DOCSLIB.ORG

Prevalence of Vowel-Initiated Words in the Core Vocabulary of 100 Languages

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Prevalence of Vowel-Initiated Words in the Core Vocabulary of 100 Languages 投稿類別﹕英文寫作類 篇名﹕ Prevalence of Vowel-initiated Words in the Core Vocabulary of 100 Languages 作者﹕ 趙子甯。國立台南女子高中。高一 4 班 指導老師﹕ 林永芬老師 Prevalence of Vowel-Initiated Words in 100 Languages I. Foreword “Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge.” (Leonardo da Vinci, n.d.) These words strike a chord with the truth if it is talking about how to take care of our voice. We believe shouting is bad for our voice not only because our doctors or voice teachers have warned us against it, but also because some of us have actually experienced losing our voice or having a croaky voice after shouting in a sports event. Specifically, bursting out voiced segments with excessive force can damage our vocal fold tissues and make us sound harsh. To promote the awareness of this counterproductive voicing behaviour, it is important to learn where and how often it can occur in a language. Therefore, this study aims to assess the occurrence rate of words where speakers may be at risk of using a “shouting” mode. II. Thesis This thesis starts by explaining why forceful vocal behaviour can occur in vowel-initiated words and cause voice problems. A section then follows to link this voice problem with language by addressing the speculation that some language speakers may sound harsher due to a higher occurrence rate of vowel-initiated words. Following a description of the research question and rationale for comparing this feature across languages are the method, result, and discussion sections. Vowels and Voicing All spoken languages consist of vowels and consonants as their building blocks. Vowels differ from consonants in that exhaled air flows through the mouth freely in the former but encounters constricted areas in the latter (Titze, 1994). Both vowels (e.g., /i/, /u/) and voiced consonants (e.g., /b/, /z/) require vocal fold vibration, but vowels are normally longer than consonants and thus may have a more substantial impact on vocal folds during vocal fold vibration. According to the myoelastic-aerodynamic theory of phonation (Titze, 1994), vocal fold vibration involves bringing vocal folds closer together at the start of voicing. This narrowing of the space between vocal folds triggers a Bernoulli sucking effect, which then brings them even closer. While vocal folds block the airflow, air pressure below the closed vocal folds starts to build up until it is strong enough to push open the vocal folds. Once the vocal folds are blown apart, it will spring back toward the midline again and start another cycle of opening and closing. However, the way a speaker closes vocal folds at voice onset can differentially affect this vibration. Hard Glottal Attack Depending on whether vocal folds are loosely or tightly brought together, voice initiation can be classified as a hard, normal, or soft glottal attack (Moore, 1938; Behrman, 2007). Hard glottal attack (HGA) is a forceful vocal behaviour where vocal folds are slammed together and abruptly 1 Prevalence of Vowel-Initiated Words in 100 Languages opened (Behrman, 2007). Voice produced with a HGA is characterized by a sudden pitch and loudness change at voice onset (Orlikoff and Kahane, 1996; Shrivastav, 1999). Physiological measures have associated HGA with a faster time in the build-up of air pressure to blow open the vocal folds (Watson et al., 2016). Research has found voice patients to exhibit more HGAs than individuals with healthy voice (Andrade et al., 2000). To eliminate voice problems caused by tension in and around the throat, HGA is often targeted in vowel-initiated words and replaced with a soft attack (Boone et al., 2005). Voice and Language As vowel-initiated words present a risk for hard glottal attack, speakers of a language loaded with vowel-initiated words may sound harsher than those of other languages. This does not mean, however, that the former will necessarily show a higher rate of voice problems. The reason is that there are a myriad of factors that can adversely affect voice. Some examples are smoking, dehydration, prolonged voice use, and use of inappropriate pitch or poor respiratory support during speaking (Boone et al., 2005). The prevalence of voice disorders varies by age, profession, and other factors (Mathieson, 2001). Although it is hard to establish a link between the prevalence of voice problems and a specific language feature, it is worthwhile to investigate the prevalence of utterances predisposed to harmful vocal behaviours and compare it across languages to identify those who may be at risk. Language Classification. The number of languages spoken today has been estimated at up to 10,000 (Crystal, 1987, p. 284). To date, there are at least 7,097 languages being spoken in the world according to Ethnologue, an authoritative language database updated annually by a US- based linguistic society (SIL International, n.d.). These languages have been grouped into 152 language families (SIL International, n.d.). Crystal (1987) has described three common language grouping methods: genetic, typological, and areal classifications (p. 293). While genetic