Stella Zhivkova - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Stella Zhivkova
Societas Classica, 2021
This work focuses on the task of demythologizing the established definition of the Japanese cultu... more This work focuses on the task of demythologizing the established definition of the Japanese culture as "unique". It analyzes the phenomena found in various fields of Japanese culture, which define its nature. These phenomena can be called by different terms: loci of saturated imagery, imagistic cores, carriers of imagery, loci with an increased image charge, etc. Generally speaking, they are focal points of pictorial intensity. They are small in volume, but once perceived, unfold and present a grand vision to the human imagination. They are powerful stimulators of the imagination that abound in various manifestations of Japan's culture-both in contemporary life and in the traditional cultural forms of poetry, theater, aroma ceremonies, and music. In Japanese language such imagistic elements are the onomatopoeic words. Relying on the physical-motor information (a consequence of their production in the oral cavity) and the memory and imagination of the listener, who has repeatedly heard and used them in certain situations, the imitative words are not just pure lexical units, but sensory words, referring to auditory, visual, and tactile perceptions that reinforce one's lexical memory and in the same time imbuing it with a sensory element and animating the situation the word describes.
INTED proceedings, Mar 1, 2021
EDULEARN proceedings, Jul 1, 2021
INTED proceedings, Mar 1, 2021
Teaching Japanese gitaigo mimetic words is among the most trying tasks at upper-intermediate and ... more Teaching Japanese gitaigo mimetic words is among the most trying tasks at upper-intermediate and advanced levels. Being mimetic of actions and states, gitaigo have little if any analogous counterparts in most European languages. Understanding their semantics requires strong sense of sound symbolism of Japanese vowel and consonant sounds that is acquired by either growing up in Japanese environment, or by long years of studying Japanese as a foreign language. The author has found an effective innovatory way to approach, explain and help memorizing the said mimetic words by the means of simulation borrowed from the well-known phenomenon of “immersion” as it occurs in playing video games. In order to avoid tiresome rote memorization, students are guided to form a make-believe space that represents the synesthetic world of gitaigo and dive into it the same way they do when forming a representation in their mind of the game-induced world. By such creating a rich mental model of the gitaigo word students employ multiple channels of sensory information (visual, audial, tactile, dynamic). Similarly to the game experience of immersion in the fictional world, gitaigo create a narrative of a kind that assists memorization and more importantly – activates the word and makes it instantly usable when needed in speech.
ICERI2022 Proceedings
A nearly twenty-seven-month COVID-19 pandemic caused serious turmoil in teaching, research, and c... more A nearly twenty-seven-month COVID-19 pandemic caused serious turmoil in teaching, research, and communication. The swift and unexpected shift to online learning, along with social distancing and bans on group gathering, exerted a detrimental effect on established patterns in education. Psychological stress, increased work overload for teachers, motivational fluctuations in students are only part of the hardship academia went through. However, despite the perceived negative impact of the pandemic on nearly every aspect of our routine, in times of crisis Department of Japanese Studies at Sofia University has managed to make the best of the "situation" in terms of finding fresh opportunities and new avenues for research and project implementation. The paper gives an account on the number, content and scope of projects conducted by the eight full-time members of the department. Postimplementation-wise, aims, methods and outcomes are discussed extensively. Thorough analysis is yet to be conducted, it should be noted that afore mentioned teachers` efforts inspired purpose in students in times of post-pandemic. For example, following an unprecedented break of two years, a traditional and major annual event to display students' talents called Bunkasai (Festival of Japanese Culture), is to be held soon. The paper aims at evaluating and validating the effort put in project activities that contributed both to producing valuable outcomes during pandemic (online conferences, seminars, digitalized lecture courses, web-based teaching materials etc.), as well as to achievement of high academic goals.
ICERI proceedings, Nov 1, 2019
(Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Ed... more (Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Education and Designing a Strategy for Future Development of Japanese Studies at Sofia University" (Project №80-10-117/ 15.04.2019 carried out at Sofia University, with the financial support of the Academic Research Fund)) In 2019 Department of Japanese Studies launched a series of initiatives designed to investigate the current status of Japanology as it is found on academic level; to analyze both teachers` and students` needs; to create a vision for its own future development in the context of highly competitive philological environment, dynamic geopolitical conditions and serious economic challenges. By means of questionnaire surveys, interviews, wide range of project-related activities, comparative analysis and field studies we aim at obtaining a picture of educational aspects of Japanese studies in Bulgaria, as well as to clarify immediate tasks which academic education needs to urgently deal with in order to provide high-quality philological education, as well as to maintain a strong presence in the academic field on national and international levels alike.
