スクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは異なる場合があります。

How Does a Dog Bark?

Kagawa National College of Technology at Takamatsu

A: Ladies and gentlemen, have you ever heard a dog bark? Do you know how dogs bark?
C: Of course, "wan-wan," isn't it?
B: No way. Dogs bark "bowwow".
C: NO way!
B: Do you seriously believe dogs make the sound "wan-wan" when they bark?
C: Yes, when they bark I hear them make a "wan-wan" sound.
B: No, it's absolutely a "bowwow" sound!
A: Let's listen, then.
[Dog barking sounds]
B: After all, they still bark "bowwow!"
C: Their bark never sounds "bowwow" to my ears. When they bark I hear only "wan-wan". I'm certain it is "wan-wan!"
A: Everyone must have been listening to the same sound, but why does each person voice different opinions? It is because we are convinced that we hear the same sound.
C: One of us must be wrong since we heard the same dog bark.
B: You mean that what I said is wrong?
A: Wait! Have you ever heard this story? All humans have the same body structure, but because of differences of language, the ways in which we hear sounds are different.
C: Then, if we speak different languages, there will be differences in the way we hear sounds?
B: Or, we hear the same sounds, but we express them in different ways?
A: Ways of pronouncing words are different because languages are different.
C: I don't know which is true.
A: It is difficult to know how other people hear them. Let's look at some concrete examples.

B: Do you know the Disney movie "Lady and the Tramp?" In Japan, its title is "wan-wan monogatari," which means wan-wan story. In this movie, the subtitle's correspondence to a dog's barking is neither "wan-wan" nor "bowwow;" there is no subtitle correspondence to it.
C: Really? I didn't know that. How interesting!
A: I think so too. I believe it is unlikely that anyone has ever really paid close attention to how a dog barks.
B: I also would imagine that such a person doesn't exist. I had never thought that there could be more than one expression to describe a how a dog barks.

C: I can sympathize with you to some extent about that. But I think it can't be avoided because my parents have taught me that dogs bark "wan-wan," and it has become natural to me. After all, if you know nothing about how a dog barks, you won't recognize "bowwow" as the sound of a dog.
A: I think it at least increases your knowledge to recognize that the expression "bowwow" refers to a dog's bark.
C: Yeah, but even if I recognize this, I don't think this information is very important, or that I would need it in everyday life. Generally speaking, when we acquire new knowledge of things, we feel like using it. However, this information is not important for me, so I simply don't need it.
B: You may be right, but it doesn't convince me that your reason of discomfort is due to just being taught a certain way. Could there be any other possible reasons?

A: I have a hypothesis. Do you know the differences of utterances and their units between Japanese and English? Japanese uses a unit of sequence in sound length called a mora, whereas English uses a syllable as a unit. For example, when Japanese read the word "wan-wan," it is divided into 4 mora "/wa/, /N/, /wa/, /N/." On the other hand, when English speakers utter the word, it is divided into 2 syllables "/wan/, /wan/". This is because of the katakana phoneme n, "/N/," which is often called HATSUON in Japanese. This is smaller than a syllable unit, and this phoneme cannot exist or be pronounced alone in English.
B: In short, English speakers can't interpret the word in the mora way "/wa/, /N/, /wa/, /N/," can't they?
C: I see. So then, if I read "bowwow" using syllables, I feel they sound more like a dog's bark than before. Thus, I think it is important to be aware of the way to interpret the word.
A: Taking this into account, can we think the secret of the difference of the sounds of a dog's bark lies in the phoneme system of each language? To begin with, human beings created dogs' barking expressions by imitating them. I think they imitated dogs' barking in the form which fits the phoneme system of their mother language, which they felt natural. That's why feeling confused about the sounds a dog makes when barking in a foreign language is normal.
B: After all, we can never be completely sure which is true as long as there are people who feel the expression in their native language is natural. The question therefore is, can we perceive these sounds without discomfort?
A: I don't think we can remove this feeling of unease completely. There are things that may seem strange to us and difficult to accept because our senses were developed as infants.
B: You mean, it is impossible to comprehend other cultures naturally? But I want to try to understand them.
C: Though we may never be able to know everything about a different country's culture, I believe becoming more aware of that country's language, will lead to a better appreciation of and understanding of their culture.
A: Now that I know the differences between the two dogs' barking, I can understand the both of you better.
C: Yeah, I have never thought there are so many viewpoints about a dog's barking.
B: Me, too. Up until now, I had thought everyone understood them in the same way as I did.

A: These days, international exchange is essential in the global economy, and communicating with people who have different cultures is considered very important. The environment which they were brought up in, as well as their language and culture may be different from yours.
B: When you meet people from different cultures, sometimes there is the tendency to ignore those people who are different from us. However, is it good to turn your back on them? The answer is definitely no! But just like the misunderstanding over a dogs' barking, it is also true that we may have cultural barriers which we find difficult to overcome.
C: In such a case, I think it is important to have a respectful spirit and attitude in trying to understand others, without having a negative view towards those who are different from us. We may not be able to understand them completely, but that is natural.
A: Knowing another person's language and how they think will lead you to understand them better.
B: By thinking this way, your own horizons will expand, and you will be a more generous individual. You should try to understand different cultures not only for yourself, but for other people as well.
C: Consequently, the more we know about words of a different language, the broader outlook we will have.

A, B, C: Thank you.