and areal classifications focus on historical lineage (p. 293) and geographical proximity (p. 24), the typological approach is based on a comparative analysis that makes no assumption about the historical or regional connections (p. 293). Despite the complexity of categorization process, the classification of languages into families provides a useful basis for language comparison. As far as language families are concerned, the local languages used in Taiwan fall into two language families: Sino-Tibetan and Austronesian. The majority of people in Taiwan speak Mandarin as well as Taiwanese, called “Tai-gi” or “Taiwanese” by its native speakers (Liao, 2008). Ethnology (SIL International, n.d.) labels Taiwanese as “Min” and classifies both Mandarin and “Min” as subgroups of Sino-Tibetan. The largest aboriginal group in Taiwan is the Amis, followed by Paiwan (Demographics of Taiwan, n.d.). The native languages of these two aboriginal groups have both been classified as Austronesian (Formosan languages, n.d.) These languages are included in this study, along with other world languages, to allow for a comparison within Taiwan and globally. 2 Prevalence of Vowel-Initiated Words in 100 Languages Research Question and Importance The main research question is: Is there a language difference on the prevalence of vowel- initiated words? If so, how are different language families differ? Can it help explain why speakers of a certain language may sound harsher than those of other languages and thus demystify the stereotype? Can the difference be used to explain about the variability of the prevalence of voice problems? These are important questions because speakers of a language full of vowel-initiated words can benefit from being aware of the importance of using easy voice onset. Materials and Methods Word List. To facilitate a cross-language comparison, this study employs the Swadesh list in English as the basis to generate an equivalent list in the Roman transcriptions of another language. The Swadesh list, which is a list of 207 words identified as the core vocabulary of any language, has been widely used to compare languages and find traces of historical lineage (Swadesh List, n.d.). Appendix 1 shows a Swadesh list of the English words, along with their corresponding Mandarin, Taiwanese, Amis, and Piwan words in Roman transcription. Selection Criteria. In addition to the five languages mentioned above, languages with Roman transcriptions available in the Google Translate website are all included. Instrument. A computer equipped with Excel and Internet access was used to perform language translation, internet search, data analysis, and graphing. The online tools used include Google Translate, Taiwanese Aboriginal Online Dictionary (Council of Indigenous People, 2017), and Taiwanese Online Dictionary (Taiwanese Ministry of Education, 2011). Procedures. To generate the Roman transcriptions for each language, the 207 words of the Swadesh list are copied onto Google Translate, with input and output languages specified. For Taiwanese, Amis, and Paiwan, which are not available on Google Translation, the Mandarin words were copied one by one onto the two language-specific online dictionary sites as mentioned previously to obtain the Roman transcriptions for these two languages respectively. The generated words were copied onto Excel and sorted into alphabetical order. In Excel, the “countif” function was used to tabulate the number of words starting with /a, e, i, o, u/ and vowels with letters with diacritical marks (e.g. umlaut). The percentage of vowel-initiated words was then calculated using the arithmetic function in Excel for each and every one of the languages. Results Language Included. This study includes a total of 100 languages, which come from a total of 16 language families (Table 1). As shown in Table 1, the largest language family included in this study is Indo-European, whose seven subgroups are included in this study. The largest Indo- European subgroup included in this study is Balto-Slavic (13 languages), followed by Germanic (11 languages), Italic (9 languages) and Indo-Iranian (9 languages), Celtic (3 languages), Albanian (1 language), Armenian (1 language), and Helena (1 language). 3 Prevalence of Vowel-Initiated Words in 100 Languages The other language families included are Austronesian (11 languages), Niger-Congo (8 languages), Afro-Asiatic (6 languages), Turkic (5 languages), Dravidian (4 languages), Sino- Tibetan (3 languages), Uralic (3 languages), Tai-Kadai (2 languages), Austroasiatic (2 languages), Kartvelian (1 language), Koreanic (1 language), Japonic (1 language), Mongolic (1 language), French Creole (1 language), Hmong-Mien (1 language), Language Isolate (1 language), and Esperando (1 language). Prevalence of Vowel-Initiated Words. Table 1 lists the prevalence of vowel-initiated words in the core vocabulary of these languages, along with their respective language family. As shown in Table 1, the prevalence of vowel-initiated words ranges from 0 (Thai) to 63.29 (Zulu), with a mean of 15.25% (SD = 10.32).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Rise of Nationalism in Millennial Japan