ON A RECENTLY DISCOVERED PIETRO MONTANI`S PRIVATE UKIYO–E COLLECTION AND BULGARIAN PUBLIC GALLERY COLLECTIONS OVERVIEW, 2022
Abstract. This paper describes a newly found private ukiyo–e collection that belonged to Pietro ... more Abstract. This paper describes a newly found private ukiyo–e collection that belonged to
Pietro Montani, an Italian architect appointed Chief Architect of Eastern Rumelia (1885–1888).
It also focuses on the present condition of four public gallery collections (National Gallery,
Silistra, Plovdiv and Sliven Galleries). The signifi cant role for ukiyo–e reception in Bulgaria
played by the Japanese Embassy in Bulgaria is examined. Ideas on implementation of the subject
of ukiyo–e in the curriculum of Japanology at Sofi a University are shared too.Резюме. В студията се описва и анализира неизвестна досега колекция, собственост на Пиетро Монтани-италиански архитект, назначен за главен архитект на Източна Румелия след Освобождението на България от османско робство. Предлага се и описание на четирите сбирки от японски гравюри, собственост на Национална галерия-София, Художествена галерия-Силистра, Градска художествена галерия-Пловдив и Художествена галерия "Димитър Добрович"-Сливен. Специално внимание се отделя на ролята на Посолство на Япония за рецепцията на укийо-е в България. Предложени са и идеи за органичното вплитане на темата за укийо-е в програмите за обучение на специалност "Японистика" в СУ "Св. Климент Охридски".
ЛИНГВИСТИЧНИ ПРОБЛЕМИ LINGUISTIC PROBLEMS, 2021
Admittedly Japanese onomatopoeic words are hard to teach to L2 learners of the language. Gitaigo ... more Admittedly Japanese onomatopoeic words are hard to teach to L2 learners of the language. Gitaigo (mimetic words for conditions or states) are especially tricky since they have hardly any counterparts in Indo-European languages. The author proposes findings proving that if those mimetic words are taught in analogy with the state of immersion as found in playing video games, they become much easier to understand, remember and use. The micro-universe of gitaigo as well as that of immersion, demand and rely on complete involvement of the learner/player in the make-believe world defined by joined collaborative effort of human sensorium and imagination. Immersion is the experience of being drawn ineven transported to a fictional world through storytelling. By means of imitating a state of complete presence in the world of a modemimicking gitaigo word, students come to feel, rather than learn it; they also remember it firmly. Another motivating way out of the pedagogical deadlock is the making of a state-of-the-art teaching materiala video textbook. Students nowadays have no memory of a world without the World Wide Web, cell phones, or personal computers. Being used to visuals, screens and quick search engines, a textbook that engages both their senses and rationality, is easily accessible by digital devices, and stimulates imagination, is bound to prove interesting, informative, and respected.
(Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Education a... more (Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Education and Designing a Strategy for Future Development of Japanese Studies at Sofia University" (Project №80-10-117/ 15.04.2019 carried out at Sofia University, with the financial support of the Academic Research Fund)) In 2019 Department of Japanese Studies launched a series of initiatives designed to investigate the current status of Japanology as it is found on academic level; to analyze both teachers` and students` needs; to create a vision for its own future development in the context of highly competitive philological environment, dynamic geopolitical conditions and serious economic challenges. By means of questionnaire surveys, interviews, wide range of project-related activities, comparative analysis and field studies we aim at obtaining a picture of educational aspects of Japanese studies in Bulgaria, as well as to clarify immediate tasks which academic education needs to urgently deal with in order to provide high-quality philological education, as well as to maintain a strong presence in the academic field on national and international levels alike.
ICERI Proceedings, 2019
(Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Ed... more (Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Education and Designing a Strategy for Future Development of Japanese Studies at Sofia University" (Project №80-10-117/ 15.04.2019 carried out at Sofia University, with the financial support of the Academic Research Fund)) In 2019 Department of Japanese Studies launched a series of initiatives designed to investigate the current status of Japanology as it is found on academic level; to analyze both teachers` and students` needs; to create a vision for its own future development in the context of highly competitive philological environment, dynamic geopolitical conditions and serious economic challenges. By means of questionnaire surveys, interviews, wide range of project-related activities, comparative analysis and field studies we aim at obtaining a picture of educational aspects of Japanese studies in Bulgaria, as well as to clarify immediate tasks which academic education needs to urgently deal with in order to provide high-quality philological education, as well as to maintain a strong presence in the academic field on national and international levels alike.
