Japanese Losing Traditional Language

[Annie]

Kind of hard for American English speakers, we change our language constantly, but I can see where this might be a problem in a homogenous country. (Hey the French worry about this all the time!):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,1407365,00.html

Konnichi what? Japanese are forgetting how to be polite

Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Monday February 7, 2005
The Guardian

The Japanese have become so poor at speaking their own language that they may soon have to refer to a government manual for advice on how to be polite.
A damning report issued by a cultural affairs agency panel says that although most Japanese believe keigo - honorific or self-effacing speech - would remain an important part of their language, many are using it incorrectly.

The misuse of keigo, a series of complicated conjunctions of nouns and verbs used when addressing superiors, clients or formal gatherings, prompted the panel to call for the publication of a manual on how to speak properly.

Mangled Japanese is more than a pet hate for pedants. The ability to humble oneself and elevate the listener is essential to the smooth operation of Japan's hierarchical society. Mistakes can cause considerable embarrassment...

 

[Hobbit]

And people ask me why I think Chinese is so easy... (no conjugations and only a few thousand original words with the rest being compound, for starters)

 

[NATO AIR]

thanks, that's a good read...

 

[Johnney]

Kind of hard for American English speakers, we change our language constantly, but I can see where this might be a problem in a homogenous country. (Hey the French worry about this all the time!):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,1407365,00.html

thats like our so called english speaking people here in the US. our language is so chopped up it isnt even funny.