Journal of Undergraduate Research Kamaria Porter Hillary Brass Kevin
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2005/2006 volume i ∫ issue 2 Journal of Undergraduate Research Kamaria Porter Monsignor John J. Egan and Catholic Action against Segregation in Chicago Hillary Brass Japanese Women’s Speech: Changing Language, Changing Roles Kevin Oles Norman Foster: Envisioning Design at the Edge of Reality university of notre dame college of arts and letters journal of undergraduate research Acknowledgments The JUR editorial staff extends its sincerest appreciation for the assistance and dedication of Vicki Toumayan, Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Letters. The expertise and insight of Roque Strew, general consultant and designer, brought to the Journal a dis- tinctive measure of professionalism. We thank him profusely. Like- wise our gratitude rests with all other individuals in the College who so happily and generously contributed to the publication. ii journal of undergraduate research Editorial Board 2005-2006 Gary Barnabo ‘08 Political Science Joseph Boyle ‘06 Philosophy Brian Carlisle ‘07 Economics Adrian Chiu ‘07 Psychology Kathryn Coniglio ‘06 ALPP, Psychology Kelly Czaja ‘07 English Benjamin Dougherty ‘06 Program of Liberal Studies Megan Eckerle ‘06 Program of Liberal Studies Morgan Ertel ‘06 English, Gender Studies Kerrie Glass ‘06 Psychology Christina Javier-Torres ‘08 Political Science, Italian Ben Kemmy ‘07 Program of Liberal Studies Justin Kohley ‘06 Political Science Ashley Lucchese ‘06 Political Science, Spanish Theodore Martin ‘07 Political Science Candace Meade ‘08 Anthropology, Psychology Robert Melly ‘08 Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering Laura Miller ‘08 Psychology, English Joseph Minta ‘06 Philosophy, Mathematics Jessica Morton ‘08 English Rachel Mulligan ‘08 ALPP, Program of Liberal Studies Regina Grace Muscarello ‘07 English, Philosophy, Spanish Eileen Nutting ‘06 Math, Philosophy Elizabeth Pappano ‘06 ALPP, Program of Liberal Studies Diana Rdzanek ‘06 Program of Liberal Studies, FTT Ray Schleck ‘07 Philosophy, Political Science Paul Spadafora ‘08 Anthropology, Psychology Kathleen Sullivan ‘08 English, Political Science Noelle Teske ‘06 Philosophy, Psychology Mark Thomas ‘06 Philosophy and Theology, Music Meg Towle ‘07 Anthropology, Peace Studies Corinne Viglietta ‘06 English, French iii journal of undergraduate research Contents social sciences Japanese Women’s Speech: 1 Changing Language, Changing Roles Hillary Brass ∫ humanities Monsignor John J. Egan and Catholic 31 Action against Segregation in Chicago Kamaria Porter ∫ arts Norman Foster: Envisioning 64 Design at the Edge of Reality Kevin Oles iv journal of undergraduate research Note from the Editor Benjamin J. Dougherty All that exists, as contemplated by the human mind, forms one large system or complex fact, and this of course resolves itself into an indefinite number of particular facts, which, as being portions of a whole, have countless relations of every kind, one towards an- other. Knowledge is the apprehension of these facts, whether in themselves, or in their mutual positions and bearings. And, as all taken together from one integral subject for contemplation, so there are no natural or real limits between part and part; one is ever running into another. —John Henry Cardinal Newman With these words, John Henry Cardinal Newman defended a vision of knowledge pursued by the true and Catholic university. Each separate faculty is responsible for contributing in a greater effort to- ward truth. Welcome to the Journal of Undergraduate Research. The aim of this publication is to collect, vet, and circulate outstanding academic work of students in the College of Arts and Letters. In the endeavor of gaining truth, no department in the College stands alone. The editorial staff of the JUR has selected one work of student research from each of the three main divisions within the College: the Social Sciences, the Humanities, and the Arts. The coincidental publica- tion of these essays reflects the spirit of our collective inquiry into knowledge. As the quality of students’ work usually remains un- noticed, hidden in the classroom, the JUR hopes to reveal, and thus further encourage, achievement in the vein of research writing. v journal of undergraduate research Authors KAMARIA B. POrter, a South Side Chicago native, stumbled upon Msgr. John Egan’s name during her stint as an intern for the Industrial Areas Foundation in Chicago. Wanting to investigate his life, Catholic Church responses to racial and economic injustice, and community organizing in Chicago, she wrote this paper for her history seminar. This paper is dedicated to Ms. Margaret (Peggy) Roach who shows us all the power of laywomen. HILLARY BRASS, an anthropology major with a Japanese supple- mentary major, is particularly fascinated by linguistic anthropology, and plans to go to graduate school to further develop this interest. In combining concentrations on Japanese culture, language, and issues of gender, a paper focused on Japanese Women’s Language (JWL) was the natural outgrowth. KEVIN OLES, graduated from Notre Dame in 2005. He