), angry parents, and a life-threatening disease: cancer. David’s story is a sad one, and he suffers neglect from both of his parents, who hide both his cancer from him and the terrible reason he got it. It’s a mystery, it’s a little weird, and it’s strangely beautiful.

My two cents: I read this book in one sitting. It’s not a happy, “fun” story, but it really captured me.

7月 21

EL本棚紹介(78) The Tempest: The Graphic Novel, by William Shakespeare, adapted by John McDonald

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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The Tempest is the last play that Shakespeare wrote by himself. If you have never read Shakespeare or never seen a movie or play by him, you will probably be surprised by this book. The story is full of magic, fairies, and monsters. There is fighting and humor and a little bit of mystery. Everything happens when a great tempest (storm) forces a king, his son, and their comrades onto a mysterious and magical island. The wizard Prospero lives there, and causes all sorts of chaos for the king and his men. However, when you learn about the wizard’s past, you may come to understand his point of view.

Unlike the Shakespeare manga series, this book uses mostly easy to understand modern English. The art is decent, and the whole book is in full color. Because Shakespeare wrote plays, they fit very well with the visual medium of the comic book. Also, as this series is published by an English education company, there is a vocabulary list and interesting information about Shakespeare and the play in the back of the book.

My two cents: I found myself wanting to know more about Caliban’s story as I read. Caliban looks like a monster, but I think you will feel sorry for him and how he is treated.

 

6月 15

Sankaku Lounge 16.06.2023 11.00-14.00

当室では、今年度より下記のとおり「さんかくラウンジ」を開催いたします。
さんかくラウンジとは、ジェンダーやセクシュアリティに関わらず、弘前大学の学生や教職員が気軽に立ち寄り、ただその場に居たり他の参加者と話したり、自由に時間を過ごすことのできるスペースです。ジェンダーやセクシュアリティに関してモヤモヤと気にかかっていることをシェアしたり、関連する本を手に取ったり、ときどきは関連する映画を観たりすることもできます。開催時間中の出入りは自由(参加申込不要)です。

第1回は6月16日(金)、その後も7月から来年3月まで毎月開催予定です。
会場、Teamsの両方により開催します。
多くの皆様のご参加をお待ちしております。

日　　　時6月16日(金) 11:00～14:00
(開催時間中の出入りは自由です)
会　　　場総合教育棟2階　イングリッシュラウンジ
および Microsoft Teams
参　加　費無料
対　　　象本学の教職員・学生
参加方法事前の参加お申込は不要です。
会場にいらっしゃる方は、開催時間中いつでもお気軽にお立ち寄りください。
Teamsで参加される方は下記リンクもしくは「コードでチームに参加する」から「5hhbw3g」を入力してご参加ください。
さんかくラウンジのチームはこちら
協　　　力イングリッシュ・ラウンジ
連絡先・
問い合わせ先		弘前大学 男女共同参画推進室
TEL: 0172-39-3888／FAX:0172-39-3889
Email：equality[a]hirosaki-u.ac.jp
※[a]を@に置き換えてください。

5月 30

EL本棚紹介(77) Frankenstein: The Graphic Novel, by Mary Shelley, adapted by Brigit Viney

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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Frankenstein is one of the classics of horror literature, and it is also widely recognized as the first science fiction (SF) novel ever. It has been made into many movies, including the classic comedy retelling Young Frankenstein (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072431/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0). It tells the story of the scientist Victor Frankenstein and the “monster” he creates by sewing together dead bodies. He brings the monster to life, only to find his family hunted down and murdered by it over the next several years.

Frankenstein is a wonderful book, and I think you will be surprised by how the author treats the “monster.” Lucky for you, by translating it into a comic book, Viney has made the lengthy original story much more accessible. This adaptation is only about 130 pages. In addition, the pictures tell the story as much as the words do. Because this book was produced by an English textbook company, there is a list of vocabulary words in the back with some interesting information about the author.

My two cents: While this book does not have the best art of the books in our collection, it is still of good quality and supports the story well.

5月 30

EL本棚紹介(76) Demon Slayer Volume 1, by Koyoharu Gotouge

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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This is a book that needs no introduction. If you like Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) in Japanese, you will like it in English. If you don’t like it in Japanese, then you won’t like it in English.

This is a good example of what I mean when I write that “it’s easier to learn what you already know.” If you have already read Demon Slayer in Japanese or watched the anime, then you will know what to expect when reading in English. This lowers the “cognitive load” (how much work your brain needs to do) when reading, because you will already know the characters’ names, you will understand about the world (full of demons and demon slayers), and you might even remember what will happen in the story. As a result, you will be able to guess the meaning of words you don’t know more easily, and you can probably even skip difficult sections without getting confused about the story. I suggest trying to “learn what you already know” by reading some manga or even something in your major (like science or history) that you know well in Japanese. It is a good way to improve your reading skills.

