Re: Culture clash

On Sat, 08 Sep 2007 10:55:35 +1000, Ben Finney wrote:

However, I draw different conclusions from your anecdotal
information. You refer to "NSoE that I speak with who have learned
Japanese *outside* Japan to the point of conversational fluency".
You imply, though, that your anecdotal Japanese learners of English
are striving for more than mere "conversational fluency."

No, such was never my intended implication. The
NSoJ-learners-of-English are having trouble attaining the
(subjectively-judged) same level of conversational fluency as the
NSoE-lerners-of-Japanese attain. The former group have chronic trouble
with the new language, the latter praise its ease of assimilation.

You have to take what they say with a grain of salt. In my experience,
Japanese tend to practice a certain amount of self deprecation whereas
North Americans tend to brag about their accomplishments. A Japanese might
say she still has a lot to learn while an American might brag about how
well he speaks. Nevertheless, the two speakers might have equal
conversational fluency.

Furthermore, in the US, where a large portion of the population speaks only
one language, acquiring even a rudimentary ability in another language is
laudable. In Japan, high school graduates expect to have a basic degree of
conversational fluency in English and are quick to self-critique when they
encounter difficulty communicating.

Phil Yff
.

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