Japanese uses two syllabic alphabets and around 2000 chinese characters. The first two are pretty easy to learn (as any alphabet), and are used to respectively write Japanese and import words. The chinese characters (kanji in Japanese) are a pain in the ass to learn (from first to twelth grade).
Back right after WWII, ditching the kanjis was considered and rejected as doing so would make reading in Japanese completely nightmarish. To get a vague idea of the difficulty, try to read a long text in an otherwise correct english, but with all blank spaces removed (and no new paragraph either).
I never said he didn't write the modern theoretical basis of communism (obviously). What I meant that this was, for him, exactly that. Theoretical studies about a social process he believed more or less unavoidable.
If anything, he thought that the first communist revolution would take place in England.
To keep in line with both subject of my previous post, remember how the "Love your fellow man" has been interpreted as "bash his head in if he doesn't believe the same things you do.
Talk about people following the teaching of their so-called spiritual leader/adviser...
THere's one in France. Itt was interesting in that it basically allowed judges to say that if there's a tax on blanks, you're indirectly authorised to copy for your own use.
The thing is, people just got the shaft from the recent DRM law. Basically, you still pay the tax on blank degital media, but you're forbidden to rip in any way for your own private use...
Just to add a bit...
I'm French, and I lived in the US for one year as a high school exchange student about fifteen years ago. On a personal level, things were pretty much alright (though I'd have things to say about the bitch that was the eldest sister in one of the host families I lived with).
However, by the end of that year, I'd decided I wouldn't to live in the US again.
What you have to go through now to go over there just clinched it. As long as these policies exist, I'll not go back, even as a tourist.
Because Japanese, more than any other modern country population that I know of, go by brand recognition.
Sony took too long to enter the market. Had they been reasonable from the beginning, Apple wouldn't have been able to gain such a big market share over here (note that I'm not comparing relative qualities of products here).
Allow me to clarify. I didn't mean you couldn't think about it, though in your example, if you can come up with a way to express something, then obviously there is a way to do so in your laguage. That said, when I wrote naturally, I meant you have to make a special effort to think about it.
Furthermore, the language in which you think has an influence on the way you think. Anybody fluent enough in more than one language can confim this - I've personally experienced it. The most obvious occurence is when such a person uses a word from a different language than the one she's currently speaking because it's what's most convenient. Especially noticeable when one's using her native language (and it's unconscious more often than not).
I concede, I concede. I'm not going to be able to argue this within the pure, academic, Linguistics. I have some background in it (which means I studied a bit of Chomsky for instance, but I've never heard the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis).
That said, I only concede on the fine linguistics part.
The very idea of universal grammar is that Language (the function) is part of what makes us human, and the learning of one specific language is finding structures and sounds (words) that are appropriate to make use of the function. But that doesn't mean a language itself has no influence on those who use. As a matter of fact, if a language doesn't have a way to express a concept, you simply can't think naturally about it. Just look at the inuit language which has something like 40 words that translate has 'ice'. I wouldn't be able to differentiate 40 kinds of ice.
Newtalk as Orwell defined is, like you said, a fiction. You can safely look at it as an exageration (but remember, before he was brainwashed/broken, Winston Smith thought it was crasy), but it doesn't mean there's nothing similar happening right now.
If you look at it with a politico-historical eye, things become quite different. What I stated in my previous post is exactly what has been happening for the last 20-30 years within the field of politics and economics.
You say not to cite Chomsky, obviously you misunderstood me: Chomsky the linguist is interesting, but Chomsky the political activist who applies his linguistic skills to the analysis of the political field has the real significance here. He describes exactly what the realworld 'newtalk' is. But don't take my word for it, go look at the source (ther are others, but I don't the time to look them up):
I'll agree on one thing, it probably can't work forever, but it's been very efficient in delaying any real change in the way the 'Powers that be' work.
Which doesn't prevent him from having good insights.