My two cents: I have only read the first volume, so I am curious how the story develops. That said, I don’t really care for the art style…

5月 15

EL Game Theories (02): 英語学習者にとってのゲームの種類

English version

（ELゲーム連載へようこそ。このコラムはELで遊べるボードゲームやカードゲームを紹介します。本来のやり方通りにやってしまうと、遊ぶまでの時間が大変かかるかもしれないので、ある投稿では簡単な遊びの工夫が紹介されます。ほかの投稿ではなぜゲームで英語を勉強するのがよいかが説明されます。投稿のタグを使ってほかに興味ありそうなポストを見つけられます。）

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Word games (2) –Apples to Apples やLast Wordのようなゲームでは、たくさんの単語が書いてあるカードを使って遊びます。母語話者はすべての単語を知り、それぞれの定義を面白くひねりながら遊ぶのです。一方、あなたの場合は、このようなゲームで新しい単語を覚えるためにおすすめします。辞書を引きながらやり、それで学んだことを皆で共有するのもいいと思います。

Simple card games –Uno やSushi Go!のような簡単なカードゲームの遊び方はすぐ覚えらて楽しいですね。このようなゲームで “self-narration”（別な投稿で説明いたしますが）を練習することができます。ここで、勉強や新しい単語と戦うというより、遊びに集中することができます。

Intermediate card/board games –Pandemic: the CureやForbidden Islandというような中級のゲームは、遊び方を覚えるのに多少の時間がかかります。このゲームも “self-narration”に適していると思いますが、さらに “team communication”も必要になるでしょう。これを一度に習得するのが難しいかもしれないので、できれば一回目でやり方を一度覚えて、それから同じグループで後日にまた遊ぶことをおすすめします。

Speaking games –テーブルトークRPG や“social deduction games” （裏切りゲーム）はあらゆるレベルの言語学習者が楽しめます。ただし、ルールに従ったり、サイコロを振ったり、カードを引いたりするより、これらのゲームは話が中心となっています。つまり、グループで会話する自信・勇気が必要だということですね。上級英語を話す力が決して必要ではありませんが、積極的に話す・聞く・参加する態度がなければなりません。

5月 10

English Lounge Forum 2023-2024 #1 Extensive Reading

Learn about Extensive Reading

Extensive reading is a reading approach in which learners read large amounts of material in a foreign language, usually at or slightly below their level of proficiency, with the goal of improving their language skills, especially reading fluency and comprehension.

The focus of extensive reading is on reading for pleasure and interest, rather than for the purpose of language analysis or grammar study.

2023.04.21 FR.
12.40-13.40
Talk and Q & A
English Lounge/Teams

4月 28

EL本棚紹介(75) Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, illustrated by Sonia Leong, and Prince of Cats, by Ronald Wimberly

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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These two books are modern representations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but they were made for very different audiences and are very different books.

Manga Shakespeare literally tells the story of Romeo and Juliet using Shakespeare’s original words, but drawn in a Japanese manga style and set in modern Japan. The pictures in the story, use of manga stylization (e.g. using chibi style to visually represent characters’ feelings), and shortened snatches of dialogue all make this book very easy to understand. There is a ton of what language teachers call “scaffolding”—elements to help you understand the text, even though some of the words and grammar are difficult.

My (first) two cents: To be honest, the art is not very good and changing the setting to Japan is just awkward, but I still highly recommend this book as a way of experiencing Shakespeare’s language. I would even recommend it to a native speaker.

Prince of Cats is basically the opposite of Manga Shakespeare. It is an entirely original piece of art with beautiful and crazy illustrations, a creative story and script that combines Shakespearean language, hip-hop aesthetics, and Kurosawa Akira film aesthetic. It tells a secondary story, focusing on the character Tybalt, as a member of a gang in 1980s New York.

My (second) two cents: This book will be extremely challenging, but also very rewarding. You don’t have to read the whole thing: enjoy the art, try some of the language, and see where it takes you.

4月 24

EL Game Theories (01): 英語学習者にとってのゲーム

English version

（ELゲーム連載へようこそ。このコラムはELで遊べるボードゲームやカードゲームを紹介します。本来のやり方通りにやってしまうと、遊ぶまでの時間が大変かかるかもしれないので、ある投稿では簡単な遊びの工夫が紹介されます。ほかの投稿ではなぜゲームで英語を勉強するのがよいかが説明されます。投稿のタグを使ってほかに興味ありそうなポストを見つけられます。）

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自分の母語でボードゲームやカードゲームをやる時、まずもって「楽しむこと」が目的でしょう。難しいパズルを解きたいかもしれません。友達と競技したいかもしれません。もしかすると友達とのつながりを強くしたい、あるいは新しい友達を作りたいかもしれません。これらは立派な「ゲームをする動機づけ」だと思います。

しかしながら、英語学習のためにゲームをやる際、ほかのことを考慮しなければなりません。このゲームは英語学習者に向いているでしょうか？英語母語話者にとっても難易度が高いのでしょうか。英語で書かれたルールを覚えるのにどのくらい時間がかかるでしょう。ゲームをやるのに難しい単語を知らなければならない、あるいは外国のポップカルチャーについて知識が必要なのでしょうか。様々な要因により、英語でゲームをやることが難しくなる可能性があります。

それにしても、ぜひゲームで英語を勉強したり練習したりしてほしいです。これからの連載でそれについて色々な観点を紹介するつもりです。最も重要なのはふさわしい態度で向き合うことです。ルールにとらわれすぎないで、とにかく楽しく何か学んでいればよいです。また、ゲームをやればやるほど新しいゲームの遊び方が覚えやすくなります。（特に同じ人たちと一緒に遊ぶとそうなります）。さて、チャレンジしやすくするために、次回に英語学習者にとってのゲームの種類について、私の見解を説明いたします。

4月 17

English Lounge Forum 2023-2024 #1 Team Building in a Global Company

多様性が求められる時代、世界をリードするグローバル・カンパニーではどのように Team Buildingしてそれぞれの目標達成を図っているのかを具体的な例も交えながらお話しします。

佐々木夏光氏
Natsuaki Sasaki
AMD米国本社副社長

 

2023.04.21 FR.
12.40-13.40
Talk and Q & A
English Lounge/Teams