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11/30/1939
- Study of Japanese the Embassy System
by Thomas L. Blakemore
TLB WSR No Aoyama Gakuin Shibuya Tokyo Ja ovember Dear Mr Rogers Whether embassy tutorial system really advances exceptional eertainly shows singular originality methods I month without having requested learn single grammar until character either Japanese syllabary appeared lssons If asked tutors explain points syntax advise while these discuSSed The theory behind Seems eessed foreword reader I beginning It reads The direct approach language through speech instrument acquisition languages mother tongue foreign languages simDle reason speech instrument thought tself Th first business student foreign language frame thoughts through foreign language merely learn about language throh instru mentality mother tongue In other terms preoccupation learn structure foreign language learn wheat respects manner differs structure language rather acquire Sill which consists thinking thoughts means gratlcal semantic mechanisms foreign language which object study My teachers develop thinking thoughts through forms conversational instruction objct lessons substitution lessons Both painstakingly planned copyrighted In object lessons simple questions statements conoerning names qualitieS positions Of objects about exchanged after No EngliSh spoken introduced explained gestures Naturally sentences these called conversations rudimentary meager vocabulary probably spent Some training essential shape thoughts totally different order Japanese ubstitution lessons consist Of interchange phrases sentences considerably complex object lessons These printed groups twenty which built combination Of different phrases beginning setenceand concluding Sometimes these correspond subject predicat sometimes They written P_ P phonetically English Romaji westernized alphabet which sought introduced Japan vithout success translation In these lesons first teacher reads sentences I repea after gives English translation equivalent Last Japanese references paper possible Between seven groups daily month brought somewhere around eight hundred words Now beginning reader written Kana Chinese characters which point which going really rough Two weeks fterward composition eercises commence month another daily instruction added From however instruotion three hours It warmish I beginning Sincerely