    W&M ScholarWorks Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 5-2010 Politics Shifts Right: The Rise of Nationalism in Millennial Japan Jordan Dickson College of William and Mary Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses Part of the Asian Studies Commons Recommended Citation Dickson, Jordan, "Politics Shifts Right: The Rise of Nationalism in Millennial Japan" (2010). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 752. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/752 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Politics Shifts Right: The Rise of Nationalism in Millennial Japan A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelors of Arts in Global Studies from The College of William and Mary by Jordan Dickson Accepted for High Honors Professor Rachel DiNitto, Director Professor Hiroshi Kitamura Professor Eric Han 1 Introduction In the 1990s, Japan experienced a series of devastating internal political, economic and social problems that changed the landscape irrevocably. A sense of national panic and crisis was ignited in 1995 when Japan experienced the Great Hanshin earthquake and the Aum Shinrikyō attack, the notorious sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway. These disasters came on the heels of economic collapse, and the nation seemed to be falling into a downward spiral. The Japanese lamented the decline of traditional values, social hegemony, political awareness and engagement.
    [Show full text]
  • The History Problem: the Politics of War
    History / Sociology SAITO … CONTINUED FROM FRONT FLAP … HIRO SAITO “Hiro Saito offers a timely and well-researched analysis of East Asia’s never-ending cycle of blame and denial, distortion and obfuscation concerning the region’s shared history of violence and destruction during the first half of the twentieth SEVENTY YEARS is practiced as a collective endeavor by both century. In The History Problem Saito smartly introduces the have passed since the end perpetrators and victims, Saito argues, a res- central ‘us-versus-them’ issues and confronts readers with the of the Asia-Pacific War, yet Japan remains olution of the history problem—and eventual multiple layers that bind the East Asian countries involved embroiled in controversy with its neighbors reconciliation—will finally become possible. to show how these problems are mutually constituted across over the war’s commemoration. Among the THE HISTORY PROBLEM THE HISTORY The History Problem examines a vast borders and generations. He argues that the inextricable many points of contention between Japan, knots that constrain these problems could be less like a hang- corpus of historical material in both English China, and South Korea are interpretations man’s noose and more of a supportive web if there were the and Japanese, offering provocative findings political will to determine the virtues of peaceful coexistence. of the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, apologies and that challenge orthodox explanations. Written Anything less, he explains, follows an increasingly perilous compensation for foreign victims of Japanese in clear and accessible prose, this uniquely path forward on which nationalist impulses are encouraged aggression, prime ministerial visits to the interdisciplinary book will appeal to sociol- to derail cosmopolitan efforts at engagement.
    [Show full text]
  • AN ABSTRACT of the DISSERTATION of Li-Mei Grace
    AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Li-mei Grace Lin for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education presented on June 17, 2011. Title: Integrating Web2Quest Technologies into Multicultural Education Courses in Taiwan: A Potential for Globalization Abstract approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Chris L. Ward The purpose of this study was to investigate three research questions: (1) What are the attitudes and beliefs of the pre-service teachers and teacher educators regarding multicultural education, and how do the teacher educators prepare the pre-service teachers to meet the needs of diverse K-12 students in Taiwan? (2) To what extent is there integration of Web 2.0 technologies in their multicultural education courses in the three teacher education programs in Taiwan? and (3) What are the perceptions of the teacher educators and the pre-service teachers regarding the opportunities and challenges of using Web2Quests to facilitate multicultural education? Based on the framework of social constructivism, the study employed both qualitative and quantitative techniques to answer the three research questions. The three universities were selected for data collection because of their strong, well-defined undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs. The research design included administering the Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey and a Web2Quest Questionnaire, conducting focus group discussions with pre-service teachers and one-on- one interviews with teacher educators, analyzing the researcher‘s field notes, and reviewing the pre-service teachers‘ final Web2Quest projects. The findings of the study indicated that the majority of the pre-service teacher and teacher educator participants had positive attitudes toward multicultural education and the implementation of Web2Quest technologies into multicultural education courses.
