| 宿谷睦夫訳 加藤方寅著「新日本人論」 “New Japanology” by Dr. Michinobu Kato |
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translator: Mutsuo Shukuya auditor: Bruce Wyman supervisor: Boye Lafayette De Mente |
| preface My proposal, "A New Japanology" -- This explains how to understand the difference between people who speak Japanese and other languages -- I published the booklet, "Home seems more of a blessing when one thinks of it from a far distance" in order to pay homage to my dead wife, her former name Michiko Itabashi, who was emeritus professor of Aichi Educational University, after I had finished mourning her. After I sent it to many friends of mine, I received many more empathetic letters than I had expected: one was from a famous Biophysicist, Prof. K, who was president of Hiroshima University. He wrote the following message in his letter: "I was deeply moved to find what a great woman your wife was after I read your booklet today." Another is from an old student, U to whom both I and my wife had lectured in Shizuoka University. He wrote the following message in his letter: "There must be many other memories besides ones of which you wrote in your booklet. I hope you can publish another book including them." These messages from many friends of mine inspired me so deeply that I decided to publish such a book on New Year's Day in 1999 in order to do my wife further memorial services. My wife had led an exemplary life, both publicly(professor of Aichi Educational University) and as a housewife for a long time. She was also not ignorant of areas outside her speciality as is apt to be the case among academics. She was widely interested in, studied and had her own comments on many other fields. On the theme of the Japanese original ideas and thoughts, which I also became interested in since I returned from America where I had gone to study abroad in 1962, we had been exchanging comments on this topic at every opportunity, as she had a critical mind. Our conclusion was that the basic element, from which basic unique conscious organization of people, who speak Japanese, works, depends upon the special quality of Japanese language itself that is quite unique among languages. I firmly believe that our conclusion can be proven by the theory of the quite unique physiological brain mechanism of people who have learned to speak since six years old(that is, the left-brain, which manages language-information, treats both emotional and rational information concurrently) which an emeritus professor of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Dr. Tadanobu Tsunoda made clear through his research on the relation between voices and the sense of hearing. Dr. Tsunoda explains with his theory the reason why people, who speak Japanese, tend to behave ambiguously. ---That is to say, its basic elements explain why people, who speak Japanese, tend to be emotional and their ideas also tend to be analog, while those, who speak other languages, such as Europeans and Americans tend to be rational and their ideas tend to be digital. With the background of this theory I was able to propose A New Japanology, which no researchers had ever tried. Through my new conclusion I am able to explain such phenomena as school-confusion and organ transplantation from brain-dead donors, which have become the great social problems in Japan today. I published the book, "Our Japanology", which condenses these discussions above into one conclusion, in December two years ago. I wrote this essay in order to introduce my proposal to readers through the recommendation by an editor of this column. |
「新しい日本人論」序文 -日本語と他言語を話す人との違いを解明する- 愛知県立大学名誉教授 加藤方寅 家内、愛知教育大学名誉教授、旧姓、板橋美智子の他界を機に、供養のために追悼文集「故郷は遠きにありて思うもの」を作りました。この小冊子を知人にお配り致しましたところ、思い掛けない御懇篤なお便りを多くの方々から頂きました。 私の母校、広島大学の学長も務められたことがおありの高名な生物学者、K先生からは「御冊子は本日全部を拝読し、御奥様のおえらかったことを知り、深く感銘を受けました」という亡き妻を大変お褒め頂いたお便りを頂きました。 私達の古い教え子、静岡大学教授のUさんからは「板橋先生の思い出はまだあるはずです。それを付け加えて是非本にして欲しい」というお便りを頂きました。 こうした皆様の便りに勇気付けられた私は、1999年の年頭、家内の一層の供養になることを願い、当初の追悼文の増補版を作成することを思い立ちました。 家内は公人（愛知教育大学教員）として、また家庭の主婦として、二重の生活を長年送ってまいりましが、家内は大学人にありがちな、所謂専門馬鹿ではありませんでした。自分の専門以外の分野にも幅広く興味を持ち、よく勉強もし、それぞれの分野に独特の見解を持っていました。１９６２年の米国留学が発端となり、私が強い関心を持つようになりました日本人の思考や発想の特殊性の問題は、家内も同じ問題意識を持っておりましたので、長年に渡って折に触れ互いに意見を交わしてまいりました。 日本人の特異な意識構造を作り出す根底にあるものが、極めて特殊な言語である日本語そのものの特性にあるというのが私達の結論です。この考えは、東京医科歯科大学名誉教授・角田忠信氏の聴覚と音声の研究に基づいて明らかにされた理論、つまり６歳から日本語環境で育った人の脳は極めて特異な生理機構（言語脳で理論の他に感情的なものを同時処理）を持っているという理論によって裏付けることが出来ると確信するに至っております。 日本語を話す人があいまいな行動をとる理由が角田理論の中に隠されている---つまり、日本語を話す人は情緒的であり、その発想が他言語を話す欧米人に比べてアナログであるのに対し、欧米人は理性的でその発想はデジタルであることの根本要因が言語にあるわけです。 このような背景に基づいて、これまでの研究者に無い新しい日本人論を展開することが出来ました。そして、その新しい日本人論に基づけば、現在、日本の大きな社会問題となっております学校崩壊や脳死移植などの意味を明快に説明することが出来るわけです。これらのことを一つにまとめて一昨年１２月、拙著「私達の日本人論」を発刊いたしました。本誌編集部のお勧めを頂き、読者の皆様にもご紹介させていただくべく筆を執らせて頂きました。 |
| 宿谷睦夫訳 加藤方寅著「新日本人論」 “New Japanology” by Dr. Michinobu Kato |
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