英語での説明
次に、英語での説明に入りますが、この場合、次のことが決定的に重要です。
すなわち、それは
「英語では常に問題のもの自体から発想し、発言していく」
という原則です。
ですから、先ず、
"It's something." と言いましょう。
その後は、２つの方法があります。
すなわち、
１） そのもの自体の形や大きさをジェスチャーで示し、色や材質を言ってから、
その働きや、その周辺を相手と会話しながら伝えていく方法。
２） そのものと皆さんとの最近の簡単なかかわり [関係] から入って、相手と会話
しながら伝えていく方法。
の２つです。
が、今回詳しく解説するのは後者の方法です。
この方法では、（"It's something." の後、）皆さんとそのものの関係を一点言えば
良いだけです。
その中で、一番簡単で表現しやすいのは、「皆さんが最近それを見たかどうか」 で
しょう。
もし今朝それを見たのなら、
"I saw it this morning."
と言えば、それで説明は終わりです。
続けて、これ以上何も言おうとしてはいけません。
なぜか分かりますか？
次回までに考えておいて下さい。
Yuji: It's something.
Cathy: What kind of thing is it?
Yuji: I saw it this morning.
ーーーーー
Cathy: Where (did you see it)?
Yuji: At home.
Cathy: Where at home?
Yuji: (In the) Livingroom.
Cathy: Is it a piece of furniture?
Yuji: Sorry?
Cathy: (I said,) Is it a piece of furniture?
Yuji: A piece of furniture??
Cathy: I mean, a table, a sofa, a television etc.?
Yuji: No...(About) this big...Ogamu...
Cathy: Ah, I see...well, I should say it's 'a family alter'.
Yuji: A family alter?
Cathy: Yes. A family alter. Or you might call it a family temple. Thank you.
You know, on my way here on the bus, some eldery women
were talking about it eagerly.
They were mentioning it a number of times and I was interested.
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下記の英語での解説も参考にしてくださいませ。
Explaining in English
Now, let us get down to how to explain things Japanese in English.
In this case, what is the most important is the following principle.
That is,
"In English, we should always start thinking with the very thing in question
and utter words to express it first."
So the students should say,
"It's something." first.
To continue with the explanation,
we have found two good ways.
That is,
1) To Continue the explanation in the form of a conversation giving its size
and shape with a gesture; its collor and if possible material; its purpose
or work (i.e. function); and its surroundings (i.e. environment), all in simple
English words in this order.
2) To give a recent simple interaction of the students with it in simple English,
wait for the question of their partner, answer it simply, and thus continue
with the explanation in the form of a conversation.
But the method we are going to handle here is the latter one.
When they don't find the very thing around them, and want to
explain it in words, all they have to do is just to say,
"It's something."
And to wait for the partner's next words, which will be,
"What kind of thing is it?"
Then, they might give one simple sentence which express just one of their
recent acts or actions to the thing.
Among them, the easiest will be 'whether they saw it recently or not'.
When they saw it this morning, they only have to say,
"I saw it (/ one) this morning."
which will be a good indirect answer for "what kind of thing is it?" meaning
'the kind I saw this morning'.
And that is all, as an explanation of the thing at the moment.
They should not try to say anything more.
Do you knaw why?
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