INTED , 2021
Teaching Japanese gitaigo mimetic words is among the most trying tasks at upper-intermediate and ... more Teaching Japanese gitaigo mimetic words is among the most trying tasks at upper-intermediate and
advanced levels. Being mimetic of actions and states, gitaigo have little if any analogous counterparts
in most European languages. Understanding their semantics requires strong sense of sound
symbolism of Japanese vowel and consonant sounds that is acquired by either growing up in Japanese
environment, or by long years of studying Japanese as a foreign language.
The author has found an effective innovatory way to approach, explain and help memorizing the said
mimetic words by the means of simulation borrowed from the well-known phenomenon of “immersion”
as it occurs in playing video games. In order to avoid tiresome rote memorization, students are guided
to form a make-believe space that represents the synesthetic world of gitaigo and dive into it the same
way they do when forming a representation in their mind of the game-induced world. By such creating
a rich mental model of the gitaigo word students employ multiple channels of sensory information
(visual, audial, tactile, dynamic). Similarly to the game experience of immersion in the fictional world,
gitaigo create a narrative of a kind that assists memorization and more importantly – activates the word
and makes it instantly usable when needed in speech.
EDULEARN21 Proceedings, 2021
In terms of Japanese language education, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"... more In terms of Japanese language education, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" (state university) Bulgaria, offers a B.A., M.A., PhD course and non-degree courses (NDC). The present article aims at exemplifying the recent situation in engaging students attending a Non-Degree Course (NDC) at the time of COVID 19 outbreak. For years, the course has been offering 360 study hours for the period of two years. Students pre-pay every academic year or pay by semester. In the Japanese language classes, NDC teachers heavily rely on using MARUGOTO textbooks created by the Japan Foundation. Out of a sudden, COVID 19 outbreak occurred and respectively, state-wise measures were undertaken to prevent the spread of the disease. The students, presently involved in the course, had prepaid tuition fee and eagerly expected their face-to-face courses. According to the contracts they had originally signed with Sofia University, the latter has officially offered them solely that form of learning. Providing that the teachers wanted to hold the classes online, they were unable to do so, due to what the contract clauses state, namely, that the classes type was exclusively restricted to face-to-face education. As educators we were at loss what to do and how to keep students engaged. COVID 19 hit at a critical point. Our students had just reached the middle of the course, gathered momentum and we would not let them lose what they had learnt by that time. Not knowing what the future holds, we voluntarily decided to offer them to make good use of the unexpected break and revise their knowledge by covering the textbook material utilizing online resources from e-Learning Minato online platform of Japan Foundation. That seemed to be the only alternative we had, had we wanted them to keep alert and positively engaged. By doing so, we apparently overcame the issue of how to keep them engaged and motivated, but a new one arose-namely, how to control that revision process. We also asked ourselves if that was really necessary? Naturally, we came up with the idea of offering our students questionnaires at the beginning, middle and the end of the revision process. The main idea was to check their motivation, progress and overall understanding during the self-study process. We realized that the questionnaires would be our valuable tool to control and account for the achievements in a situation like the one we are in now. So far, the questionnaires have proved to be invaluable sources of information on what has been covered, how previously unclear grammar items or vocabulary have turned into steady knowledge by the means of revision, rethinking and self-study. Having reached the mid-questionnaire we hope that the last one will pleasantly surprise us with data that proves our original assumption-that our students did not waste time and effort but had conscientiously and diligently re-established and improved their knowledge of Japanese language despite the force majeure situation and the resulting turbulent time of COVID19.
Osaka University The 21st COE Program Interface Humanities, 2006
My immediate purpose in this paper is to elucidate the process of choosing my position as an eith... more My immediate purpose in this paper is to elucidate the process of choosing my position as an either observer or participant in an event that was originally supposed to be a part of my fieldwork in Bulgaria (June 2006) as well as on the resulting consequences from such a choice. The problematic character of the situation arose from an issue that has long been underlying my work – the question of possibility and realization of practically-oriented research that overcomes the bounds of academism and produces results that are useful and important for non-academics. In my fieldwork at the festival I gained some important insights into the importance of the nifty method of participant observation and managed to apply it for releasing the tension of the insider-outsider dynamic. My participant observation gave me some more reasons to believe that the role of a researcher could and should be an active one. I also found out that conclusions made from analyzing the results from a fieldwork might be of use in organizing future events of similar character.
