Comments by "Gordon Graham" (@gordonbgraham) on "Why 95% of Japanese can't speak English" video.

  1.  @yellow13foxtwo  Have you heard foreigners speak Japanese? It's far worse than Japanese speaking English. Have you heard French people speak English, they pronounce t as d..dat, instead of that, dis instead of this. They also don't pronounce "h"...So when a French person speaks Japanese they say 素敵な穴...nice hole...instead of 素敵な花 nice flower, which is what they meant. The point being everyone speaks a foreign language with an accent. This has no barring on language acquisition. I'm fluent in Japanese yet I still make a fricative sounding F using my top front teeth to aspirate hiragana like ふ as do 90% of foreigners who speak Japanese. English and French have the same alphabet, yet English speakers don't sound like French people when they speak French and French speakers don't sound like native English speakers when they speak English. Your mocking of Japanese' English pronunciation just identifies you as one who has little understanding of 2nd language acquisition and phonetics in general.
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  2. @@homie3461 Guy, I'm citing OECD's comprehensive data, while you're peddling Internet telephone tag piffle. Sure, if you're going to climb the corporate ladder so to speak you're going to have to put in the long hours. How is that different from any other country in North America or Europe? Where you worked or where I work is irrelevant. What I've noted on here is what the MAJORITY of Japanese workers work. Japan Rail is Japan's number one rail service provider. It's estimated that 70% of Japan's workforce commutes to work by train. Japan Rail's data shows that the evening rush hour between 5~6pm is the busiest in train stations throughout Japan. Japan Rail counts actual people going through turnstiles. Japan Rail's data dovetails with OECD's data. Ridicule that all you like. Facts are facts. Anecdotes are well, personal experiences. I have plenty of anecdotes, too. I run a youth ice hockey program for which we have practice 2 evenings a week 7~9pm, Wed and Fri...and on weekends we practice from 7am~9am. Of the 70 kids in our program I'd say roughly 80% are driven to the rink by their fathers...fathers who couldn't be there if they're working. Is it "simping" to ask people to consider the broader picture rather than look at the extremes like the highly competitive corporate world or agriculture?
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  3. It's like learning to play a musical instrument. You can learn sheet music but if you rarely or never sit down at the piano you won't be able to play. For most Japanese, English is not needed in their daily lives so just like in Canada where English speaking Canadians can't speak French in spite of having French lessons from elementary school, most Japanese don't have any use for English in their daily lives. Those who are interested in English...like yourself, become quite good at it.
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  4. @@homie3461 On average Japanese work 40 hours a week which puts them as 31st in the world for hours worked per annum. Not everyone works in the corporate towers of Shinjuku. Certainly, there are sectors such as finance, marketing or agriculture in which overtime is excessive, but that’s true of those sectors throughout the world. The fact is the majority of Japanese work standard 40 hour work weeks.
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  5.  @yellow13foxtwo  Some do, others don’t. I have 5 kids, all who are either in or have been through the public school system in Japan. Phonics is part of the curriculum. Now, most lessons on English phonetics are taught using interactive applications that students use to mimic native speech patterns. When was the last time you were in a Japanese school? I’ve taught at a Japanese high school for more than 30 years. If you’d like to know more about the current curriculum and pedagogy I’d be happy to educate you.
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  6.  @IdealConflict  If it's xenophobia then why is there compulsory English in school? It's due to a lack of necessity, the same as French in English Canada.
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  7.  @Yankeesofpeople  They'd better learn Japanese or they're going to find themselves in a low paying McJob with no possibility for advancement.
