Sirius2B
先輩
- 3 Aug 2006
- 101
- 2
- 28
Of course, its a theme highly relevant for foreigners living in Japan, and people that after an heroic fight, gave up early trying to dominate the Japanese writting systems.
Karl Marx once said, with other words, and later was confirmed by psychologists, that "we modify what we say, in oder to agree with what we do... or we modify our beliefs in order to suit our own insterests".
Of course, that foreign people that eventually conquered the Japanese writting systems, will say that it will be "negative", there will be a shameful cultural lost... and people that simply cannot do the effort or have the time, but that NEEDS to learn Japanese to improve their quality of life in Japan, could think otherwise.
I have to say, that I have never been in Japan, but that I admire very much their traditional culture, their cultural & industrial products, and I had some interest in studying the Japanese language.
I am sure that this topic have been discussed earlier in this forum... but I guess that is a theme relevant to be touched here anytime.
I think that Kanjis are "sexy", and very appealing for the challenge alone of conquer them... but let's be honest: They are a Chinese import, that never suited well for the Japanese languaje... so much, that Japanese themselves had to come up with the Kanas, the syllabaries, to suit more easily their own needs.
Of course, I will mention the usual examples that anybody mentions in thise theme: The case of Turkey, that scraped the Arabic system... and even Russia with Cyrillic, if I remember well around the 20s, tried to do the same, although they reversed.
Hell, even the Chinese do experiments with "simplified systems", PinJin, etcetera... so I think that people, Japanese or fans of Japanse culture, don't have to go balistic if one discusses the theoretical pros and cons of such meassure.
Undoubtly, with the almost 100% literacy in Japan, there is no doubt that Japanese themselves have found the system to teach themselves the Kanji... even if it takes 9 years... but...
Could we believe that there will be an "improvement" in Japanese education to change to a real alphabet (any alphabet... even one invented by themselves)?.
Ah!... One more historical note... I remember that in 1946 or 47 (or around that time) the Ocupation Authorities wanted to precisely that (roomaji-ization)... but even as the Japanese let do reform in other fields, they defended succesfuly this part of their culture... So I want to clarify that I am not a Gaijin trying to say what is best for Japan, just to discuss a linguistic theme.
Regards.
Karl Marx once said, with other words, and later was confirmed by psychologists, that "we modify what we say, in oder to agree with what we do... or we modify our beliefs in order to suit our own insterests".
Of course, that foreign people that eventually conquered the Japanese writting systems, will say that it will be "negative", there will be a shameful cultural lost... and people that simply cannot do the effort or have the time, but that NEEDS to learn Japanese to improve their quality of life in Japan, could think otherwise.
I have to say, that I have never been in Japan, but that I admire very much their traditional culture, their cultural & industrial products, and I had some interest in studying the Japanese language.
I am sure that this topic have been discussed earlier in this forum... but I guess that is a theme relevant to be touched here anytime.
I think that Kanjis are "sexy", and very appealing for the challenge alone of conquer them... but let's be honest: They are a Chinese import, that never suited well for the Japanese languaje... so much, that Japanese themselves had to come up with the Kanas, the syllabaries, to suit more easily their own needs.
Of course, I will mention the usual examples that anybody mentions in thise theme: The case of Turkey, that scraped the Arabic system... and even Russia with Cyrillic, if I remember well around the 20s, tried to do the same, although they reversed.
Hell, even the Chinese do experiments with "simplified systems", PinJin, etcetera... so I think that people, Japanese or fans of Japanse culture, don't have to go balistic if one discusses the theoretical pros and cons of such meassure.
Undoubtly, with the almost 100% literacy in Japan, there is no doubt that Japanese themselves have found the system to teach themselves the Kanji... even if it takes 9 years... but...
Could we believe that there will be an "improvement" in Japanese education to change to a real alphabet (any alphabet... even one invented by themselves)?.
Ah!... One more historical note... I remember that in 1946 or 47 (or around that time) the Ocupation Authorities wanted to precisely that (roomaji-ization)... but even as the Japanese let do reform in other fields, they defended succesfuly this part of their culture... So I want to clarify that I am not a Gaijin trying to say what is best for Japan, just to discuss a linguistic theme.
Regards.