    [Show full text]
  • Musical Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule: a Historical and Ethnomusicological Interpretation
    MUSICAL TAIWAN UNDER JAPANESE COLONIAL RULE: A HISTORICAL AND ETHNOMUSICOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION by Hui‐Hsuan Chao A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music: Musicology) in The University of Michigan 2009 Doctoral Committee: Professor Joseph S. C. Lam, Chair Professor Judith O. Becker Professor Jennifer E. Robertson Associate Professor Amy K. Stillman © Hui‐Hsuan Chao 2009 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout my years as a graduate student at the University of Michigan, I have been grateful to have the support of professors, colleagues, friends, and family. My committee chair and mentor, Professor Joseph S. C. Lam, generously offered his time, advice, encouragement, insightful comments and constructive criticism to shepherd me through each phase of this project. I am indebted to my dissertation committee, Professors Judith Becker, Jennifer Robertson, and Amy Ku’uleialoha Stillman, who have provided me invaluable encouragement and continual inspiration through their scholarly integrity and intellectual curiosity. I must acknowledge special gratitude to Professor Emeritus Richard Crawford, whose vast knowledge in American music and unparallel scholarship in American music historiography opened my ears and inspired me to explore similar issues in my area of interest. The inquiry led to the beginning of this dissertation project. Special thanks go to friends at AABS and LBA, who have tirelessly provided precious opportunities that helped me to learn how to maintain balance and wellness in life. ii Many individuals and institutions came to my aid during the years of this project. I am fortunate to have the friendship and mentorship from Professor Nancy Guy of University of California, San Diego.
    [Show full text]
  • Proquest Dissertations
    DISCOVERY, INHERITANCE AND INNOVATION INCORPORATING TRADITIONAL CHINESE FAMILY VALUES WITH RESIDENTIAL DESIGN Arthur Chen, B.A.S. A thesis submitted to The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture Carleton University The Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism Ottawa, ON ©2011 Arthur Chen Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81718-6 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81718-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Information to Users
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the trad directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bfeedthrough. substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note win indicate the deletion. Overraze materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographicaliy in this copy. Higher quality 6’ x 9* black and white photographic prints ate available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AN EXPLORATORY EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF PERSONAL VALUES ON SPORT CONSUMPTION PREFERENCES AND BEHAVIORS: A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Yu-Lin Shao, M.S.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Taiwan Strait I
    TAIWAN STRAIT I: WHAT’S LEFT OF ‘ONE CHINA’? 6 June 2003 ICG Asia Report N° 53 Beijing/Taipei/Washington/Brussels TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................i I. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 II. TAIWAN IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM: FROM WAR TO DETENTE ...4 A. FROM JAPANESE WAR PRIZE TO CHINESE CIVIL WAR BASTION: 1895-1949 ...................... 4 B. TAIWAN, CHINA AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY 1949-79 .................................. 5 C. TAIWAN STRAIT DÉTENTE 1979-1995 .............................................................................. 6 III. DÉTENTE BREACHED: TAIWAN’S GRADUAL MOVE AWAY FROM ‘ONE CHINA’...........................................................................................................................................9 A. ‘REVISED ONE CHINA’ POLICY: KMT 1991-1994 ............................................................10 B. ‘HISTORICAL ONE CHINA’ POLICY: KMT 1994-1999 .......................................................12 C. ‘FUTURE ONE CHINA’ POLICY? DPP 2000-2003..............................................................13 IV. CHINA’S RESPONSE: ‘ONE CHINA’ BY CONSENT OR COERCION.............17 A. COERCION: 1995 ............................................................................................................18 B. FURTHER COERCION: 1999..............................................................................................19
