tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714063.post115940730027248638..comments2023-10-09T00:45:55.603+09:00Comments on Shisaku: And so it begins...MTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04626942240117432624noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714063.post-1159516111576829452006-09-29T16:48:00.000+09:002006-09-29T16:48:00.000+09:00Then why the emphasis on "beautiful Japanese"? As...Then why the emphasis on "beautiful Japanese"? Aside from the appropriation of the title of Abe's book, why does the minister not talk about "proper" (tekito na) Japanese? Where does "beauty" enter into it?<BR/><BR/>I also cannot agree with your pedagological premise. Expressing one's thoughts eloquently in one's mother tongue and speaking a second language not only require a different skill set in each case but employ different parts of the brain. <BR/><BR/>One senses the difference in between the two actions when trying to carry out tasks in three languages at once--the two second languages start interfering with one another almost from outset.MTChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04626942240117432624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714063.post-1159411642940701132006-09-28T11:47:00.000+09:002006-09-28T11:47:00.000+09:00Wrong: "If you cannot express yourself in beautifu...Wrong: "If you cannot express yourself in beautiful Japanese, it is wrong to have done so in a foreign tongue.""<BR/><BR/>Better: "If you cannot express yourself in beautiful Japanese, studying a foreign language won't do any good."<BR/><BR/>The premise of the new minister's argument is close to one that I've been making for a long time. I'm sometimes asked what is the best way to learn English. I say, study Japanese. What you cannot say in in your native togue, you will never be able to do in a second language.<BR/><BR/>No, that has nothing to do with whether ESL education should start early or not (depends on who and how you're doing the teaching). Mr. Ibuki is wrong to reject early ESL outright, but his premise, correctly translated, is quite sensible.Jun Okumurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00291478225274759649noreply@blogger.com