If your control of the medias is large enough, you can use it to define what language is used in a given situation. When you have achieved that so well that even your opponents use your choice of vocabulary and its associated definitions (as given by you), you basically have defined the playing field.
Again, (re?)read 1984, and interest yourself in the work of Chomsky and cognitive psychology.
Remember, Orwell didn't write in a vacuum. He was heavily inluenced by the "accomplishments" of Goebbels.
Actually, the "sick leave" days are somewhat different.
Basically, the law says that if you're sick from 3 days and up, the national health care system will pay your salary at no further expenses to the company. Officially, the fist two days of sick leave aren't paid (except if there are specific regulations within the company).
Which is the one (and only) reason why no democracy's army should be 100% professionnal. It ought to be at least made up of 50% drafties.
They can say whatever they wish about duty to protect one's country to justify the draft, the truth of the matter is that it's the only way to make sure the army doesn't become the tool of some against everybody else. If it comes to having to fight against your own army, you're screwed.
Which is the one (and only) reason why no democracy's army should be 100% professionnal. It ought to be at least made up of 50% drafties.
They can say whatever they wish about duty to protect one's country to justify the draft, the truth of the matter is that it's the only way to make sure the army doesn't become the tool of some against everybody else.
I think SONY's are completely skewed by two facts:
- first they do own significant portion of the professional market with their products - like what the parent post said about video. It's the same with minidisk, a very large portion of the professionals needing a way to record on the job use it a lot still. Of course it'll eventually be replaced by mp3 recorders.
- second, they see their prospective base through the japanese market which is significantly different. While even here the price tag isn't puny, it won't stop all these working 20somethings still living at their parents places (we're talking millions of people there) whom salary is basically there to be blown.
But wasn't that one of Bush promises before he got 'elected'?
If I remember correctly, back in 2000 Bush specifically stated that if he got the office, the charges against M$ would be dropped as fast as possible.
Not being a US citizen, at the time I couldn't really have cared less who from either Republicrats parties got to the White House except for that little fact.
Slashdot Mirror
Japanese uses two syllabic alphabets and around 2000 chinese characters. The first two are pretty easy to learn (as any alphabet), and are used to respectively write Japanese and import words. The chinese characters (kanji in Japanese) are a pain in the ass to learn (from first to twelth grade).
Back right after WWII, ditching the kanjis was considered and rejected as doing so would make reading in Japanese completely nightmarish. To get a vague idea of the difficulty, try to read a long text in an otherwise correct english, but with all blank spaces removed (and no new paragraph either).
I've been doing the same for a few years now, but I haven't been able to compress the physical size that much.
Could you please post your standard Latex headers?
"Economics is the only science that can predict events in its field with a 100% accuracy. _Past_ events"
If anything, he thought that the first communist revolution would take place in England.
To keep in line with both subject of my previous post, remember how the "Love your fellow man" has been interpreted as "bash his head in if he doesn't believe the same things you do.
Talk about people following the teaching of their so-called spiritual leader/adviser...
These "points" of yours somehow remind me of the betamax/vhs, Blueray/HD-DVD.
On the other hand, talking about external cooperation, I can't help but think of the standard CD...
Oh, and by the way (this for the nth parent post), Marx was a political economist, not a communist (contrary to popular belief).
The thing is, people just got the shaft from the recent DRM law. Basically, you still pay the tax on blank degital media, but you're forbidden to rip in any way for your own private use...
Well, you have to somehow fund that war machine some call an army if you want to stay the world's lone military superpower...
However, by the end of that year, I'd decided I wouldn't to live in the US again.
What you have to go through now to go over there just clinched it. As long as these policies exist, I'll not go back, even as a tourist.
Actually, there's a linux version of Quake4 (which I heard runs faster than the one under windows).
Sony took too long to enter the market. Had they been reasonable from the beginning, Apple wouldn't have been able to gain such a big market share over here (note that I'm not comparing relative qualities of products here).