    [Show full text]
  • Gerontechnology
    Singapore National Library Board (NLB), in collaboration with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) “Time of Your Life Celebration 2020” Gerontechnology Landscape and Opportunities -- Start-up experience from Taiwan Yeh-Liang Hsu, 徐業良 Distinguished Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department Director, Gerontechnology Research Center Yuan Ze University, Taiwan 元智大學 CEO Editor-in-Chief, Gerontechnology 2020/10/24 © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 1 Aging boom, baby bust -- Some demographics of Taiwan • Taiwan became an aged society in 2018, • Total fertility rate by World Population Review 2020 and is expected to become a super aged Taiwan: 1.218 (199/199) society by 2025. Singapore: 1.260 (196/199) • Age 65+: 15.79% (3.72M) @2020/08 • Aging index: 125.0 @2020/08 • The average life expectancy: • Taiwan had 177,767 births and 176,296 Male 53.05 / female 55.69 @1950 deaths, or almost zero natural population Male 77.69 / female 84.23 @2019 growth in 2019 • Life expectancy at age 65: Male 18.59 / Average age of first time mothers: female 22.23 @ 2019 30.9 @2019 (Italy 31.1 @2017) Age of first time mothers 35+: 22.3% © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 2 Facing widespread population aging, people naturally consider applying technologies for the care of older adults • The priority is not to develop hi-end • Use technology to support the caregivers technologies or products for the future, To reduce their care burden and but to implement existing technological improve quality of care products in daily applications NOW. To provide the economic drive to the society -- keep the informal • Technology should be used not only to caregivers staying at their job support long-term care, but also to positions enhance the physical and cognitive wellness of healthy older adults to prolong their independent, healthy life expectancy.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 5 Wuguang’S Lineage
    Cover Page The handle http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49753 holds various files of this Leiden University dissertation Author: Bahir, C. Title: Reenchanting Buddhism via modernizing magic: Guru Wuguang of Taiwan’s philosophy and science of ‘superstition’ Issue Date: 2017-06-01 Chapter 5 Wuguang’s Lineage This final chapter discusses Wuguang’s influence on modern religiosity in Taiwan as embodied in the MSBL, which has over 6000 converts,465 international branches and offshoots in Hong Kong and Malaysia.466 The data presented here were primarily collected through onsite fieldwork and analyzed in an attempt to answer a number of questions. First, given the importance of Dharma-transmission continuity, how did Wuguang attempt to present the MSBL—a new form of Buddhism—as an orthodox Buddhist lineage? Second, how have Wuguang’s peculiar energetic-magical-necromantic doctrines and eclectic religiosity been praxiologically translated to serve as a framework for the MSBL’s orthopraxis? Third, how has the MSBL fared since Wuguang passed away in 2000? In order to appreciate the MSBL within the East Asian and global religious langscape, after seeking answers to the above questions, we analyze the MSBL from a sociological perspective, approaching it as a ‘New Religious Movement’ (NRM). 465 On a refuge certificate from Apr. 27, 2014, it states that Huiding has officiated over 835 MSBL ceremonies, a number that does not include refuge ceremonies conducted by other MSBL members in Hong Kong and Malaysia. Wuguang himself performed over 5000. 466 The known MSBL offshoots in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia are discussed in Chapter 6.
