|
 |
 |
TOKYO — Some blame it on the Internet.ˇ@Others identify globalization
and a strong dollar as the culprits.
While academic sleuths are searching for solutions and explanations, the
perplexing
phenomenon is that fewer Americans are studying Japanese and more Japanese
are studying English than at any time since the 1960s
Andrew Horvat calls it a sad trend. Horvat is a member of the Japan
Foundation's advisory committee on teaching Japanese as a second language
and head of the Japan office of Asia Foundation.
A former foreign correspondent, he loves the Japanese language and its
study. But
he bemoans the fact that the number of American kids coming to Japan during
the best years of their lives for studying a foreign language is in sharp
decline.
And he warns students of the Japanese language "to do it at a time in
your life when you can afford to make mistakes. Once you have a face in this
society, once you become a reporter for a major newspaper, once you become a
representative for a bank, and so on, you can
no longer afford to make a mistake. It detracts from your authority or your
ability to do your job."
Horvat informed, intrigued and charmed a book night gathering
recently at the Foreign Correspondentsˇ¦ Club of Japan talking about his
just-published "Japanese Beyond Words: How to Walk and Talk Like a Native
Speaker (Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley,California, $14.95)."
Horvat spoke about "something that I did not talk about, directly in
the book, which is something called the enabling environment."
"How do people learn languages and why do people learn languages? I have
a
conclusion that all of us are capable of learning all languages. We are
human beings. We all have the same equipment to learn.
"I would also like to downgrade the relevance of teaching materials.
Basically the teaching materials don't make that much difference in the end.
What really makes the difference is motivation, and for motivation you need
an environment and positive goals, positive reinforcement."
On the decline of American students coming to Japan, especially in
their formative years. in the teens and 20s, Horvat said the reason for this
is that in our present era the idea of sending young children abroad is
somehow not a worthwhile effort.
" This is really a shame, Horvat said. "It is children from the ages of
10 to 13 who can benefit the most from exposure to foreign language -- the
kind of exposure you can have when children get to make friends and are
really inspired by each otherˇ¦s culture."
The number of Americans coming to Japan to study for full years in
university is declining very, very rapidly. In 1998 it was over 2,000. These
days it is in the low 1000s.
On the other hand, the number of Japanese going to the United States to
study English is increasing, as might be expected because English has become
the vehicle for making money and for assuring oneself of a high standard of
living and opportunities.
"The number of students has increased by 50 per cent in a seven year
period, from 32,000 to 47,000. which is absolutely fantastic."
Horvat said "In the early 1970s, Canada had a crisis in which language
was an issue. And suddenly linguists were inspired to think of why do people
learn each others' languages.
Two linguists came up with concepts. One was the integrative learner and
the other was the instrumental learner.
Horvat said "This is a scholarly talk. The integrative learner is the
hippie who wants to
become a Buddhist in Kyoto, and the instrumental learner is the stockbroker
who wants to earn a lot of money through Japanese.
"But in the end they do come together because the hippie in Tokyo
becomes an English teacher and is scouted by Merrill Lynch to become the
head of research. And the instrumental learner who started out as the head
of research at Merrill Lynch starts collecting wood block prints and
retires in Kamakura. So it all comes together."
Edward Neilan (eneilan@tkd.att.ne.jp) is a veteran journalist, based in Tokyo, who covers East Asia and writes weekly for World Tribune.com.