Jacob Rennaker and Dr. Donald Parry, Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages The language that people use conveys a myriad of meaning. In examining the language an author uses, for example, one can discover his or her understanding of a subject. This holds true for the author of the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 57:15 […]
Chinese Folk Songs: Unrecorded Voices in History
Karin Mei Li Inouye and Dr. Dana Bourgerie, Asian Languages In the village of Taicang, a small dirt road community tucked between a Ming dynasty capitol and a famous silk city, nationally acclaimed composer Gao Xuefeng combs the countryside rich in rice and fish for century old folk tunes around which he weaves a tapestry […]
找 老 家: Documentary Filmmaking and the Search for Chinese Heritage
Gloria Jean Gong and Dr. Matthew Christensen, Asian and Near Eastern Languages Due to systematic gender discrimination and the “one-child” policy, the overwhelming majority of Chinese orphans adopted by American families are female. Families choose different ways of familiarizing their adopted daughters with “Chinese culture” and making them aware of their “Chinese heritage.” As a […]
Arabic Language Acquisition Video Materials
David M. Duerden and Dr. Kirk Belnap, Asian and Near Eastern Languages This project built on a National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC) project to provide BYU students, and eventually students around the country, with audio and video exposure to native Arabic speakers and everyday-life situations in the Middle East. This was of particular […]
FOLLOWING HIS SHADOW: THE HAIKU OF SANT¨KA
Keith Johnson and Dr. Van C. Gessel, English, Asian & Near Eastern Languages Apart from an all too brief period of popularity during the early ’80’s, the poetry of Taneda Sant©ka (1882-1940) has languished in relative anonymity. He has yet to enjoy the household-name status of fellow haijin like Bash©, IkkyÅ, Ry©kan, et al. This […]
We Shall Laugh An Original Translation of Short Stories by Zakaria Tamer
Neal Spackman and Dr. Dil Parkinson, Asian and Near Eastern Languages I was successful in translating 9 short stories by the Syrian author Zakaria Tamer. Mr. Tamer is a contemporary writer who currently lives in London. His works are known throughout the Middle East but few of them have been translated into English. My translations […]
Heian Period Japan as a Role-Playing Game
Alma Eyre and Dr. Jack Stoneman, Asian and Near Eastern Studies Department My project was intended as source material to aid in a role-playing game. A role-playing game is an avocation activity involving two or more people, with one person playing the role of a game-master (GM) and the rest playing the roles of characters. […]
ISMA`KUWAYYIS: SOFTWARE TO IMPROVE LISTENING COMPREHENSION IN ARABIC STUDENTS
Jason White and Dr. Dilworth Parkinson, Linguistics and Asian and Near Eastern Languages In Arabic pedagogy (as in many languages), listening comprehension continues to be an area of frustration for students as well as teachers involved in second language acquisition. The greatest challenge is to allow a student access to authentic material with interaction. Obviously, […]
Study Abroad, Gender, and the Speaking Experience How Gender Mediates Speaking Opportunities for Students Studying Abroad in the Middle East
Andrew Smith and Dr. Jennifer Bown, Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages Introduction The study abroad experience as an opportunity to increase learning about a foreign language and culture is becoming more popular in the United States (Gore, 2005; Kinginger, 2009). As a part of this expansion in education, study abroad to the Middle […]
Depictions of Poverty in Chinese Cinema: Before and After 1949
Anna Moore and Dr. Steven Riep, Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages Introduction After thirty-two years of Communist leadership, Chinese poverty levels reached an unprecedented high when in 1981, 85% of the People’s Republic of China lived in poverty1. In 2009, however, a report from the World Bank indicated that a mere 11.9% of […]