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  8.  @antonovivan3008  I think the few things that can't be translated are too few to make a difference. I agree that learning a 2nd language is a worthwhile endeavour. I'm fluent in Japanese. It took me 10 years to become fluent and 15 to become university level literate. I feel that in spite of what AI is capable of in terms of translation capabilities that I would have done the same thing regardless as I appreciate the aesthetic quality of learning a new language. The point I was making was regarding to yours about English being a hinderance to Japanese in the international arena. Those who work for multi-national companies are fluent where fluency is required. It's not a matter of "the Japanese" not being able to speak English. It's a matter of those Japanese who don't need to speak English, don't speak English. Those who do, do so quite well. That's been my experience, anyway. I realise that's "anecdotal" but I've lived in Japan since 1988 so that's a shit tonne of anecdotes. On the other hand, in 30 years I can count on two fingers the number of foreigners who have lived in Japan for 10 years or more who can write Japanese at an adult level. I would put that down to their not needing to read and write Japanese in the workplace, meaning they're either in education or in something like finance, a sector in which most Japanese are fluent in English. The 95% of Japanese can't speak English title is hogwash. According to what? According to whom? What does "speak English" mean? I'd say 95% of Japanese can order food, apologise, ask for help and use a myriad of other functional phrases in English when pressed. What an arbitrary, meaningless title this video has.
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  9.  @suede__  Those Japanese who work in sectors such as international logistics are fluent in English
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  10. @@homie3461 cross reference that with the government’s white paper and Japan Rail’s data that shows most people return home from work between 5~6pm. That data reflects my experience. I’m among the MAJORITY
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  11.  @yellow13foxtwo  L is a letter not a word it’s a letter and it’s insignificant in terms of being able to distinguish words spoken in context. For example, if I were to say “I eat lice for breakfast” you would be able to discern that I’m referring to rice and not the insect that infects your head.
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  12. @@homie3461 Part-time work is not included in OECD's data. Japan Rail's data shows that the evening rush hour 5~6pm is the busiest in train stations throughout Japan. Japan Rail is Japan's number one service rail provider. It's estimated 70% of Japan's workforce commutes to work by train.
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  13.  @txc_laet  No, rather than do that (because you'd only be using a very limited amount of expressions that you use over and over again in a game you're familiar with and with very little vocabulary) look at the video I was asked to make (which I did...to prove I could read...as I was told I likely couldn't read Japanese)...Find a similar type video (there are many) and read the Japanese (just like my high school students can in English)...If you can't read...then do something like show a segment of the daily news on any one of the number of Japanese news programs and say what is going on in Japanese. I would say 90% of the Japanese kids I teach could narrate a game they play often in English...so that's not really a good metric to show your fluency. Take all the time you like. The Internet isn't going anywhere...I'll be waiting.
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  14.  @sebastiansanhueza9601  Same with French in Canada...English Canadians can't speak French, despite having had French lessons since elementary school. I'd like to see how many random people can do rudimentary algebra. Need facilitates acquisition.
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  15.  @yellow13foxtwo  If you want a real chuckle listen to native English speakers speak Japanese. It’ll make it seem like Japanese speak English like Douglas Murray.
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  16.  @Bos_Meong  Why can't foreigners who have lived in Japan for a decade read or write? Are they xenophobic?
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  17.  @yellow13foxtwo  Again, you've missed the part where I educated you about phonics being taught in Japanese schools using direct English audio material to demonstrate English phonemes which students mimic. Besides, your contention doesn't explain why French pronounce t as d or why French can't pronounce h...despite having the same alphabet as English.
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  18.  @francos8109  "reason why" is redundant. Also, you should have said “None of these reasons *is~”. None means not one. It’s singular. Why did you put a comma between reasons and are? You said in another comment that you’re in education in Japan. Perhaps foreign ALTs with a lack of grammar knowledge is an issue.
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  19.  @yellow13foxtwo  Your advice is pointless as you're advising them to do what they already do...which is learn English with the English alphabet. The reason many Japanese don't speak English is they don't need it. The same reason most English speaking Canadians can't speak French despite having French lessons from elementary school. English speaking Canadians don't need French...ergo, they can't speak it. Those Japanese who either like or need English for work, speak English quite well...Like Takeshi. The 95% of Japanese don't speak English title is hogwash.
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  20.  @tsdfghjkl  Learning a foreign language is a long arduous process. Kids aren't interested once they get past the initial stage because there is just too much to take in and process, so it becomes drudgery. People don't learn well when they're forced to. Those interested in English become fluent despite such hurdles as not having much opportunity to use it in daily life.