visited Norman Foster’s redesigned Reichstag in Berlin and was inspired to pen this retrospective on Foster’s works and style. After graduation, he accepted a position at the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, and currently he is applying to dual degree programs for a JD and a Ph.D. in Philosophy. vi Japanese Women’s Speech: Changing Language, Changing Roles Japanese Women’s Speech: Changing Language, Changing Roles Hillary Brass HE PURPOSES OF language in everyday use go far beyond Tthe simple conveyance of practical information. Certain speech styles index an individual’s position in the social hierarchy, regional affiliation, and gender, leaving listeners with more than the infor- mation contained by the content of the utterance. A great deal of this communication has to do with how someone says something, rather than what they say. Different people employ different lin- guistic forms for a variety of reasons, and do so consciously or sub- consciously. These choices depend on circumstances such as the audience, other participants, or setting. Men and women alike ma- nipulate their speech styles according to the type of image they wish to project. Such linguistic alterations connected to gender, by defi- nition, are intertwined with notions of what is proper womanhood or manhood, according the norms of the society in question. The social construction of gender identity through language has effects that reach beyond the confines of private conversation. If women present through their speech an image of themselves as deferent, passive, and uncertain, “people accept the idea [and] it begins to have consequences in the world.”1 This phenomenon can be exam- ined in numerous societies throughout the world, as female subordi- nation is, apparently, universal.2 However, in this paper, I will focus on the linguistic habits of Japanese women because there seems to exist a pervasive distinction—at least on the surface—between the 1 journal of undergraduate research languages of the two genders in Japan. Japanese Women’s Language (JWL) is thought to be a clearly defined subset of the Japanese language as a whole. Women’s language (joseego) is held up as the ideal form of female communication, as men’s language (danseego) is for males. Traditionally, these are the proper ways for members of the respective genders to speak, and they are set as opposites to one another, as mutually-exclusive binary distinctions.3 However, it is my intent to show that, while these language ideologies may exist at a theoretical level, they are not reflected in practice, especially by the younger generations of Japanese women. I aim to exemplify the way in which these speakers are conscious of the effects of their speech style and utilize the appropriate forms, as consistent with the goals they wish to accomplish and the corresponding identities they wish to create. In English, too, women are said to express themselves linguistically different from men in a way that allows for subordination. According to Lakoff,4 women supposedly use tag questions, hedges, empty adjectives, hypercorrect grammatical forms,5 intensifiers,6 and other speech forms, creating an image of uncertainty, irrationality, and insecurity, which makes possible the continued subordination of women. However, in Japanese, the differences between joseego and danseego are more tangible and definable, and thus one requires background knowledge to fully understand what JWL is and why it exists. To the end of establishing that background, the first section focuses on the origination of JWL and women’s roles in the Japanese societies of the past, as the two are connected closely. The next section centers on specific components of the Language. Because verbal communication is intertwined with attractiveness in Japanese culture, particularly with that of the woman, the following portion discusses the notions of ideal womanhood and how language helps construct this identity. Since language is tied to notions of beauty, some believe that JWL should be preserved to maintain this traditional conception of the ideal Japanese woman. Therefore, the next section examines motivations for preserving JWL, while the following one centers on JWL’s perpetuation by its proponents. 2 Japanese Women’s Speech: Changing Language, Changing Roles Though some support it, JWL appears to be lessening in popularity, especially with younger Japanese women, and so the next section takes up the question of who actually does use it and why they might do so. Women in positions of authority must (rather explicitly and consciously) make the decision of how to manipulate their speech in order to be respected and taken seriously by subordinates. JWL seems to be inherently at odds with such a goal, and the issue of what linguistic choices a woman in this position possesses is addressed in the following portion. The phenomenon of code-switching is investigated next, in an attempt to discover when and why women switch from JWL to wakai mono no kotoba (young people’s speech), for example, or other forms of speech and to learn about the deeper motivations of speech styles and why JWL may be fading out of use.