Existem muitos sistemas de escrita em uso pelo mundo. Quase todos eles são representações dos sons das línguas, compostos por poucas dezenas de símbolos. A escrita japonesa, porém, inclui caracteres chineses (kanji), que representam não só os sons mas também os sentidos; e, para isso, precisa empregar milhares de símbolos. A complexidade do sistema de escrita japonês torna-o mais difícil de aprender e de processar mentalmente. Por que então ele continua sendo usado até hoje? Haveria alguma vantagem? Investigando estas questões, descobrimos que a escrita japonesa permite formas de expressão que não seriam possíveis através da transcrição sonora pura, nem em sistemas de escrita mais simples. Esta observação é importante, não apenas para os estudos japoneses, mas para os estudos da linguagem escrita em geral: o caso japonês demonstra que a escrita não pode ser compreendida como um simples registro visual da fala, mas deve ser estudada como um sistema de acesso à linguagem com características próprias. Neste trabalho, analisamos algumas dessas formas de expressão específicas da escrita, tal como se apresentam no japonês. / There are many writing systems currently in use around the world. For almost all of them, the basic mechanism is using graphical symbols to represent the sounds of language. A few dozen symbols are enough for this purpose. Japanese writing, however, includes Chinese characters (kanji), which are related not only to sound but also to meaning; since there are many possible meanings, kanji number in the thousands. The complexity of Japanese writing makes it comparatively harder to learn, and harder to process mentally. Why, then, is it still in use? Are there any advantages to such a system? A closer look show that Japanese writing allows modes of expression which would be impossible in a phonetic transcription of speech, or in simpler writing systems. This is an important datum, not only for Japanese studies, but for the linguistic study of writing itself; the Japanese case clearly shows that writing cant be adequately described as merely a visual representation of speech, but must rather be analyzed as an independent system for accessing language. In this dissertation we discuss, from Japanese examples, some of these expressive techniques which can only be realized in a written medium.

Existem muitos sistemas de escrita em uso pelo mundo. Quase todos eles são representações dos sons das línguas, compostos por poucas dezenas de símbolos. A escrita japonesa, porém, inclui caracteres chineses (kanji), que representam não só os sons mas também os sentidos; e, para isso, precisa empregar milhares de símbolos. A complexidade do sistema de escrita japonês torna-o mais difícil de aprender e de processar mentalmente. Por que então ele continua sendo usado até hoje? Haveria alguma vantagem? Investigando estas questões, descobrimos que a escrita japonesa permite formas de expressão que não seriam possíveis através da transcrição sonora pura, nem em sistemas de escrita mais simples. Esta observação é importante, não apenas para os estudos japoneses, mas para os estudos da linguagem escrita em geral: o caso japonês demonstra que a escrita não pode ser compreendida como um simples registro visual da fala, mas deve ser estudada como um sistema de acesso à linguagem com características próprias. Neste trabalho, analisamos algumas dessas formas de expressão específicas da escrita, tal como se apresentam no japonês. / There are many writing systems currently in use around the world. For almost all of them, the basic mechanism is using graphical symbols to represent the sounds of language. A few dozen symbols are enough for this purpose. Japanese writing, however, includes Chinese characters (kanji), which are related not only to sound but also to meaning; since there are many possible meanings, kanji number in the thousands. The complexity of Japanese writing makes it comparatively harder to learn, and harder to process mentally. Why, then, is it still in use? Are there any advantages to such a system? A closer look show that Japanese writing allows modes of expression which would be impossible in a phonetic transcription of speech, or in simpler writing systems. This is an important datum, not only for Japanese studies, but for the linguistic study of writing itself; the Japanese case clearly shows that writing cant be adequately described as merely a visual representation of speech, but must rather be analyzed as an independent system for accessing language. In this dissertation we discuss, from Japanese examples, some of these expressive techniques which can only be realized in a written medium.

lavare lente | a place for slow washing | alexandria, virginia the proposal is for a slow laundering facility for alexandria, virginia. the building is intended to be slow and deliberate in its construction and inhabitation. without conventional machines, the architecture and the individual must take on increased roles in the process of washing. ideas about how slowness relates to memory, drawing and construction, and about how we might ground ourselves in a manageably paced lifestyle are at the root of the thesis. / Master of Architecture

Confronter la pensée occidentale à la pensée chinoise est une démarche enrichissante à un moment où les cultures se croisent et peuvent même se sentir menacées. J'ai tenté, en partant de l'étude des écritures et de leurs origines de mieux cerner l'avènement de la pensée et son développement dans les deux cas. Il s'agissait de fixer un champ d'étude, j'ai donc songé à présenter le 'réel', le' monde', selon les deux approches et applications, d'un côté le 'logos\ la Raison et de l'autre les conceptions taoïstes, parfois mêlées de bouddhisme. Le 'procès' du monde dont la Chine était très tôt consciente ne lui permettait pas d'interpréter le réel tel que la Grèce et par voie de conséquence l'Occident le concevait, la seule chose qui ne change pas dans le monde étant précisément pour la Chine l'état 'd'impermanence'. Partant notamment du "yi jing" ou "Livre des Mutations", de la construction idéographique, la Chine a voulu représenter le monde tout entier, elle avait une vision différente de celle de I'Occident...Mais une question demeure posée: quelle est au fond l'origine de cette vision ? Est-ce celle de certains penseurs ? Est-ce la nature elle-même ? Est-ce l'écriture comme manifestation humaine? Ma recherche propose quelques jalons pour chaque civilisation, mais la question reste très ouverte / Comparing Western thought and Chinese thought can be quite enriching, at a time when cultures in general can gain contact, as weil as fee!thrcatencd somctimes. l have tried, starting from modes of writings, at their origins, to figure out the advcnt and development ofthought on both sides. The point was also to choose a field ofexpcriment... 1 have thought that 1 could present 'reality', the 'world', from Western and Chinese approaches, with the efiècts of 'logos' and 'Reason' on one side and Taoist and sometimes Buddhist influences on the other. The 'process' of the world that China was conscious of cou id not allow her to apprchend reality such as Greece, very carly, and later Western thought could conceive it. Indeed, the only thing that would not change in this world is the state of 'impermanence' for China. From the yi jing, the Book of Changes, and ideographie patterns and methods, China wanted to show the world, the whole world. That was a vision definitely different from that of the West... Still, one question remains : where does this vision come from ? From thinkers. from Nature itself ? From modes of writings as human responses ? The exposition that I developed offers a few landmarks on both sidcs, but the question is still an open one...