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  21. @@homie3461 I don't think Japan is nirvana. There are countless issues with the government that would take pages to discuss. I'm talking about average working hours in Japan. It's 40 hours per week. Japan ranks 31st in the world for hours worked per annum. I don't care if you take me seriously or not. Those are the facts. Take them as you like. I work 40 hours a week and make $70,000 a year. My home cost me $150,000. My car cost me $5000. I've raised 5 kids comfortably with my wife not working.
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  22. @@homie3461 Yes, there are “black companies” but they are the outliers not the norm. Japan also has jails full of criminals. Does that mean we can define Japan as a country full of criminals? I’m referring to the MAJORITY when I cite working hours in Japan. OECD’s data is corroborated by Japan Rail’s data, which together confirm the MAJORITY of Japanese work standard 40 hour work weeks. If educating those who toss around the 80 hours a month overtime piffle as representative of the average Japanese workers’ situation is “white knighting” then so be it. I call it educating the Internet, one simple-minded, myopic thinker at a time. My father in law is a retired rice farmer. He’s 87. He’s still out in his fields daily with his dog. Farmers have a relationship with the land that doesn’t end when they retire. Farming is not a “job”. It’s a way of life. On weekends he teaches my kids things like how to do maintenance on machinery or how to grow a decent watermelon.
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  23.  @jpk8339  I don’t think Japanese wonder about that at all. I think weebs do, but not your average Japanese person.
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  24. @@homie3461 “that they didn’t learn the Roman alphabet” is false. They do learn the Roman alphabet.
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  25.  @yellow13foxtwo  The Japanese ALSO use the English alphabet...they call it "romaji". They learn pronunciation of English phonemes (those are the sounds the letters make if you weren't aware...they include L...sh...ch...etc. as well as diphthongs such as "ea" in Idea. These are all taught in school. Japanese learn to read English with the English alphabet. Look at a textbook in any junior high school or high school. No textbooks are written in katakana. They're all written in English. You're arguing against something that doesn't exist (katakana used to teach English in schools). Yes, there are little kids' picture books that use katakana for little kids, but those books don't exist in junior high school or high school.
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  26.  @yellow13foxtwo  Guy, now I know you don't have a clue about what you're talking about. No, they're not using katakana to translate. They're using the alphabet exclusively from junior high school. I've taught at a high school that has a junior high that shares the same campus. I also have 5 children who have all been through the public school system in Japan. What's your experience with the education system in Japan. I've been a teacher here since 1988 and know the English curriculum well. I could even break down what grammar is taught to what age group by term from 1st grade jr. high through to 3rd year high school. Like I've said, if you'd like me to educate you on English pedagogy in Japan, I'd be happy to. Here's the start of your education. English textbooks are all written in English from jr. high school. There are no katakana translations. Students learn the English alphabet directly, and do so with phonics, English phonics, not katakana.
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  27.  @luf4rall  Here’s your free English lesson for the day. The subject of your sentence is “the English curriculum” not “English”. Therefore, the pronoun “it” refers to “the English curriculum” not “English”. You’re welcome.
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  28.  @anamei9  Why is it that most foreigners in Japan can't read or write after living in Japan for a decade or more. In my experience (have lived in Japan since 1988) very few foreigners become fluent in Japanese in less than 10 years. I can understand Japanese who are forced to study English not being able to become proficient in communication. But foreigners living in Japan require Japanese for their daily lives, yet can't read or write...or read and write at the level of a lower grade elementary school student. I've found that those interested in English become fluent despite not having much opportunity to use it in their daily lives. I think rather than pedagogy, it's a lack of interest or need when it comes to students learning English. It's like French in Canada. French is taught from elementary school in English speaking Canada, yet I can count on two fingers the number of English speaking Canadians I know who can speak French. And I know hundreds of English speaking Canadians if not more. Also, I've taught at a high school in Japan for more than 30 years. It's not true that "they only study grammar and vocabulary". They also learn to write essays, do interactive listening drills, to task base learning interactive drills etc. Many schools also have programs through which students communicate with students from English speaking countries via Zoom etc. Our school has a "Global Learning" program in which 5 other countries participate, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Taiwan. Students hone their communication skills online after school 2 hours a week by talking with high school students in these countries.
