The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-21

Dressed in a new suit of clothes pur-
chased for him by the acting Japanese
consul, Tanbara Gisaburo appeared in
the United States court this morning
for trial on the charge of numbering
Captain Jacobsen of the schooner Wood.
In addition to the witnesses who have
been confined in Oahu pail, Mrs. Jacob
sen was present, though she did not en-
ter the court, and there was a court
room crowded with jurors, sea-captains
and others interested in the case.
The proceedings began with objec-
tions by f. f.. Thompson to the Japa-
nese interpreter, James X. Hakuole.
Saburo Okabe and K. Ono, representa-
tives of the consulate, swore to lengthy
affidavits regarding the Japanese lam
guage and dialects, alleging that man
from the province of Okayama could
not understand the language of one
from Kanagawa and other provinces,
while the following affidavit of the de-
fendant himself was filed:
"Tanbara Gisaburo, being first duly
sworn, deposes and says, that he is
subject of the Emperor of Japan that
he was born in the province of Okla
yama, Japan, of Japanese parents, in
the year 1882.
Your affiant further says, that he is
wholly uneducated in the Japanese and
Chinese classics; that his entire school
education consists of two years attend
ance at the lower schools in said pro-
vince of Okayama; that he is not feni-
liar with, nor can he intelligently un-
derstand or converse in, the dialect pc
culiar to the people of Kanagawa, Jap
an, and the northern provinces ADA
cent thereto.
Your affiant further says, that he
cannot, with any degree of certainty
understand the Japanese language as
spoken by the person who interpreted
the proceedings had at his, your
atlantis arraignment; that your attiant
is informed and believes, and so AYERS
the fact to be, that said person is ma
tive Hawaiian, James H. Hakuole by
name; and affiant ayers, that said
James H Hakuole does not speak the
dialect used or the accent spoken, used
and understood by your afiiant
"And further atfiant saith not, except
that he makes this affidavit for the pur-
pose of having same read at the hearing
of a motion to appoint an Interpreter
| familiar and cOnVersant with the dia-
lects, accents, Vernacular, idioms, colo
quialisms, provincialisms and lOcalisms
of the Japanese language as spoken and
used in the southern provinces of Japan
/ and more particularly the province of
! Okayama, Japan, as Japanese inter-
/ prefer in the above entitled case.
Signed in Japanese Tanbara Gisaburo"
The affidavit of Saburo Okabe con-
tains the following:
| "And your affiant further says, that
the Japanese language is a language Of
many dialects, accents, idioms, colo
| quialisms, provincialisms and localisms
that one ordinarily familiar with the
classical language of Japan, cannot un-
derstand and interpret the dialects
idioms, accents, colloquialisms, prOVin-
cialisms and localisms of the provinces
| outlying the province of Kanagawa
wherein the city of Toxic, the capital
of Japan, and seat of learning is stuat-
ed.
That the difference in dialects and
accents as well as the difference in the
application and uses of words and SEN
/ tences, is more pronounced in the
southern provinces of Japan than in the
northern provinces thereof, that certain
words current in the province of Kama
gawa, aforesaid, and in northern Japan
are wholly unknown and unused in the
southern provinces of Okayama an6
Hiroshima; that certain nouns and
verbs, used in said province of Kama
gawa, and in the northern provinces OF
Japan to designate and describe GER
tain objects or actions, have entirely
different meanings and applications II
the provinces of Okayama and Hiro
shima and the other southern province!
aforesaid.
THAT your affiant further says, tina
by gestures and intonation of the voice
certain words and sentences in tn
japanese language can be made to con
vey entirely different meanings; ant
that the Japanese language cannot b.
properly understood without wild
Familiarity with such gestures and in
tonatlon of voice.
THAT the Japanese language abound
in SMILES, metaphors and metOnymies
entirely dependent upon familiarit,
with the habits, usages, customs, lite
rature, history and laws and religion o
the people of Japan as well as the flora
fauna mineral products and geograph
of the Empire of Japan, for their pro
per Interpretation into a foreign Ian
I guage.
That in order to acquire a thoroug
Z understanding of the japanese languag
: such understanding as is necessary fo
J a correct Interpretation of spoken word