Outline of 7th lesson (August 24th, 2013)

We started with reviewing comparatives and superlatives, referring to the material on p. 41.
41頁を参考にして比較級及び最上級を復習することで始めました。

Then we talked about the plans for next time:
次に、次回の計画を話し合いました。

** Next time, we will have a debate in the first hour, and then we will discuss test strategies and do some practice questions in the second hour.
※ 次回、一時間目はディベート（討論会）を行います。二時間目はテストを取るときの戦略を話し合ったり、問題を練習したりします。

Then we started preparing for the debate. We chose the topic, chose sides, and decided on the rules. Then we worked up some material for the debate. We squeezed in a little speaking practice, too.
それから、ディベートの準備を進めました。話題を選んで、チームにわけて、ルールを決めました。そして討論の資料を考えて、文章を用意しました。発表の話し方も少し練習しました。

There was a notebook left behind. I entrusted it to the teacher who brings us the projector.
ノートの忘れ物がありました。プロジェクターをいつももってきてくれる先生に預けました。

See you next time.
また今度、よろしくお願いします。


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PS 追伸：

When you need to leave early, here are some ways to tell the teacher and ask permission:
早退の際、先生に状況を説明して許可を頼む方法はこういう感じです。

Use "I have ... ."
"I have ... ." を使ってわけを言う。

• I have a club activity. 部活の活動があります。
• I have important family business. 家族の大事な用事があります。
• I have to go see the doctor. 医師に診てもらわなければならない。
• I have to talk with my teacher. （学校の）先生と話の約束があります。

Those would be the usual examples. Then you ask permission ...

まあ、理由が以上のようなものでしょう。それから許可を頼む〜

• I need to leave early. 早く出なきゃいけません。
• May I leave early? 早退してもいいですか？
• Can you let me go a little early? 少し早く開放してもらえません？
• I'd like to leave at 3:30. ３時30分に出たいけど。

Etc. など。

By the way, when you "see" the doctor, the doctor "sees" (examines) you.

ちなみに、英語で医師を「見る」のは、その先生に「診てもらう」ことになります。

Don't forget that we have class this week!

Same time, same place.

(Well, if they change the room, they'll put signs up for us.)

Please read the outline again and check your notes against mine. Bring questions and your own ideas.

See you there!

Where I live, the good and the bad.

The place where I live used to be out in the countryside.
住んでいるところは昔いなかでした。
There were lots of rice fields and vegetable gardens.
田んぼも野菜の畑もたっぷりでした。
It's not the countryside any more.
もう、田舎ではなくなった。

There are houses and apartment buildings being built all over.
アチラコチラに家やマンションが建てられつつ。
Our apartment is on the top floor of a four story apartment building.
我が家のアパートが４階建て賃貸マンションの最上階です。
The climb up the stairs is long, but the view is nice.
階段を登るのがしんどいけど、素晴らしい眺めです。
And it has nice solar exposure – lots of sunlight.
日当たりがよく、太陽たっぷりです。
Shopping is convenient, there are four supermarkets within ten minutes by foot in three directions.
買い物は便利です。スーパーが１０分以内に歩ける距離、三つの方向にあります。
Schools are close, too.
学校も近くにあります。
The elementary school is about five minutes to the south, and the junior high school is about five minutes to the north.
小学校は南方５分に、中学校も東方５分です。
It's not a bad place to live.
住むには悪く思いません。

But I prefer the countryside.
しかし、僕なりに言えば、田舎のほうがいいと思います。
I like to hear the frogs when it rains, and the crickets at night.
雨が振るとカエルの声を聞くのが好きです。夜の虫の声も。
And I like to take walks between the rice fields.
それに、田んぼの間に散歩するのが好きです。

antonym practice (40.5a)

Element 5a on page 40:

I got sidetracked on a little play on the pronunciation of "agree" （意見などが合う、賛成する、一緒です） versus "ugly" （醜い）。 Fortunately, the difference is not just the sounds of "r" and "l". "Agree" is accented on the second syllable: uh-gree, "ugly" on the first: uhg-lee.
ダジャレができる"agree"と"ugly"の発音に話がそれた。運がよく、"r"と"l"の発音だけで違うというわけではなく、強調を受けるシラブルも違う。"Agree"（/əˈgri/）の倍は最後を強く言い、"Ugly"（/ˈʌgli/）の倍は最初が強い。

