tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post5593408159574664301..comments2024-03-10T20:46:19.274-04:00Comments on In the Middle: Globalization and the Humanities in the Twenty-first CenturyCord J. Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06224143153295429986noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-59129645101484121852013-08-29T12:25:49.989-04:002013-08-29T12:25:49.989-04:00I am an English lit graduate student at Virginia T...I am an English lit graduate student at Virginia Tech. One of my professors assigned this article to us, alongside Nussbaum's <i>Not for Profit</i> and other humanities-centric writings. I wanted to say thank you for the above piece. You have managed to eloquently explicate the argument I've been having my whole life. I've been trying to justify the humanities to my parents, my fiance, even my own university, for years. And now, with your words in my armory, I feel like I'm ready to go into battle and prove our merit. Thank you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14256895839884635127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-67009151150151269112013-05-25T13:31:01.296-04:002013-05-25T13:31:01.296-04:00Alex - so pleased that this presentation had a wid...Alex - so pleased that this presentation had a wide, receptive audience. I think it says a lot about how skillfully you crafted this so that the importance of the humanities would resonate across a (political) spectrum - framing things in such a way that would accommodate both progressive as well as traditional/conservative points of access. (I also appreciate the glimpses into your Taiwanese upbringing, by the way!)Jonathan Hsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-78987663843133728992013-05-24T19:07:18.297-04:002013-05-24T19:07:18.297-04:00Thanks, Jonathan, for being so generous. I am norm...Thanks, Jonathan, for being so generous. I am normally very modest, but since you asked, well, my presentation was very well received. It was standing room only. Honestly I did not expect such a turn out. Fabulous Q&A, too. I was told after the bi-partisan briefing that several very conservative Republicans were there as well and they were quite moved. If that's true, I consider my job done. Also in the audience were the presidents and reps of Phi Beta Kappa, Federation of State Humanities Councils, the NEH, and several other national organizations, in addition to congressional staff and the usual suspects (from both parties).Alexander Huanghttp://alexanderhuang.org/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-6371792939143434052013-05-24T16:20:55.905-04:002013-05-24T16:20:55.905-04:00@Alex: "Awesome" is a much over-used wor...@Alex: "Awesome" is a much over-used word these days, but I must say that this really is AWESOME. Very inspirational -- speaking truth to power! I'd be curious to know if you have any sense how your talk was received by those in attendance?Jonathan Hsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-72797242124350540062013-05-24T12:24:04.186-04:002013-05-24T12:24:04.186-04:00Thanks for your comment, "Anonymous." Th...Thanks for your comment, "Anonymous." The Japanese systems of address are indeed more complex than standard modern American English. I did not say that English is less complex as a language. World Englishes are a different matter and should not be confused with the issue of translational challenges. I have cited extensive studies in my published articles elsewhere on this topic (you are welcome to look them up). There is no citation here because my audience is the general public and policy makers. It was meant to be a motivational speech, not a pedantic academic talk. Alexander Huanghttp://globalshakespeares.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-4928488124678220262013-05-24T10:37:33.685-04:002013-05-24T10:37:33.685-04:00"Working with Japanese, a language more compl..."Working with Japanese, a language more complex than English from a sociolinguistic point of view" – citation needed. What you seem to be referring to with the mention of pronouns in the following clause is the extensive system of honorifics in Japanese. In this regard Japanese is clearly more complex than English; but to make the blanket statement that from a sociolinguistic standpoint English is as a whole less complex than Japanese is unfounded and not true. Given the heterogeneity of Englishes across the globe, the opposite may even be true (if one could possibly quantify such things). /linguisticpedantrantAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com