Japan & Her Language

Thames Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 10567, 13 June 1907, Page 4

Japan & Her Language

Japan is not only .bringing itself up-to-date in the mechanical motions, of the West, but a project is now on the tapis for getting a new language. The native tongue is found to be unstated to .-present-day requirements. It appears to consist largely of useless synonyms for "honorable," and the idiom is'fueh asl migv.t lave resulted from an explosion of the diction-airy. The.greatest trouble, however, is with the writing of Japanese. Nine years is considered a, reasonable time to; learn the alphabet, ,s.o as to be able to write legibly with a paint brush, and as the writing is hieroglyphic it does no.t convey the same thin" 1 in one plaice as 1 another. It is idenr tical with that used by the Chinese*, who ,spell quarrel, for instance, by a. rude drawing supposed to represent a, house with 'two'women iv it. Does any male .person! venture to assert that the ideal of two women in- one house would suggest the possibility of a row? If so, a better way of pictorially presenting! .the suggestion of a quarrel to ordinary readers 1 would be; by depicting that gentleman's subsequent meeting with the two ladies referred to. The day of hieroglyphic writing is over anyhowl, and in this age of steam, and electricity people, have no time to illustrate ordinary correspondence. iMr Kiichi Klaneko, writing in Harper's Weekly is, therefore), quite reasonable in .saying: — "Japan's latest struggle is with, her language. That must, 'be changed, and ada/pit,-.- 1 .<..- - -•- . ". T.i r:f activity." He intimates' that a number of languages are being! sampled by the au r thorities and as no rwrntry has patent rights on its speech, they fepf they ar& at liberty to help themselves to any: they please. Amongst those experimented with is "Esperanto," and the tip is that the final selection lies between that alleged lansruage and English. "5 °