Journal of HANDAI Music Studies Osaka University, Musicology, 2004
Юбилейна сесия с международно участие ВВОУ "Васил Левски", 1998
Societas Classica, 2021
This work focuses on the task of demythologizing the established definition of the Japanese cultu... more This work focuses on the task of demythologizing the established definition of the Japanese culture as "unique". It analyzes the phenomena found in various fields of Japanese culture, which define its nature. These phenomena can be called by different terms: loci of saturated imagery, imagistic cores, carriers of imagery, loci with an increased image charge, etc. Generally speaking, they are focal points of pictorial intensity. They are small in volume, but once perceived, unfold and present a grand vision to the human imagination. They are powerful stimulators of the imagination that abound in various manifestations of Japan's culture-both in contemporary life and in the traditional cultural forms of poetry, theater, aroma ceremonies, and music. In Japanese language such imagistic elements are the onomatopoeic words. Relying on the physical-motor information (a consequence of their production in the oral cavity) and the memory and imagination of the listener, who has repeatedly heard and used them in certain situations, the imitative words are not just pure lexical units, but sensory words, referring to auditory, visual, and tactile perceptions that reinforce one's lexical memory and in the same time imbuing it with a sensory element and animating the situation the word describes.
INTED proceedings, Mar 1, 2021
EDULEARN proceedings, Jul 1, 2021
INTED proceedings, Mar 1, 2021
Teaching Japanese gitaigo mimetic words is among the most trying tasks at upper-intermediate and ... more Teaching Japanese gitaigo mimetic words is among the most trying tasks at upper-intermediate and advanced levels. Being mimetic of actions and states, gitaigo have little if any analogous counterparts in most European languages. Understanding their semantics requires strong sense of sound symbolism of Japanese vowel and consonant sounds that is acquired by either growing up in Japanese environment, or by long years of studying Japanese as a foreign language. The author has found an effective innovatory way to approach, explain and help memorizing the said mimetic words by the means of simulation borrowed from the well-known phenomenon of “immersion” as it occurs in playing video games. In order to avoid tiresome rote memorization, students are guided to form a make-believe space that represents the synesthetic world of gitaigo and dive into it the same way they do when forming a representation in their mind of the game-induced world. By such creating a rich mental model of the gitaigo word students employ multiple channels of sensory information (visual, audial, tactile, dynamic). Similarly to the game experience of immersion in the fictional world, gitaigo create a narrative of a kind that assists memorization and more importantly – activates the word and makes it instantly usable when needed in speech.
ICERI2022 Proceedings
A nearly twenty-seven-month COVID-19 pandemic caused serious turmoil in teaching, research, and c... more A nearly twenty-seven-month COVID-19 pandemic caused serious turmoil in teaching, research, and communication. The swift and unexpected shift to online learning, along with social distancing and bans on group gathering, exerted a detrimental effect on established patterns in education. Psychological stress, increased work overload for teachers, motivational fluctuations in students are only part of the hardship academia went through. However, despite the perceived negative impact of the pandemic on nearly every aspect of our routine, in times of crisis Department of Japanese Studies at Sofia University has managed to make the best of the "situation" in terms of finding fresh opportunities and new avenues for research and project implementation. The paper gives an account on the number, content and scope of projects conducted by the eight full-time members of the department. Postimplementation-wise, aims, methods and outcomes are discussed extensively. Thorough analysis is yet to be conducted, it should be noted that afore mentioned teachers` efforts inspired purpose in students in times of post-pandemic. For example, following an unprecedented break of two years, a traditional and major annual event to display students' talents called Bunkasai (Festival of Japanese Culture), is to be held soon. The paper aims at evaluating and validating the effort put in project activities that contributed both to producing valuable outcomes during pandemic (online conferences, seminars, digitalized lecture courses, web-based teaching materials etc.), as well as to achievement of high academic goals.
