elg@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Eric Green) (04/02/89)
in article <1270@houxs.ATT.COM>, beyer@houxs.ATT.COM (J.BEYER) says: > In article <937@dover.azsps.mot.com>, leivian@dover.azsps.mot.com (Bob Leivian) writes: >> >>>I presume, Henry, that you know how f^&*#%$ hard Japanese is to learn... > Note that little children have learned Japanese, Latin, and other foreign > to us languages. Not exceptional kids, either, but those present-day kids that > live in Japan, and the historical kids that lived in the Roman Empire. I might note that educational psychologists have amassed a great deal of evidence in favor of the notion that there is a "language window" during early childhood, during which it is considerably easier to learn one or more languages than it is later in life. The most famous case is that of "Genie", a young abused girl raised in a closet away from language during the formative years. Therapists spent much time trying to teach her how to speak, and were never successful. I might also note that Japanese children have 18 years to learn Japanese, and are totally immersed in the Japanese language. Most of we Americans are not so "fortunate". An interesting characteristic of the Chinese character set which the Japanese use for formal correspondence: the only way to learn them is via rote memorization. You might consider the ease of rote memorizing ten thousand little scribbles in the course of a college career. This may also help one to understand why the Japanese have to work so #$%#$% hard in school -- they have to learn all these characters, too. Does this account for the success of the Japanese in getting high productivity out of their workers? I don't know -- I'm just glad that we have a semi-phonetic alphabet, and could, if lower-level educators had the education, use that time for better things (e.g. mathematics and science studies). -- | // Eric Lee Green P.O. Box 92191, Lafayette, LA 70509 | | // ..!{ames,decwrl,mit-eddie,osu-cis}!killer!elg (318)989-9849 | | \X/ Amiga. The homestation for the blessed of us. |