M.S.S.
Military Slang Sayings
2023
Video, 7:25
https://youtu.be/1UJySw1CX2E
フィールドサーヴェイを行っている横須賀——日本国内でも多くの米国人が居住する土地で、私は過去に一度も、米軍の人々と自然に関わる機会を持ったことはない。現在横須賀に暮らしていてもその機会は少ないようで、誰かと関わるためには言語を「教える／教わる」という構図に頼ることが最も手っ取り早く、win-winな効果をもたらすのかもしれない。
本作品《M.S.S.／Military Slang Sayings》は、米軍の人々と関わる日のため、あるいは興味から、米軍という近くて遠い集団へ疑似的に近づくために、米軍基地で使われるスラング（Milirary Slang Sayings）を一人で単語帳に書き込む様子が映し出される。言語の勉強に対してどこか明るい将来への期待を込め、また将来に出会う人々との関わりを想像しながらも、どこか使えなさそうに感じられる単語が並んでいる。
Yokosuka, where I have been conducting a field survey for a year and a half - a land where many Americans reside in Japan, I have never had the opportunity to naturally engage with US military personnel in the past. Even though I live in Yokosuka, such opportunities seem to be rare, and relying on a "teach/be taught" structure may be the quickest way to get involved with someone, and may even have a win-win effect.
In this work, "M.S.S.," the filmmaker is shown studying military slang (Military Slang Sayings) alone, in preparation for the coming day when he will be involved with the U.S. military people, or in order to pseudo-approach the U.S. military, a group both near and far, out of curiosity. The aim of the film was to create a balance between the act of studying a language that one does not know when one will use it, and the act of learning a language that, even if learned, seems to be useless.