ICERI proceedings, Nov 1, 2019
(Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Ed... more (Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Education and Designing a Strategy for Future Development of Japanese Studies at Sofia University" (Project №80-10-117/ 15.04.2019 carried out at Sofia University, with the financial support of the Academic Research Fund)) In 2019 Department of Japanese Studies launched a series of initiatives designed to investigate the current status of Japanology as it is found on academic level; to analyze both teachers` and students` needs; to create a vision for its own future development in the context of highly competitive philological environment, dynamic geopolitical conditions and serious economic challenges. By means of questionnaire surveys, interviews, wide range of project-related activities, comparative analysis and field studies we aim at obtaining a picture of educational aspects of Japanese studies in Bulgaria, as well as to clarify immediate tasks which academic education needs to urgently deal with in order to provide high-quality philological education, as well as to maintain a strong presence in the academic field on national and international levels alike.
ON A RECENTLY DISCOVERED PIETRO MONTANI`S PRIVATE UKIYO–E COLLECTION AND BULGARIAN PUBLIC GALLERY COLLECTIONS OVERVIEW, 2022
Abstract. This paper describes a newly found private ukiyo–e collection that belonged to Pietro ... more Abstract. This paper describes a newly found private ukiyo–e collection that belonged to
Pietro Montani, an Italian architect appointed Chief Architect of Eastern Rumelia (1885–1888).
It also focuses on the present condition of four public gallery collections (National Gallery,
Silistra, Plovdiv and Sliven Galleries). The signifi cant role for ukiyo–e reception in Bulgaria
played by the Japanese Embassy in Bulgaria is examined. Ideas on implementation of the subject
of ukiyo–e in the curriculum of Japanology at Sofi a University are shared too.Резюме. В студията се описва и анализира неизвестна досега колекция, собственост на Пиетро Монтани-италиански архитект, назначен за главен архитект на Източна Румелия след Освобождението на България от османско робство. Предлага се и описание на четирите сбирки от японски гравюри, собственост на Национална галерия-София, Художествена галерия-Силистра, Градска художествена галерия-Пловдив и Художествена галерия "Димитър Добрович"-Сливен. Специално внимание се отделя на ролята на Посолство на Япония за рецепцията на укийо-е в България. Предложени са и идеи за органичното вплитане на темата за укийо-е в програмите за обучение на специалност "Японистика" в СУ "Св. Климент Охридски".
ЛИНГВИСТИЧНИ ПРОБЛЕМИ LINGUISTIC PROBLEMS, 2021
Admittedly Japanese onomatopoeic words are hard to teach to L2 learners of the language. Gitaigo ... more Admittedly Japanese onomatopoeic words are hard to teach to L2 learners of the language. Gitaigo (mimetic words for conditions or states) are especially tricky since they have hardly any counterparts in Indo-European languages. The author proposes findings proving that if those mimetic words are taught in analogy with the state of immersion as found in playing video games, they become much easier to understand, remember and use. The micro-universe of gitaigo as well as that of immersion, demand and rely on complete involvement of the learner/player in the make-believe world defined by joined collaborative effort of human sensorium and imagination. Immersion is the experience of being drawn ineven transported to a fictional world through storytelling. By means of imitating a state of complete presence in the world of a modemimicking gitaigo word, students come to feel, rather than learn it; they also remember it firmly. Another motivating way out of the pedagogical deadlock is the making of a state-of-the-art teaching materiala video textbook. Students nowadays have no memory of a world without the World Wide Web, cell phones, or personal computers. Being used to visuals, screens and quick search engines, a textbook that engages both their senses and rationality, is easily accessible by digital devices, and stimulates imagination, is bound to prove interesting, informative, and respected.
(Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Education a... more (Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Education and Designing a Strategy for Future Development of Japanese Studies at Sofia University" (Project №80-10-117/ 15.04.2019 carried out at Sofia University, with the financial support of the Academic Research Fund)) In 2019 Department of Japanese Studies launched a series of initiatives designed to investigate the current status of Japanology as it is found on academic level; to analyze both teachers` and students` needs; to create a vision for its own future development in the context of highly competitive philological environment, dynamic geopolitical conditions and serious economic challenges. By means of questionnaire surveys, interviews, wide range of project-related activities, comparative analysis and field studies we aim at obtaining a picture of educational aspects of Japanese studies in Bulgaria, as well as to clarify immediate tasks which academic education needs to urgently deal with in order to provide high-quality philological education, as well as to maintain a strong presence in the academic field on national and international levels alike.
