Passage Content
縦か横か。服も縦の模様と横の模様では印象が全く違う。日本では縦横の使い方が他の国と違うことが多い。食事の時に使う箸も日本では横に置くが、中国も韓国も縦だ。言うまでもなくナイフやスプーンも縦に置く。書物も英語を始めほとんどの言語が横書きだ。漢字の国中国ですら最近はほとんど横書きになったらしい。しかし日本では本や新聞などのほとんどが縦書きのままで、教科書や論文以外で横書きの文は珍しかった。しかし最近コンピューターの普及で横書きの文を見たり書いたりする機会が増えた。手紙もビジネス用は横書きが多い。普通の手紙も若い人は横書きにするようだが、縦書きのほうが気持ちがこもっていると感じるのは私だけだろうか。
Reference translation
English
Vertical or horizontal? Even in clothing, vertical and horizontal patterns create completely different impressions. In Japan, the use of vertical and horizontal orientations often differs from that in other countries. Chopsticks used during meals are placed horizontally in Japan, whereas they are placed vertically in both China and Korea. Needless to say, knives and spoons are also placed vertically. In terms of writing, most languages, starting with English, are written horizontally. Even China, the country of Chinese characters, has reportedly shifted to horizontal writing in recent times. However, in Japan, most books and newspapers remain written vertically, and horizontal text was rare outside of textbooks and academic papers.
However, with the recent proliferation of computers, opportunities to read and write horizontal text have increased. Even in letters, business correspondence is predominantly written horizontally. It seems that younger people also write ordinary letters horizontally, but perhaps I am the only one who feels that vertical writing carries more sentiment.
Multiple Choice Questions (1)
Question 1問1 文字の書き方の縦横に対する著者の意見はどれか。
