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Japan American Society of San Antonio (JASSA)

P.O. Box 460444

San Antonio, TX 78246-0444

20 th Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest in San Antonio

The 20 th Annual Japanese Language Contest is sponsored by the Japan-American Society of Texas, in cooperation with Japanese Teachers Association of Texas and the Consulate-General of Japan at Houston. The regional contest is organized by the Japan America Society of San Antonio. Additional support is provided by the Japan Foundation and San Antonio College.

Purpose This annual event offers participants an opportunity to demonstrate their oral communication skills in Japanese while competing in a statewide competition. It brings attention to the Japanese language and promotes the knowledge and understanding of Japan by American.

Location San Antonio College, Department of Foreign Languages/ESOL , AIC Building, Award ceremony: SAC, VATC120

1300 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212-4299 Tel: (210)486-0965

Date & Time Saturday, February 7, 200 9.

9 :30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Qualification Applicant must:

Currently enrolled in a Japanese class at a school in Texas (Divisions I-IV) or Resident in Texas (Division V)
Not be a native speaker of Japanese
Not have a Japanese parents
Not have visited Japan for more that three months since 200 3
Not have received any schooling in Japan after age six
Not speak Japanese at home

Divisions Division I High & Middle School Poetry Recitation (2-3 minutes)

「夢みたものは」

Division II High School Poetry Recitation ( 3 min max)

「ゆずり葉」

Division III High & Middle School Free Speech with text

(2-3 minutes)

Division IV High School Free Speech (2-3 minutes)

Division V College Students & Adults Free Speech (2-3 minutes)

Number of There will be a limit of 56 participants for Division V and 40 participants

Participants per other divisions and 8 applicants form each school. Applications will be accepted in the order in which they are received. Once the limit of applicant’s number for each division has been reached, no more applications will be accepted for that division. Therefore, it is important to send applications as soon as possible.

Status of thisThis competition forms the preliminary rounds for the statewide

Competition competition, which will be held in March 7,200 9 in Houston.

Free Speech Content: Free speeches must be original, written by the contestant and not previously recited elsewhere. The theme is open and to be selected by the contestant. Personal experiences and anecdotes are welcomed and encouraged.

Tine limit: The time limit is three minutes, and the contestants must speak for at least two minutes. Points will be subtracted for speeches which are over or under the time limit.

Notes: Contestants may use written materials or notes, but those who deliver their speeches without them will be scored higher that those who rely on notes.

Evaluation Criteria: Free speeches will be judged on pronunciation, grammatical ability, overall ability, content, delivery, creativity, enthusiasm, and understanding.

Poetry Content: Contestants must memorize the poem specified for his/her

Recitation division. Each contestant should say the title and author of the poem, them recite the poem form memory. The use of notes is not allowed.

Evaluation Criteria: Poetry recitation will be judged on pronunciation, flow and expression, accuracy of memorization, and delivery.

Prizes Prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third place winners in each division.

Registration Applications must be mailed to JASSA, 847 E Hildebrand, San Antonio, TX 78212 or E-mail: tamaki@jas-sa.org

Deadline Saturday, January 24, 2009

For information, please contact:

Ms. Yuko Kawabe, Tel: (210) 696-1613, (210) 414-1357

E- mail: yukoboshi@aol.com