ICERI Proceedings, 2019
(Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Ed... more (Within the frame of the research project "Identifying Challenges to Foreign Language Education and Designing a Strategy for Future Development of Japanese Studies at Sofia University" (Project №80-10-117/ 15.04.2019 carried out at Sofia University, with the financial support of the Academic Research Fund)) In 2019 Department of Japanese Studies launched a series of initiatives designed to investigate the current status of Japanology as it is found on academic level; to analyze both teachers` and students` needs; to create a vision for its own future development in the context of highly competitive philological environment, dynamic geopolitical conditions and serious economic challenges. By means of questionnaire surveys, interviews, wide range of project-related activities, comparative analysis and field studies we aim at obtaining a picture of educational aspects of Japanese studies in Bulgaria, as well as to clarify immediate tasks which academic education needs to urgently deal with in order to provide high-quality philological education, as well as to maintain a strong presence in the academic field on national and international levels alike.
INTED , 2021
Teaching Japanese gitaigo mimetic words is among the most trying tasks at upper-intermediate and ... more Teaching Japanese gitaigo mimetic words is among the most trying tasks at upper-intermediate and
advanced levels. Being mimetic of actions and states, gitaigo have little if any analogous counterparts
in most European languages. Understanding their semantics requires strong sense of sound
symbolism of Japanese vowel and consonant sounds that is acquired by either growing up in Japanese
environment, or by long years of studying Japanese as a foreign language.
The author has found an effective innovatory way to approach, explain and help memorizing the said
mimetic words by the means of simulation borrowed from the well-known phenomenon of “immersion”
as it occurs in playing video games. In order to avoid tiresome rote memorization, students are guided
to form a make-believe space that represents the synesthetic world of gitaigo and dive into it the same
way they do when forming a representation in their mind of the game-induced world. By such creating
a rich mental model of the gitaigo word students employ multiple channels of sensory information
(visual, audial, tactile, dynamic). Similarly to the game experience of immersion in the fictional world,
gitaigo create a narrative of a kind that assists memorization and more importantly – activates the word
and makes it instantly usable when needed in speech.
EDULEARN21 Proceedings, 2021
In terms of Japanese language education, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"... more In terms of Japanese language education, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" (state university) Bulgaria, offers a B.A., M.A., PhD course and non-degree courses (NDC). The present article aims at exemplifying the recent situation in engaging students attending a Non-Degree Course (NDC) at the time of COVID 19 outbreak. For years, the course has been offering 360 study hours for the period of two years. Students pre-pay every academic year or pay by semester. In the Japanese language classes, NDC teachers heavily rely on using MARUGOTO textbooks created by the Japan Foundation. Out of a sudden, COVID 19 outbreak occurred and respectively, state-wise measures were undertaken to prevent the spread of the disease. The students, presently involved in the course, had prepaid tuition fee and eagerly expected their face-to-face courses. According to the contracts they had originally signed with Sofia University, the latter has officially offered them solely that form of learning. Providing that the teachers wanted to hold the classes online, they were unable to do so, due to what the contract clauses state, namely, that the classes type was exclusively restricted to face-to-face education. As educators we were at loss what to do and how to keep students engaged. COVID 19 hit at a critical point. Our students had just reached the middle of the course, gathered momentum and we would not let them lose what they had learnt by that time. Not knowing what the future holds, we voluntarily decided to offer them to make good use of the unexpected break and revise their knowledge by covering the textbook material utilizing online resources from e-Learning Minato online platform of Japan Foundation. That seemed to be the only alternative we had, had we wanted them to keep alert and positively engaged. By doing so, we apparently overcame the issue of how to keep them engaged and motivated, but a new one arose-namely, how to control that revision process. We also asked ourselves if that was really necessary? Naturally, we came up with the idea of offering our students questionnaires at the beginning, middle and the end of the revision process. The main idea was to check their motivation, progress and overall understanding during the self-study process. We realized that the questionnaires would be our valuable tool to control and account for the achievements in a situation like the one we are in now. So far, the questionnaires have proved to be invaluable sources of information on what has been covered, how previously unclear grammar items or vocabulary have turned into steady knowledge by the means of revision, rethinking and self-study. Having reached the mid-questionnaire we hope that the last one will pleasantly surprise us with data that proves our original assumption-that our students did not waste time and effort but had conscientiously and diligently re-established and improved their knowledge of Japanese language despite the force majeure situation and the resulting turbulent time of COVID19.
