Education

English speakers are from Mars
Kumiko Makihara
December 6, 2006

TOKYO: Despite some predictions that Chinese will become the next worldwide lingua franca, the acceptance of English as the global language, spurred by the spread of the Internet, is here to stay. Fluent English is increasingly expected, rather than respected, in the business community.
Considering Japan's economic prowess, and how many Japanese travel and work overseas, the country has a surprisingly low level of fluency in English. So rare is fluency here that my father was nicknamed "the alien" for speaking English and being Westernized. And this was in the 1990s, when he was the president of a major Japanese trading company where most of his business was conducted in English.
A growing divide between English speakers and non-English speakers doesn't bode well for a big economic power like Japan. Yet a government committee's proposal to introduce English into the elementary school curriculum has met surprising protest.
"Teaching English may be necessary in the global community, but as a Japanese, one must first be able to speak proper Japanese," declared Bunmei Ibuki, the education minister, upon his appointment in September.
Ibuki's remarks reflect a stubborn insular mentality still prevalent among Japan's elite. After all, Japan managed to become one of the world's largest economies without its people mastering much English. Foreign-language study doesn't need to be a high priority for children, they say.
Today in Opinion
The influential author and mathematician Masahiko Fujiwara even says that Japanese should be proud that their scores on the Toefl, the test that assesses English proficiency of non-native speakers, rank among the lowest in Asia. That is the result of the country never having been colonized nor forced to speak another language, Fujiwara writes in his best-selling book, "Kokka no Hinkaku" or dignity of a nation.
While Japan slowly debates the issue, its neighbors and rivals in Asia have taken the practical road and acquiesced to the English-speaking trend.
Like Japan, none of them have historical or cultural ties to the English language. China, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand have all incorporated English into their elementary school curriculum.
Poor English skills didn't matter much for Japanese in the 70s and 80s when global customers clamored to do business with any Japanese company, says John Shook, an auto consultant based in Michigan. "The competition now faced by Japanese company A is not another Japanese company, but Chinese or Korean or American. The embarrassingly low level of English spoken by Japanese managers, while a mere embarrassment before, is now a major business liability," he says.
Opponents of introducing English into Japan's curriculum argue that children should spend those precious hours studying their own complex tongue: a difficult language with layers of honorifics and thousands of written characters that linguists lament young people are increasingly unable to master. But the government proposal only calls for one hour of English per week in the 5th and 6th grades, hardly enough time to confuse children linguistically or do damage to their Japanese. And that hour could go far in impressing upon children that there is a world beyond their borders accessible by language.
To be sure there are major hurdles to implementing English classes in schools here. Only about 4 percent of elementary school teachers are currently certified to teach English. And few can pronounce the language like a native speaker. But until training is complete, schools could use audio visual materials. Better to get an early start.
To forge ahead, Japanese students will also have to overcome their shyness in trying out new words.
In this extremely conformist society, even children are reluctant to stand out by speaking better or worse than their peers, so few students are eager to speak up in class. It doesn't help that English instruction in schools never encouraged speaking.
But any language student knows that on the road to fluency, it's no shame, no gain.
I take advantage of this cultural aversion to shame sometimes by speaking English to my son in public when he misbehaves, increasing my volume until he gets into line. It usually works.
My son doesn't want to stand out like an alien, after all. I myself would be happy to have him be from outer space in Japan, as long as he could communicate with the rest of the world.
Kumiko Makihara is a freelance writer based in Tokyo.




http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/06/opinion/edkumiko.php　


I disagree with the writer. I agree to only this part" it's becoming global world, and it is necessary to speak English."


Now, people clamor to study English everywhere in Japan to prepare for global world. I expect more and more English is necessary for us to improve Japanese economy. when thinking about recently news like stock prices, we can see it's all connected to the world. However, poor English for Japanese and the fact we have the lowest English skills in Asia is viewed with suspicion. the reason is, as the writer says "Like Japan, none of them have historical or cultural ties to the English language". I think lots of our factors such as non-be colonized, island and Japanese grammar which is totally opposite range to English and Japanese shy let us be poor English Speaker.




However, I disagree to this part, "Opponents of introducing English into Japan's curriculum argue that children should spend those precious hours studying their own complex tongue: a difficult language with layers of honorifics and thousands of written characters that linguists lament young people are increasingly unable to master. But the government proposal only calls for one hour of English per week in the 5th and 6th grades, hardly enough time to confuse children linguistically or do damage to their Japanese."

I know many people have this kinds of opinion, and I had it that young people must learn their language and country at first. the reason why I changed my mind is that having interest in English is most important for children to start English. If they are warning that children does not have more time to study English in school to study their own complex tongue, then even more We have to try children to learn English from more young age.

I think when they start learning English, they do not need to study grammar and a lot of time because as I said before the most purpose for children to learn English is to having "INTEREST" in English. just they need a chance to learn what is English to meet with foreigner and learning other countries.



the reason why I focus on the interest is because learning other language needs so long time to study to get. Moreover, though mother language needs us to live but other language does not so to continue to study foreign language, we need the interest in them.

