Japanese: The Law of Inverse Returns
Scott Barlow December 6, 1996 Shoji Azuma Japan 355 - 1
The law of inverse returns states that the better the foreign learner's Japanese
is, the worse the reaction of the Japanese native population will be to the
learner's use of Japanese. In this paper, I argue that the better the learner's
Japanese is, the better the treatment to the learner of Japanese from native
Japanese. I will argue this point by making three statements and then provide
opinions and reactions of others whom I have interviewed over the Internet. The
better the Japanese language that one has, the more the freedom he feels. I felt
this feeling while I was in Japan and I could finally go to the bank and make a
deposit or withdraw without fumbling and literally making up my own Japanese
vocabulary. Until further Japanese study, did I find out that the word to
"withdraw" money from the bank was the same as "taking something down," like
from a shelf. These are the same words, but in Japanese it is the context that
they are used is what is important. Not only does better Japanese save you the
embarrassment of making a mistake, but having better in Japanese also helps
natives feel less of a burden on them, than if you didn't speak good Japanese.
In Japan as a missionary, I had the opportunity to visit a retirement home once
a week. During our visit with the elderly, we also cleaned up. doing the normal
housekeeping that was necessary for them to live in a cleaner, better
environment. I am very glad that I had Japanese that I was able to understand
the retirees, especially when the needed someone to talk to and when I was able
to understand and help them clean where they asked me to. Through the
understanding that I had then as a missionary in the Japanese language, I feel
that the full-time workers there were less worried about us performing duties
for them because we had better Japanese. This resulted in the better treatment I
received as I was in Japan... [continues]
Scott Barlow December 6, 1996 Shoji Azuma Japan 355 - 1
The law of inverse returns states that the better the foreign learner's Japanese
is, the worse the reaction of the Japanese native population will be to the
learner's use of Japanese. In this paper, I argue that the better the learner's
Japanese is, the better the treatment to the learner of Japanese from native
Japanese. I will argue this point by making three statements and then provide
opinions and reactions of others whom I have interviewed over the Internet. The
better the Japanese language that one has, the more the freedom he feels. I felt
this feeling while I was in Japan and I could finally go to the bank and make a
deposit or withdraw without fumbling and literally making up my own Japanese
vocabulary. Until further Japanese study, did I find out that the word to
"withdraw" money from the bank was the same as "taking something down," like
from a shelf. These are the same words, but in Japanese it is the context that
they are used is what is important. Not only does better Japanese save you the
embarrassment of making a mistake, but having better in Japanese also helps
natives feel less of a burden on them, than if you didn't speak good Japanese.
In Japan as a missionary, I had the opportunity to visit a retirement home once
a week. During our visit with the elderly, we also cleaned up. doing the normal
housekeeping that was necessary for them to live in a cleaner, better
environment. I am very glad that I had Japanese that I was able to understand
the retirees, especially when the needed someone to talk to and when I was able
to understand and help them clean where they asked me to. Through the
understanding that I had then as a missionary in the Japanese language, I feel
that the full-time workers there were less worried about us performing duties
for them because we had better Japanese. This resulted in the better treatment I
received as I was in Japan... [continues]
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