WEEK 5/2021

Page 148-150
1. Sakamoto’s family members and her husband’s friends often look startled and the
conversational topic that they were talking about would come in halt. This is due to some
mistakes that Sakamoto made whenever she was talking to them, in which she did not
realized for a long time.
2. She compared a Western-style conversation to a game of tennis and volleyball. This is
because, a game of tennis requires one to always hit the ball back and forth with each player
try their best to give it a new twist, an original spin, or a powerful smash. Meanwhile a game
of volleyball requires one to hit the ball straight away based on whoever is quickest or
nearest to the ball. Hence, a Western-style conversation enables one to give their opinion or
thoughts straight away, back and forth, in which resulted to an interesting, fruitful two-way
communication.
3. She compared a Japanese-style conversation to bowling. One should wait for his or her turn
to speak. One should also know their place in line depending on things such as whether
someone is older, younger, close friend, relative stranger and so on. When one turn’s come,
he or she should deliver their opinions politely while the others listen until a person is
finished with his or her talk, just like how bowling players wait for their turns to throw the
ball.
4. a) A Western-style conversation is more like a two-way communication, in which one can
always replies or speak their opinions throughout the conversation. In contrast, Japanese-
style conversation requires one to wait until someone’s finish talking before another person
could deliver his or her own opinion.
b) A Western-style conversation enables one to use the same ‘ball’ (subject of matter) and
discuss about that one particular subject thoroughly while a Japanese-style conversation
requires one to use a new ‘ball’, which means that one should or could use a completely
different opinion, or one’s own thoughts.
c) There is no ‘pause’ in a Western-style conversation while a Japanese-style conversation
has ‘pause’ between a person and another person’s talk.
d) The participants of a Western-style conversation are always ‘excited’ and eager to
participate in a conversation. In contrast, the participants of a Japanese-style conversation
are always polite and patient, with no rush, excitement or scramble for a ‘ball’ (subject).
e) In a Western-style conversation, one is always responsible for his or her ‘turn’ and for
what they have said. However, in a Japanese-style conversation, everyone just gives their
own opinions even though there might be some differences.

5. The thesis stated by Sakamoto is ‘Japanese-style conversations develop quite differently from
Western-style conversations.’ This thesis can be seen in the first sentence of the third paragraph.

Page 155-156, Exercise 3

1. b. Both learning in a classroom and learning online require one to manage their time wisely.
2. c. Less time consumed to go from one place to another place.
d. Safer, lower risk of getting involved in an accident.
3. b. Amount of required research.
c. The ability to produce excellent universities thesis.
d. The ability to conduct events and group discussions.