    [Show full text]
  • Nation-Empire: Rural Youth Mobilization in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea 1895-1945
    Nation-Empire: Rural Youth Mobilization in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea 1895-1945 Sayaka Chatani Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 © 2014 Sayaka Chatani All rights reserved Abstract Nation-Empire: Rural Youth Mobilization Japan, Taiwan, and Korea 1895-1945 Sayaka Chatani By the turn of the twentieth century, “rural youth” came to symbolize the spirit of hard work, masculinity, and patriotism. The village youth associations, the seinendan, as well as a number of other youth training programs, carried that ideal and spread it all over the Japanese empire. This dissertation examines how the movement to create “rural youth” unfolded in different parts of the empire and how young farmers responded to this mobilization. By examining three rural areas in Miyagi (northern Japan), Xinzhu (Taiwan), and South Ch’ungchǒng (Korea), I argue that the social tensions and local dynamics, such as the divisions between urban and rural, the educated and the uneducated, and the young and the old, determined the motivations and emotional drives behind youth participation in the mobilization. To invert the analytical viewpoint from the state to youth themselves, I use the term “Rural Youth Industry.” This indicates the social sphere in which agrarian youth transformed themselves from perpetual farmers to success-oriented modern youth, shared an identity as “rural youth” by incorporating imperial and global youth activism, and developed a sense of moral superiority over the urban, the educated, and the old. The social dynamics of the “Rural Youth Industry” explain why many of these youth so internalized the ideology of Japanese nationalism that they volunteered for military service and fought for the empire.
    [Show full text]
  • Country Report on Japan (Preliminary Draft)
    A Comparative Survey of DEMOCRACY, GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT Working Paper Series: No. 32 Jointly Published by Japan Country Report Second Wave of Asian Barometer Survey Ken’ichi Ikeda, The University of Tokyo Masashiro Yamada, Kwansei Gankuin University Naoko Taniguchi, Teikyo University Satoko Yasuno, Chuo University Yoshitaka Nishizawa, Doshisha University Gill Steel, The University of Tokyo Issued by Asian Barometer Project Office National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica 2007 Taipei Asian Barometer A Comparative Survey of Democracy, Governance and Development Working Paper Series Jointly Published by Globalbarometer The Asian Barometer (ABS) is an applied research program on public opinion on political values, democracy, and governance around the region. The regional network encompasses research teams from twelve East Asian political systems (Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia), and five South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal). Together, this regional survey network covers virtually all major political systems in the region, systems that have experienced different trajectories of regime evolution and are currently at different stages of political transition. The ABS Working Paper Series is intended to make research result within the ABS network available to the academic community and other interested readers in preliminary form to encourage discussion and suggestions for revision before final publication. Scholars in the ABS network also devote their work to the Series with the hope that a timely dissemination of the findings of their surveys to the general public as well as the policy makers would help illuminate the public discourse on democratic reform and good governance.
    [Show full text]
  • Utilization of Oral Antidiabetic Medications in Taiwan Following
    Hsu et al. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice (2015) 8:15 DOI 10.1186/s40545-015-0035-5 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Utilization of oral antidiabetic medications in Taiwan following strategies to promote access to medicines for chronic diseases in community pharmacies Jason C Hsu1*, Dennis Ross-Degnan2, Anita K Wagner2, Ching-Lan Cheng1, Yea-Huei Kao Yang1, Fang Zhang2 and Christine Y Lu2 Abstract Objectives: Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) has encouraged physicians to use “chronic medication prescriptions” for patients with stable chronic diseases since 1995. Patients are allowed to refill such prescriptions at community pharmacies for a maximum of three months’ supply of medications without revisiting the doctor. In 2006, NHI initiated strategies targeting the public, doctors, and healthcare facilities to enhance the overall rate of chronic medication prescriptions, aiming to achieve 30% by 2010. We examined prescribing and dispensing of oral antidiabetic drugs from 2001 to 2010, before and after the start of the promotion strategies for chronic medication prescriptions in 2006. Methods: Using outpatient care data from the NHI database and the interrupted time series design, we analyzed changes in rate of chronic medication prescriptions, share of prescriptions filled at community pharmacies, and share of reimbursed expenditures accounted by community pharmacies. Results: During 2001-2010, the rate of chronic medication prescriptions for diabetes increased steadily by about 3% per year (from 3.5% to 26.2%). Three years after the promotion strategies, there was a non-significant reduction of 8.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -17.35%, 0.05%) in the rate of chronic medication prescriptions but increases in prescription refills at community pharmacies and associated reimbursed expenditures: 12.8% (95% C.I.:1.66%, 23.98%) and 15.8% (95% C.I.: -1.35%, 33.02%) respectively.
    [Show full text]