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  29.  @makoado6010  You think Japanese students are lazy? Overburdened yes, lazy no.
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  30.  @ChrisCrous-bq1cf  AI translation is simply a tool to bridge communication. It doesn’t prevent human interaction. Also, Japanese study world history, geography and social sciences in school. Most high school students know South Africa has a large population of white people whose ancestors are from the Netherlands. Many could even tell you that was due to the Dutch East India company’s involvement. They could also tell you about the Belgian Congo as well as France’s expansion efforts in Algeria and so on. Which, sad to say, is far more than most kids from bilingual Canada (my native land) could do…Japanese high school students annually rank in the top 5 countries in international testing in math, science and literacy. The Japanese aren’t the bumpkins you’re making them out to be.
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  31. @@homie3461 OECD hours worked per annum by country. Their methodology is also detailed. There are two sets of data. One which includes all work including part time work and another which only full time work is calculated. The government has a detailed breakdown in their “white paper” on employment statistics. That is in Japanese but you can copy and paste if you can’t read it. It gives a detailed breakdown including age, sex, industry etc. I recommend the white paper for a comprehensive breakdown.
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  32.  @yellow13foxtwo  They also use the alphabet. Ever been to Japan? English is written everywhere. The alphabet is also taught in schools.
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  33.  @yellow13foxtwo  I don't see the relevance of that in terms of Japanese' 2nd language acquisition (the topic of this video and comment thread). As noted above, French don't pronounce the letter h...and pronounce t as d. French people speak English with an accent. Japanese people speak English with an accent. How does there not being names that begin with the L sound prevent the Japanese from becoming fluent in English? Make the connection for me...
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  34.  @Bos_Meong  No, most foreigners living in Japan can't read and write at a grade 3 elementary school level, even after having lived in Japan for a decade. They will tell you they can, but when put to the test they fail miserably. It's the same thing with "fluency". They will tell you they're fluent, but they are only "fluent" in a very limited capacity. Meaning they can talk about themselves, their hobbies, what they did on the weekend, etc. but 95% of Japanese high school students can do that when pressed. So, if we're going to use this video's notion of "don't speak English" then in honesty, 95% of foreigners living in Japan "don't speak Japanese"...and that's despite living in Japan. They "know the basics"...the basics don't get you very far in an adult conversation, as conversations tend to meander and not stick to textbook phrases and beginner level responses.
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  35.  @ChrisCrous-bq1cf  First off, the 95% of Japanese “can’t speak English” claim is absurd. I’ve taught at a Japanese high school for more than 30 years. 95% of Japanese can speak English. Perhaps not fluently but certainly functionally. I wonder where Takeshi came up with that piffle. Those who work in the hospitality industry are fluent as are those in finance as well as those who work for multinational corporations outside of manual labour. Could you clarify what you mean by “cultural language barriers exist in Japan because of language barriers”? If I knew what you meant, perhaps I could provide you with a solution. Please give me an example of that and how such barriers can’t be resolved with the ubiquitous AI translation technologies that currently exist?
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  36.  @yellow13foxtwo  No, they're Western names that are popular in Japan. That was beside the point I was making which was レ is transliterated as L or R depending on the word.
