Re: I Want to Learn Kanji First. Is this Foolish?

jim_breen_at_hotmail.com
Date: 02/09/05 

Date: 9 Feb 2005 23:07:52 GMT

David Chien <chiendh@uci.edu> dixit:
>>> So here's my question. Is it reasonable to focus on written Japanese
>>> as a beginner? Can I follow a Kanji First rather than a Kanji last
>>> plan? Or is there some pitfall to this idea that I lack the experience
>>> to see.

> I'd say that's a very reasonable approach to a difficult language
>where the keys to unlocking more material, words, and Japanese is
>through the proficiency in Kanji. You'd be suprised how many things are
>'understandable' with only a knowledge of the meaning of a Kanji, but
>how lost you can be if you don't know them all (the basic 1-6 grade
>Kanji at least)!

And I think it is a far from "reasonable" approach. Imagine learning
Arabic or Hebrew in a system where you ignored the grammar, syntax,
pronunciation, etc. etc. and concentrated on the "meanings" of clusters
of otherwise abstract symbols. And having done that, gone out onto the
streets of Tel Aviv, or Riyadh or wherever and expected to interact with
the locals.

> This is proven - most Chinese can easily follow the subtitles (in
>Japanese Kanji) of a movie, read most printed material (newspapers,
>magazines), etc. and know basically what's going on from just the Kanji
>alone.

But that's fine if you are *Chinese*. If you learned Chinese from the
cradle, got terribly fluent in it, and *then* went and learned a mass of
hanzi in the context of that language. IMNSHO there is no relationship
between a literate speaker of Chinese learning Japanese and a complete
beginner without any kanji/hanzi/hanja skills. Sure a literate Chinese
speaker is off to a flying start (doesn't stop many of them failing
Japanese 101 at Monash), but I think it is a far from optimal
approach to learning japanese as a language. 

-- 
Jim Breen        http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/
Computer Science & Software Engineering,
Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia 
$B%8%`!&%V%j!<%s(B@$B%b%J%7%eBg3X(B

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