equinn

Uses of English in Japan?


I wonder if Japan will become a bilingual country in the near future. Everyone that i've met online, well almost everyone, speaks English or has studied it and knows the basics.

Many people say that they need English for their careers. So if Japan has become very used to English and it seems like a very important language to them, then can we expect that Japanese society will have a drastic change in the way they speak and communicate with eachother and the world?

perhaps soon Japanese society will not need the Japanese language and even some people will not learn Japanese as kids.

Anyway, what i'm saying is that i think English is becoming like a second language in Japan that everybody knows at least to a certain level. Any opinions?

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Sazzy

I think is perhaps better suited in the Japanese Culture section.

~Moving~

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exderz

people have saying if the world is going on like this..the whole world will be speaking English...it depends on you...i think that allot of the Americans and other English speaking countries are going there allot..and English is useful because the richest country America ( i don't think so) speaks English and they can do businesses with each other.

Hassun

Actually, I think the Japanese have major problems with incorporating English in their education.

1) They will not give up the Japanese language, that's just absurd. English might be a popular language but it has never replaced another country's own language. And it certainly won't replace Japanese. Do you have any idea how nationalistic they are?

2) The Japanese don't thoroughly learn to speak English and most of them totally suck at it.

3) Another obstacle is katakana. It's Japanese that usually sounds like English but it sure isn't. It's a phonetic interpretation of English (and some other languages) transferred to Japanese. This poses extra difficulties for the Japanese who wish to learn proper English.

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exderz

i don't agree with the 1at point because now allot of people my age(20 and under.) doesn't really care about their languages ( not me) but allot of people are learning English instead of Japaneses because they think is cooler.

Hassun

But can they speak and write their own language? The answer is "yes".
And has it replaced a main language? The answer is "no".

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exderz

i think..or the scientist think in the future the world might speak only English. just like America/Canada allot of people only speak English not there own language, and those people are evolving.

Hassun

Oh really? And exactly where did you read that and who are those scientists?

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exderz

it was in my geography book...and allot of people is learning english because is very useful to do with business's and tech.

Abu Dhabi

... Canada never had a language... they were the bastard child of France and England...

and, OF COURSE you need to know English when you're in America, that's the NATIONAL language!

Japanese may think that English is cool... that's becuz it's POPULAR! popular is a fad! fads fade! you know, they're starting to think French is pretty cool too! are they going to make French their national language? of course not!

>.> sorry... i just don't see a country that's been around for 5,000 years giving up their language and culture becuz it's "cool"

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Soshi Kitai

Let me just point out some things that Abu Dhabi missed (as I usually do)...

I don't exactly approve of the idea that Abu Dhabi using the term "NATIONAL language" for America, but that is what it is.

Native Americans, Brazillians, whatever. The advantage of English is found, but it is NOT going to be the worldwide language for as long as culture exists.

And I know this might offend some, but to be raised in the Northern Americas drain you from the understandment of what a culture really is. And if you aren't affected, then thank the higher beings.

If you are raised in a culture, you KNOW that English isn't going to be the main language anytime soon... can it be the language we use for business and professional conversations? Probably. But it won't be the main language at any time.

Take Philippines. Most of the population knows English, as well as some know Spanish. But is that their main language? No.
We Filipinos may use English, and some of us also use Spanish while we're speaking to each other? But do you know why? There are some words that aren't in our languages that is in English, and in Spanish as well. But when "English-dependent" people aren't around (or when we're not talking to you), do you know what 97% of our conversation consists of? That's right, our native language.
...which our national language is tagalog, though, not all Filipinos think that's right... but it is still listed as our national language.


English is useful. But is it the best? No.

It lacks several cultural views. It can't reach several meanings that different cultures give out.

When English says "demon"... they can also say "evil" and any other meanings or words associated with it.

But if a Japanese were to say "demon", it means all those words and meanings within their culture, into one word. Same with Chinese. Same with Korean. Same with Brazillian. Same with Hawaiian. Same with the several Native Americans. There is a less chance of misunderstanding because of CULTURE.

English needs specifications due to the completely different ideals, experiences, and beginnings of the users.

Culture is in effect, it is real, and it is true.

Even though many Japanese youths find English as "cool"... And many of them try to mimick it in the most ridiculous of ways (the same as when an American otaku tries to mimick a whole Japanese conversation)... it will not replace the main language unless they DECIDE TO.

There are many hazards into changing a main language, because that can change a whole culture and outlook of life.

And if I may speak as a user of the english language, it can blind the willingness to truly understand another's culture. As many times, a user of English will almost completely misunderstand the feelings within a word by exaggerating it or completely misinterpreting it.


English may be... "cool".
English may fill in a lot of gaps in languages.
English may specify things to the point of aburdity.

But just the same as other languages...

English cannot read every word that exists to its full extent.
English cannot replace every word that exists to its full extent.
English cannot describe every word that exists to its full extent.

English is d*mn useful. But it will NOT become the main language of the world.

It doesn't matter even if 99% of the world USES the language, it isn't the true language of the world.
The fact is, it is only useful.
That doesn't replace something as permanent as a culture, as a sight in life.

Done.

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