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  37. @@homie3461 Don't be ridiculous. They're not empty after 6...Only MOST crowded between 5 and 6...indicating that that is when the MAJORITY of people are going home. 16 official public holidays...Plus the extra days almost everyone takes during Golden Week, Obon, New Years, plus their vacation days (40 per annum for teachers)
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  38.  @txc_laet  Sorry, but I get defensive when people mock the Japanese' English ability when their Japanese ability is much worse. My experience is that those who claim to be fluent in Japanese...are far from it. I was challenged to make a video when I said I could read Japanese. It took me less than 10 minutes. I think we need to hold people to account when they make such claims as "I speak Japanese better than they speak English"...Takeshi speaks English. Do you speak Japanese better than he speaks English? I'd like to hear. I want to see what "I speak Japanese better than they speak English" sounds like. You could just turn your phone on now and make a 5 minute video of yourself speaking Japanese continuously...and not reciting your game phrases. How about talk for 5 minutes about the earthquake in Japan and about some of the things that hampered rescue attempts, what damages occurred etc. I'll cut you some slack...do it for 2 minutes. If you can't talk Japanese straight for 2 minutes then try it for 1 minute. If you can't talk Japanese straight for 1 minute, you can't speak Japanese better than most Japanese can speak English.
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  39.  @mabila5967  Regarding "tourism money", pre-pandemic Japan had 30 million visitors in a single year. Those numbers are returning with 96.1% of the volume in 2023. One of the reasons people like Japan is it's not like everywhere else. Regarding Germany and English language acquisition. Germany is a European nation surrounded by foreign speaking nations. English is the lingua franca of Europe. Also, the title of this video is misleading. Most Japanese can manage basic English communication when pressed.
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  40.  @yellow13foxtwo  "Do they have the letter L in Hiragana and Katakana?" What kind of a question is that? L is a letter of the alphabet while hiragana and katakana are phonetic symbols of the Japanese language exclusively. L is used in various transliterations of Japanese when written in "romaji", for example the names レオン Leon and リリー Lily which are common names in Japan.
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  41.  @ChrisCrous-bq1cf  * Japan BECAME an economic power and IS a major exporter * Those Japanese who work at multi-national companies ARE fluent in English :*We've lived in a time of international relations for more than half a century...in which time Japan became an economic power *Japanese can express global affairs as well as English can *the 95% claim in the title is false. If anything close to 95% of Japanese can speak some English
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  42.  @txc_laet  I usually find that people who say such things as "I speak Japanese better than they speak English" can't speak Japanese half as well as they imagine. How about this. How about film yourself reading a Japanese newspaper. I teach English at a Japanese high school. If I were to ask my students to read an English newspaper they could. It'll take you 5 minutes to film yourself reading and then upload the video. Let's hear how well you speak Japanese. I'm genuinely curious.
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  43. @@homie3461 Teaching phonics via applications is recent. Teaching phonics through native speakers demonstrating pronunciation is not. Japan has been employing native English speakers as ALTs from elementary school through to high school for decades. For at least 3 decades 90% of Japan’s junior and senior high schools have had native English ALTs demonstrating English pronunciation to students. Prior to using apps, tapes were used. When I first started teaching in 1988 we used cassette tapes which each student was given for practice. Yes, I’m arrogant. At least you got something right. I AM humble and deferential about that which I know little about. I suggest others follow my lead. That is, if you know something to be false (like “the Japanese work 80 hours of overtime a month) don’t hesitate to call it out for the BS it is. If you know nothing of fly fishing then listen and learn. Don’t be afraid to be arrogant when you are right, especially when the facts back you up. And especially when you're up against some BS peddler. Yes, katakana is a nuisance, but you can’t claim that Japanese don’t learn English via the alphabet because katakana exists. That’s just not true. They learn loan words through katakana, but they consider those words Japanese, not English. How do Japanese pronounce this word 雰囲気? I’ll give you a hint…they don’t use katakana and they don’t say “atmosphere”. They also don’t learn to pronounce atmosphere using katakana. They learn its pronunciation one syllable at a time and with all the native idiosyncrasies such as reductions and the tendency to use the schwa sound in unstressed syllables. Homie has likely never stepped foot in a Japanese classroom so he has no idea about pedagogy nor teaching materials. If you want to know about English education in Japan, I’m an expert. I’ve taught in a Japanese high school for more than 30 years and I have 5 kids all of whom are either in or have been through the public school system here. I know exactly what the curriculum and methodologies in their English education have been. They don’t learn English using katakana in Japanese schools. They use the alphabet.
