Hello Steve,

I was in no way claiming that one person can change another's way of thinking, nor was I claiming the contrary. That was not my intended message.

My point was only to say that the United States had, to the best of my knowledge by design, an influence on the post-WWII lifestyle in Japan, especially in terms of the work "ethic" and its corollary emphasis on teamwork.  I'll leave it open as to whether this has led to a change in thinking, and if so, on whose part.  You may refer to John Dower's pulitzer prize winning book, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II for a sense of the unprecedented effort at sociopolitical and economic "engineering" of one country by another.  

I remain at a loss as to what you mean by, The language teacher should focus on language.  I would be delighted if you took the time to elaborate on what you believe constitutes "language" (and "culture" for that matter), so that I, and perhaps others, could latch on to your thoughts and run with it to hopefully new territory and insights.
 
Thanks,
 
Michael
 
Michael A. Gyori 
www.mauilanguage.com




________________________________
From: Steve Kaufmann <steve at thelinguist.com>
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List <englishlanguage at nifl.gov>
Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 12:04:40 PM
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 4776] Re: critical thinking

Michael,

You write

"I wish to note that much of the "collectivism" in Japanese life today is the result of American efforts after World War II to create a more "docile" society with its emphasis on "teamwork."

I lived in Japan for nine years, and have doe business with Japan for almost 40 years. I read and speak Japanese, and am fairly familiar with their culture, albeit as an outsider looking in. I was very surprised by this statement which implies that a few years of American occupation can profoundly change a culture. 

This may seem off-topic but it is not. It is very much on topic. Different cultures have different ways of approaching subjects. When I learn Japanese, I come into contact with this different, to me, way of thinking. But I remain myself, with my own ways of thinking. 

I do not think a Japanese language teacher can teach me to think like a Japanese person. I do not think American occupation or an American teacher can change the way of thinking of Japanese people, or any other people from a different culture. These people will pick up what they find valuable in the culture of the language they are learning, on their own terms. The language teacher should focus on language.

Steve


-- 
Steve Kaufmann
www.thelinguist.blogs.com
www.lingq.com
604-922-8514



      
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