Literacy and Script Reform in Occupation Japan (Hardcover)

J. Marshall Unger

ISBN 10: 0195101669 / ISBN 13: 9780195101669

Editore: Oxford University Press Inc, New York, 1996

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Hardcover. This book challenges the widespread belief that overzealous Americans forced unnecessary script reforms on an unprepared, unenthusiastic, but helpless Japan during the Occupation. Unger presents neglected historical evidence showing that the reforms implemented from 1946 to 1959 were both necessary and moderate. Although the United States Education Mission of 1946 recommended that the Japanese give serious consideration to the introduction of alphabetic writing, keyAmerican officials in the Civil Information and Education Section of GHQ/SCAP delayed and effectively killed action on this recommendation. Japanese advocates of romanization nevertheless managed toobtain CI&E approval for an experiment in elementary schools to test the hypothesis that schoolchildren could make faster progress if spared the necessity of studying Chinese characters as part of non-language courses such as arithmetic. Though not conclusive, the experiment's results supported the hypothesis and suggested the need for more and better testing. Yet work was brought to a halt a year ahead of schedule; the Ministry of Education was ordered to prepare a report thatmisrepresented the goal of the experiment and claimed it proved nothing. The whole episode dropped from official and scholarly view--until the publication of this book. Japanese writing intermingles three different sets of characters, making it difficult to adapt to new technology. Unger looks at why the Japanese have not reformed their orthography and specifically the efforts at script reform that took place after the Second World War, and how and why that movement was defeated. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Codice articolo 9780195101669

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Literacy and Script Reform in Occupation Japan (Hardcover)
• Editore: Oxford University Press Inc, New York
• Data di pubblicazione: 1996
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0195101669
• ISBN 13: 9780195101669
• Rilegatura: Hardcover
• Condizione: new

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

Japanese writing intermingles three different sets of characters, making it difficult to adapt to new technology. Unger looks at why the Japanese have not reformed their orthography and specifically the efforts at script reform that took place after the Second World War, and how and why that movement was defeated.

Informazioni sull?autore

J. Marshall Unger has chaired departments at the University of Hawaii and University of Maryland.