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  44.  @catherinehowell7893  Most foreigners in Japan aren't fluent after 5 years. Kudos to your son
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  45.  @antonovivan3008  AI translation technology will be immediate and accurate within 5 years minimum. The shrinking economy is due to globalisation. Japan, Germany and the US now have to share the global market place pie with the burgeoning economies that are now getting their place at the table.
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  46.  @MikeTai1-  I think the point being romance languages are based on Latin, so Europeans beating the drum about being multi-lingual while most Japanese are mono-lingual is a bit of an unfair comparison.
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  47. @@homie3461 Students have the month of August off. 3 weeks in winter and 2 weeks in spring. That’s 2 full months of holidays per annum.
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  48.  @rcmrcm3370  That explains the eikaiwa boom and why mothers invest in private English lessons for their children...they want their "loyalty questioned"...smh
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  49.  @BagoasAnushParsaRad  Sorry, I don't speak Spanish, only English and Japanese...and basic French.
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  50.  @gabaanakov  3 things. 1st...You're not Japanese, Timur. You're a Turk or Russian. 2nd..While English grammar is explained in Japanese so that Japanese students can understand its complex structures, Japanese who teach English also use English in the classroom to demonstrate the target language. There are also native English speakers who act as either ALTs or full-time English teachers who conduct the classes exclusively in English (I'm one of those). 3. English education in Japan does not have an emphasis on reading only. I've taught at a Japanese high school for more than 30 years and I have 5 kids who are either in or have been through the public school system in Japan. In high school we use interactive applications with which students practice conversation, listening etc. There are task base learning drills by which students interact with one another in English to perform such things as asking directions, ordering food etc. For our 3rd year students there are essay writing lessons that focus on building student's logical discourse and argumentative skills. In those same classes, besides writing students debate those issues which they write about, issues such as gay marriage, immigration, nuclear energy etc. Clearly this is much more than "just reading" for the entrance exams, entrance exams which have an essay writing component.
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  51.  @wolfshield2499  someone learned a word on the Internet.
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  52.  @hatanbold  not *impressive
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  53.  @luf4rall  Speak the curriculum? How does someone “speak the curriculum”?
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  54. @@homie3461 80 hours overtime a month is against the law. “Requires”? BS cite the website where I can confirm that J-Gov data. Here’s some government data…It’s called the law: Article 36 restricts the amount of overtime to 15 hours weekly and 45 hours monthly.
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  55.  @ChrisCrous-bq1cf  I would also argue that Japanese maintain a harmonious society due in part to it not being multicultural. Everyone is on the same page in social situations and interactions. In my experience, most Japanese welcome foreigners as residents when they make an effort to assimilate and a huge part of assimilation is learning the language. Due to the fact Japanese is such a difficult language with its complex writing system, it takes a great amount of effort and commitment to become fluent. That effort is recognized and rewarded by people and companies in Japan. A significant increase in the use of English would indeed provide more opportunities for foreigners to forge careers here, but it would also remove the hurdle of language acquisition that serves as a signifier of commitment and willingness to adhere to Japan’s social mores, customs and values. Generally, it takes 10 years to obtain permanent residency in Japan, largely due to the fact it takes that long to become functional literate in society. As a result Japan gets a committed foreign community that has proven itself worthy of living in a society that prides itself on social harmony. Sometimes (not always) language barriers result in maintaining social cohesion.
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  56. Hey Takashi...where did you get that BS 95% stat...out of your ass?
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  57. @@homie3461 French Canadians say ockey not hockey…French, when speaking Japanese, say “ana” for flower not hana. While the reason may be istorical the tendency for French people is to drop the h. Also, they make a d sound for t…for example dis and dat instead of this and that. Which is to point out that Japanese’ mispronunciation of L, R or F doesn’t affect their language acquisition. There are countless Japanese who are fluent speakers of English who roll their Rs as though they were Ls.
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  58. The same reason that 99% of English speaking Canadians can't speak French, despite having had French classes from elementary school...There is no need for it.
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