We came up with some sentences for the vocabulary in class. Lets take a look:

• I joined a bustling party. 忙しそうにしているパーティーに加えた。
• Earth is tinier than space. 宇宙よりは地球が小さい。
• My mother told me to keep my room clean. お母さは、私の部屋をきれいにするように支持を告げた。
• Kendo is a traditional Japanese sport. 剣道は日本の伝統的なスポーツです。
• Students at my school are friendly. 私の学校の生徒たちは親しく関わりあう。
• I think that Kyoto is one of the most picturesque cities in the world. 京都は絵のように美しく、世界一美しい街の中に入ると思う。
• I saw an enormous elephant at the zoo. 動物園でデッカイ象を見ました。

Bustling means noisy, but it is onomatopoeic, the sound of busy people. So the sentence

I joined a bustling party.

is okay, but I wonder what the guests are busy doing. この文章で、お客さんはなんで忙しそうにしているかが気になります。

I joined the bustling guests, preparing for the dance.

would be a bit more typical use. 後方の例はダンスの用意で bustling になっているので普段の言葉使いになると思います。

Tiny means very small, so in a comparison I would expect two small things. 極端に小さいので、比較文には双方が小さいのを期待します。

Earth is tinier than space.

is okay, but it makes me think that there may be something bigger than space. 宇宙は小さく、地球がもっと小さい、という感じがします。 (I think there is something much bigger than space, but not all people think so. 僕は宇宙よりもはるかに大きいものがあると思いますが、皆がそう思うわけではありません。)

Earth is tiny, and space is enormous.

would be a more typical use of "tiny".

For some reason, I brought up these two standard idioms:

• The elephant in the room. 皆が無視している（象ほど大きいから）見えないはずのないもの
• A bull in a china shop. 陶磁器の高級店に入り込んだ雄牛

なんでこの熟語を持ちだしたかは覚えていません。

I really don't have the time for this, but, just for fun, I'll make up some more examples:

• I left the bustling city for the quiet countryside. （決まり文句です。）
• The streets near the park are clean, but the ditches near the factory are polluted.
• Weekends at home in the countryside are dull, but the city has a lively nightlife.
• Tokyo is enormous, but Wink, Texas is tiny. (Notrees is even tinier.)
• Odessa, Texas was a friendly town when I was young, but it has become less welcoming now.
• Tokyo is a modern city; Kyoto is more traditional.
• Harima Central Park is very picturesque. When I look at the ugly abandoned apartment across the street, I want to go to Harima Park.
• Minoh City is a nice place to visit, but it's a little touristy. Katou City is still a little more unspoiled.

I'll leave you to parse the grammar. これらの例文の文法を解剖して解析するのはおまかせです。

Sounds around us -- 周りに聞く音

Before picking up the poem on p. 39, I asked you about sounds around you, sounds that you hear every day.

What do you hear in the morning?

What do you hear in the evening?

What do you hear when you wake up?

The following are some of the sounds that were mentioned:

• cicadas （セミ） chirping/buzzing
• sounds of the washing machine
• car sounds
• mother's voice
• sounds of cooking,

Then we talked about the poetic devices used in the poem --

• onomatopaeia -- 擬声・擬音語
• rhyme -- 押韻法、特に脚韻
• alliteration -- 押韻法、特に頭韻

Then I read the poem and we listened to the DVD, and we looked for pairs and groups of words that rhyme:

• sputters（ぱちぱち音） – gutters（特に浅い溝）
• hurrying – scurrying（小走り、ちょこちょこの急ぎ）
• races（競争） -- faces -- places
• nights -- lights -- heights（高い場所）
• creep（這う） -- sleep

"Swish, swash, sweep and swoosh" are examples of alliteration. Incidentally, swish, swash, and swoosh all have to do with sounds raised from sweeping motions.

The poem is constructed of onomatopoeia, invoking the sounds of the city.
この詩は都会の音を思い起こすような擬音で構成されている。

Other onomatopoeia not used in the poem include "snap", "pop", and "bang. Also, "click", as the clicking of a keyboard.

You might enjoy listening to the poem again. It's track 1.24.
この詩をもう一度聞いたら面白いかも知れません。トラック 1.24 です。