Explorer wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:10 pm
gmads wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 4:12 am
but one still wonders about their denial to leave kanji behind and start using romaji.
I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future.
Yes, I definitely agree with that, they are still far from being ready to leave the kanji train behind.
Explorer wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:10 pm
Kanjis are not a linguistic whim that Japanese people refuse to get rid of.
Indeed, not a whim at all, quite the opposite
Explorer wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:10 pm
Being able to read Chinese characters really opens your mind to a different way of thinking. In fact, you don't even need to "read" them to understand the general ideas of any given text. Objects and actions pop up into your mind just by looking at them.
I know about their value as a means of communication —and that was the reason (apart from their aesthetics) I began learning Japanese quite some years ago—, as Alan Watts mentioned in his book, The Way of Tao, just as English has become the universal spoken language, written Chinese could become the universal written language, so after seeing the kanji 女 (onna) we would all know it means "woman" regardless of how each of us would verbally express it (e.g. woman, frau, donna, mulher), or after seeing the pair 花火 (hanabi) we would all know it means "fireworks".
Explorer wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:10 pm
I understand why other languages such as Korean and Vietnamese stopped using Chinese characters. Learning this writing system can be a complex and daunting task. But it is also very rewarding once you get familiar with it.
Yes, and if they could... it means it is doable, it is just a matter of willing, of recognizing the value and the advantages of using a phonetic alphabet.
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