Osaka University The 21st COE Program Interface Humanities, 2006
My immediate purpose in this paper is to elucidate the process of choosing my position as an eith... more My immediate purpose in this paper is to elucidate the process of choosing my position as an either observer or participant in an event that was originally supposed to be a part of my fieldwork in Bulgaria (June 2006) as well as on the resulting consequences from such a choice. The problematic character of the situation arose from an issue that has long been underlying my work – the question of possibility and realization of practically-oriented research that overcomes the bounds of academism and produces results that are useful and important for non-academics. In my fieldwork at the festival I gained some important insights into the importance of the nifty method of participant observation and managed to apply it for releasing the tension of the insider-outsider dynamic. My participant observation gave me some more reasons to believe that the role of a researcher could and should be an active one. I also found out that conclusions made from analyzing the results from a fieldwork might be of use in organizing future events of similar character.
Journal of HANDAI Music Studies Osaka University, Musicology, 2004
Юбилейна сесия с международно участие ВВОУ "Васил Левски", 1998
On the Problem of Expressiveness and Shareness: Interpretation in Philosophy of Music
EXPRESSION IN JAPANESE CULTURE: AN INQUIRY INTO THE PHENOMENON OF IMAGE-LADEN LOCI OBSERVED IN LANGUAGE, MUSIC AND POETRY, 2006
Изразителността в японската култура: Изследване на явлението локуси на концентрирана образност на... more Изразителността в японската култура: Изследване на явлението локуси на концентрирана образност наблюдавани в езика, музиката и поезията Стела Живкова 1 ОСАКСКИ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ Автор Стела Тодорова Живкова Тема Изразителността в японската култура: Изследване на явлението локуси на концентрирана образност наблюдавани в езика, музиката и поезията АВТОРЕФЕРАТ НА ДИСЕРТАЦИЯ ЗА ПРИСЪЖДАНЕ НА ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛНАТА И НАУЧНА СТЕПЕН "ДОКТОР" Научен ръководител Проф. Казуми Негиши Осака, 2005
EXPRESSION IN JAPANESE CULTURE: AN INQUIRY INTO THE PHENOMENON OF IMAGE-LADEN LOCI OBSERVED IN LANGUAGE, MUSIC AND POETRY, 2023
Dissertation comprises of the following main units: Chapter One, presenting the first examples ... more Dissertation comprises of the following main units:
Chapter One, presenting the first examples on which I base my theory of guided imagination – Japanese mimetic and onomatopoeic words. These are language-encoded formulae for telling big stories through small words, that is to say, they use minimum words to convey maximum information, strongly relying on sound symbolism and standardized linguistic associations. Chronologically, Japanese mimetic and onomatopoeic words were the very first thing that provoked my interest and actually initiated my research into Japanese culture and its uniqueness. The discussion continues in the next chapter where I look at them from a slightly different angle.
Chapter Two, devoted to kuchishōga – the synergetic mimetic syllables used in koto teaching. My “face-to-face” encounter with them in the course of my koto practice stimulated my interest in them as lexically meaningless but conveying a considerable amount of kinesthetic and dynamic information. The linguistic examples adduced here as well as the pedagogically employed syllables of kuchishōga are meant to examplify the phenomenon of image-charged loci and the rules that guide this image to unfold in the imagination of the appreciator into a meaningful vision, movement or action of a certain kind.
Chapters Three and Four, discussing cases of image-laden foci found in haiku and waka poetry (Chapter Three); and in koto and bunraku shamisen music (Chapter Four). Through examples and respective analysis I aim to provide sufficient background information for the reader that will help support the backbone of my argument.
Chapters Five and Six (kōdō, sawari, nō-kan), introducing three fields in which intensive imagism intertwines with metaphoricity. The chapters are devoted to considering some metaphorical transfers hoping that they may prove helpful in clarifying the relation between different picture-laden focal points that unfold into a real larger and richer picture through the aesthetic effort of the imagination of the appreciator. I hope that these chapters will throw some useful light on the mechanisms of metaphorical transfer as well as on the respective regulations for such transfers. The chapters also intend to lay stress on the remarkable work of the imagination when it reaches a phenomenon that alludes or hints at something without explicitly stating what that something is. I also attempt to establish a view that the imagination is not left alone in its work but is unfailingly guided by strictly established rules that are culturally and socially known and recognized.
Finally, the concluding remarks in Chapter Seven sum up the claims, arguments and the data presented in the chapters, and situate them in a larger context.