ブラウン ジョナサン

Language is one of the means by which we engage in perhaps the most human of activities: expression. This activity, by the virtue of the fact that it is human, contains affective elements. Language is affective as it has the profound ability to engage us. Yet, language itself is not only affective but arises due to eternal affective elements. Language is much more than a habitual activity of the human creature; it constitutes the human creature and is the very reason why we are so mysterious to one another. At the same time, however, language is the tool we use to cultivate connections. It is therefore both a tool for revelation and a tool for formation of secrets and mysteries. It is this interconnectivity between man and man that language creates yet at the same time dismantles that fascinates me and drives me in my teaching and research.

In particular, the differences between English and Japanese rhetorical strategies are of great interest to me. I believe being able to accurately identify, explicate, and quantify these differences is key to improving Japanese students’ writing skills in English.