Furthermore, the language in which you think has an influence on the way you think. Anybody fluent enough in more than one language can confim this - I've personally experienced it. The most obvious occurence is when such a person uses a word from a different language than the one she's currently speaking because it's what's most convenient. Especially noticeable when one's using her native language (and it's unconscious more often than not).
That said, I only concede on the fine linguistics part.
The very idea of universal grammar is that Language (the function) is part of what makes us human, and the learning of one specific language is finding structures and sounds (words) that are appropriate to make use of the function. But that doesn't mean a language itself has no influence on those who use. As a matter of fact, if a language doesn't have a way to express a concept, you simply can't think naturally about it. Just look at the inuit language which has something like 40 words that translate has 'ice'. I wouldn't be able to differentiate 40 kinds of ice.
Newtalk as Orwell defined is, like you said, a fiction. You can safely look at it as an exageration (but remember, before he was brainwashed/broken, Winston Smith thought it was crasy), but it doesn't mean there's nothing similar happening right now.
If you look at it with a politico-historical eye, things become quite different. What I stated in my previous post is exactly what has been happening for the last 20-30 years within the field of politics and economics.
You say not to cite Chomsky, obviously you misunderstood me: Chomsky the linguist is interesting, but Chomsky the political activist who applies his linguistic skills to the analysis of the political field has the real significance here. He describes exactly what the realworld 'newtalk' is. But don't take my word for it, go look at the source (ther are others, but I don't the time to look them up):
http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/talks/9103-media-contr ol.html
I'll agree on one thing, it probably can't work forever, but it's been very efficient in delaying any real change in the way the 'Powers that be' work.
If your control of the medias is large enough, you can use it to define what language is used in a given situation. When you have achieved that so well that even your opponents use your choice of vocabulary and its associated definitions (as given by you), you basically have defined the playing field.
Again, (re?)read 1984, and interest yourself in the work of Chomsky and cognitive psychology.
Remember, Orwell didn't write in a vacuum. He was heavily inluenced by the "accomplishments" of Goebbels.
As a suggestion, you should (re)read 1984.
Basically, the law says that if you're sick from 3 days and up, the national health care system will pay your salary at no further expenses to the company. Officially, the fist two days of sick leave aren't paid (except if there are specific regulations within the company).
You have to ask yourselves one thing: are you living for your work, or working for a living?
The completely crasy thing, looking from Europe, is that so many Americans seem to believe that taking vacation is bad...
Skype would be perfect for M$ and the way it does business - foothold in the market, recognized name, closed proprietary soft and protocols...
Wouldn't it be enough of a reason for M$ (I don't quite see how an auction-style site could interest them)
Which is the one (and only) reason why no democracy's army should be 100% professionnal. It ought to be at least made up of 50% drafties. They can say whatever they wish about duty to protect one's country to justify the draft, the truth of the matter is that it's the only way to make sure the army doesn't become the tool of some against everybody else. If it comes to having to fight against your own army, you're screwed.
Which is the one (and only) reason why no democracy's army should be 100% professionnal. It ought to be at least made up of 50% drafties. They can say whatever they wish about duty to protect one's country to justify the draft, the truth of the matter is that it's the only way to make sure the army doesn't become the tool of some against everybody else.
I think SONY's are completely skewed by two facts: - first they do own significant portion of the professional market with their products - like what the parent post said about video. It's the same with minidisk, a very large portion of the professionals needing a way to record on the job use it a lot still. Of course it'll eventually be replaced by mp3 recorders. - second, they see their prospective base through the japanese market which is significantly different. While even here the price tag isn't puny, it won't stop all these working 20somethings still living at their parents places (we're talking millions of people there) whom salary is basically there to be blown.
But wasn't that one of Bush promises before he got 'elected'?
If I remember correctly, back in 2000 Bush specifically stated that if he got the office, the charges against M$ would be dropped as fast as possible.
Not being a US citizen, at the time I couldn't really have cared less who from either Republicrats parties got to the White House except for that little fact.