journal features

losing my language

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Tokyo, 2009.04.09

At first, it seemed that learning the Japanese language was having no impact on my English skills. My smattering of German and French were evaporating, to be sure, but aside from some wobbly new grammar turning up, my English was as is.

No more.

It's vocabulary that's going. It took me a full three minutes to remember the word "sandbox" when discussing Ken's activity at the playground near our home (the so-called Shinkansen park, so named for its great viewing of the Shinkansen that run out of Shinagawa station nearby).

And it's not because I use the Japanese word for sandbox instead of the English word. I have no idea what the Japanese word might be. No, it's just simple erosion of a language that I still use every day but no longer really use with full fluency.

I hope I learn a lot more Japanese before my English vocabulary descends into some sort of Bushian primitive ramble.

rand()m quote

Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

—Hermann Goering