Hmmm, apparently there is another issue of concern that goes on in American Dojo of any martial system. I quote, "It often happens that speaking Japanese well or fairly well can be more of a disadvantage that a help." - see bibliography below.
When you speak it, from the Japanese view, you are expected to act Japanese which in of itself creates a conundrum for Americans who incorporate it into their dojo - we are not Japanese and the only way we can even achieve any proficiency in this requires we immerse ourselves in the Japanese culture, which ain't happening.
When we attempt, poorly, to use the language it can and often is viewed it sounds more direct, and often rude. The reason we don't perceive this as so is also, apparently, because of the Japanese culture. They are not going to tell us either and mostly don't expect us to see the unspoken context that would tell us that it is or was rude, etc. The Japanese are subject to an overwhelming desire to practice English, demonstrate their abilities, and accommodate foreigners.
I can still see value in using kanji to find meaning of the culture surrounding the martial systems but in newly acquired knowledge would not use the actual language in the training hall. Even some of the names for technique, stances or kata can be butchered in pronunciation because we are not well versed, even a tiny bit, to the shikata governing communications.
What it boils down to is the Japanese language and writing works through the holistic right brain while English and English writing are a atomistic left brain process - the two are as different as night and day.
Kanji is more than pronunciation and ABC's of phonetic words, much more ..... how can we expect to understand when it takes Japanese their entire youth, age 4 or 5 to high school, etc., along with immersion in their own culture to gain a modicum of understanding of Kanji, Shikata, etc. yet we all do it, don't we?
Bibliography:
DeMente, Boye Lafayette. "Kata: The Key to Understanding & Dealing with the Japanese." Tuttle Publishing. Tokyo, Vermont and Singapore. 2003
"The Author, it must be remembered, writes from his own standpoint!"
My personal "Interpretive" Lens!
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Warning, Caveat and Note: The postings on this blog are my interpretation of readings, studies and experiences therefore errors and omissions are mine and mine alone. The content surrounding the extracts of books, see bibliography on this blog site, are also mine and mine alone therefore errors and omissions are also mine and mine alone and therefore why I highly recommended one read, study, research and fact find the material for clarity. My effort here is self-clarity toward a fuller understanding of the subject matter. See the bibliography for information on the books.
Note: I will endevor to provide a bibliography and italicize any direct quotes from the materials I use for this blog. If there are mistakes, errors, and/or omissions, I take full responsibility for them as they are mine and mine alone. If you find any mistakes, errors, and/or omissions please comment and let me know along with the correct information and/or sources.
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