Re: Beginner Question about Kana/Kanji/Romaji

In article <5gmkagF3hfpdmU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Walker Moore <walker.moore@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi folks. You can skim these two paragraphs if you want to get to the
point. =P I decided to learn Japanese...at a hobbyist level I suppose.
I've always been interested in (English translations of) the writing
of Yukio Mishima, I like to watch Japanese films (subtitles essential so
far), and I've been known to watch the occasional anime series.

I have a wealth of learning material available (Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone,
Subliminal Japanese...as well as numerous books like "Remembering the
Kanji", etc.), but I decided to start out with the 1980s series, "Let's
Learn Japanese" presented by Mary Althaus. I also have the second
series -- made in 1995 and presented by somebody else.

Anyway, a few episodes in...I appeared to be doing quite well, when
people began telling me what a mistake it was to "start out with"
Romaji. That I should study Kana & Kanji first. I made some flashcards
and started memorizing Hiragana, but every single course to which I have
access (in video or book form) provides information first and foremost
in Romaji...so even if I do learn Hiragana, Katakana and as many Kanji
symbols as my tiny mind allows, I don't really see how that's going to
prevent me from approaching Japanese words from a Romanized English
POV...which seems to be their point.

Make sense? I'd love to hear your opinions on this.

Let's Learn Japanese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let's_Learn_Japanese)
was produced by The Japanese Foundation and seems to be remembered by
many with some nostalgia. Fun as it is however, I'm now wondering
whether that's such a good place to start.

My first Japanese class was on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. They
gave us a table of hiragana and said to memorize it, and there'd be a
test on Tuesday. That, the subsequent repeat of the process with
katakana and the gradual accumulation of Kanji, opened a door into the
language and culture like nothing else. All of a sudden (well, not quite
that quickly) stuff that had looked like chicken tracks became
meaningful, and I understood that this was going to be a lot more
interesting than learning Spanish.

If you're just a "hobbyist," that should be an important part of the
hobby. Would you take up birdwatching and not learn the songs as well as
the markings? Do photography only in black and white? Look at it this
way: When you're watching a movie it would be good to be able to read
the signs as well as understand the dialogue. And if you ever go to
Japan, there will be lots of stuff to read.

It's a subtle difference, but reading in hiragana will give you a better
sense of the sounds than romaji, especially since there are different
systems of romanization floating around.

IIRC, "Japanese for Busy People" comes in both romaji and kana versions,
although the latter might be harder to find in stores.
.

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