Japanese Times News

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006
BILINGUAL
Men retreat from 'hassle' of loving relationships
By KAORI SHOJI
We're told that the nation's economy is in its best shape in a decade. While this is "roho (good news)," other things are happening in this country that are not so hot. Literally.
According to sources, many eligible Japanese men are in the throes of what's become known as "Renai Ken-o Sho (Dislike of Love Relationships)" and, consequently, the number of loving couples has plummeted to probably the lowest in the last decade. Single women are complaining that the dating scene has never been so barren, and those fortunate enough to have boyfriends live in fear of the extremely high turnover rate: "Kyo no kanojyo wa ashita no moto-kano. (Today's girlfriend is tomorrow's ex-girlfriend)."
Yes, there is less relationship-security now than ever before, and it's all the result of the Japanese male's seeming reluctance to get close, get committed and become that most coveted of conditions: "jyounetsuteki (passionate)."
Out-of-love epidemic
"Korewa mohaya byokidane (this has officially become an epidemic)" says editor Michiyo on this out-of-love trend. This is her story: After three whole years of nurturing warm, friendly relations with a "doryo (colleague)," Michiyo confessed her love one morning after an all-night, "futarikiri (just-the-two-of-us) drinking stint. Instead of taking her in his arms and declaring likewise (as she had envisioned) he looked acutely embarrassed, turned away and muttered: "Sou yuno, nashini shiyoyo (Let's not go there)."
Shocked, Michiyo's professional antenna went up: This colleague had to be part of a bigger disease eating away at the hearts and minds of the nation's men. It should be noted that Michiyo is smart, attractive and sexy -- she owns eight pairs of skin-tight, pin-heel boots that, when combined with her collection of skin-tight Earl jeans, makes her look like a "wasei Kyameron (the Japanese Cameron Diaz)," the kind of look that, it might be assumed, would attract suitors.
Let's not go there? What was the guy thinking?
And this would seem to be the collective Japanese female wail. They just don't know what men are thinking, or want anymore. Before, it had been so simple. Men wanted women and that was all there was to it. It was the guy's job to deduce the workings of the female mind.
Now, the tables have turned. Men are constantly shying away and looking embarrassed while women lay bare their hearts and fling them at their reluctant, shuffling feet. "I sense a nation-wide wave of 'don-biki (a great, pulling away)' on the part of men" analyzes Michiyo. "They actually act affronted when women confess. They act like little girls, they act like 'otome (virgins)!' "
It's true. The widespread "ren'ai ken-o" goes hand in hand with the widespread otome-ization of the Japanese male. Ten years ago the media gasped when young men were discovered to shave their legs and buy skin-care products. Today the focus is on young men who see sexual relationships as something "kimoi (disgusting)" and who seem to have little interest in venting their physical desires with actual partners. They live for "shigoto (jobs)" and "shumi (hobbies)." Above all, they value their privacy.
Heavy burden
Behind the "shoshika (low birth rate)" phenomenon (which has mostly been palmed off as the fault of the nation's women), is this to consider: Japanese men are less interested in love, let alone such an "omoni (heavy burden)" as marriage and "kosodate (child-rearing)."
Michiyo did an informal survey among the single men in her department, and reports that six out of eight replied that the reason they choose to avoid ren'ai altogether is because they cannot see any merit in being with women. "Onnanoko wa mendoudashi, renraku shinakya-naranaishi, purezento toka okane kakarushi . . . (Girls are a hassle, they expect me to call, I have to buy them gifts and that would cost money)" was one 34-year-old male's sum-up. He would rather deploy his funds and time in other ways, ways that would be infinitely more rewarding than in a "kocchini nanno tokuni naranai (There's no profit to be gained)" love relationship.
Girls of Nippon, we live in glacial times.

(http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?ek20060110ks.htm）

Q,Do you agree or disagree with the author (who is Japanese).

Yes, I definitely agree to this because I hear this in these days a lot from news, TV or even my friends.
Just two days ago, one of my friends talked about marriage. she told,
"Nowadays, this is a trend that boys choose girls who are tough and say her opinion a lot for the best partner."
It means male looks for strong female who can take care of him. On the other hand, there must be male who does not like the kinds of female and wants to be chauvinistic husband.

In my opinion, the reason why this happened is Japanese female is becoming strong and express their feeling to male directly. Moreover, nowadays, Working Japanese female is accepted in this society like foreign countries . They can work with having children. they can work and make money as same as male does. As a result, Japanese female does not need male to live so much. In the old days, female can not live without male because they do not have opportunity to work and make money. Likewise, female is getting strong than man so they say their opinion and what they want to do to male. It is not like "Otome" like before.

Thus, I think male thinks it is not interesting to have loving relationship without the feeling they does not be rely on female.

Class #10 Table Manners

Table Manners

Q,Have you ever eaten in a foreign restaurant? Where?What did you eat?
Did you make any mistakes?Please explain your experience. Did you learn anything?

When I was a junior high school student, I went to Canada for home stay. It was the first time to go abroad and stay with forigners. There are two young children.

one night, we were eating dinner with them. There were long fried fish or meat on my plate. they has sauce for this so I put it on the fish/meat, then, suddenly, Briana(one of the kids) told me,
" Nami, what are you doing. Don't do that." and the mother said to her,
" it's OK, Briana."
I was not able to recognize why was she saying to me and what was she talking about my dinner. Also I was not able to have enough English skill to ask if there are somethings wrong with me.
At this time, they did not tell me the matter in detail by their consideration to me.
However, after I saw her way to eat the dish, I knew the different way of eating of mine and hers. I put sauce on it directly but she put it side of the dish and after cut it to be a small piece, dip it to the sauce, then they finally can eat it.
After learning it is rude to put sauce on dishes in another countries, I was really embarrassed and also I thought there are another different table manner between Japan and foreign countries so I have to be careful about this when I am in other countries.