Learn English through the Bible - A Cool Idea in Japan

It is generally said that the Japanese are clumsy at English. Well, if clumsy is a bit too harsh a word, let's say the Japanese do have hard time acquiring English as a usable second language. Why so, few really know. The Japanese are hardly poor at theorizing; nor are they incompetent in reasoning. Then why are they clumsy at mastering English?

Before discussing today's episode, just read through this "sentence": "Yesterday to buy a book I in my neighborhood a bookstore alone went". What do you make out of it? Witty as you are, you might say its' some kind of riddle; or, wise as you are, you quickly decipher it as meaning "Yesterday I went alone to a bookstore in my neighborhood to buy a book".

The crucial point is this: Japanese has its own highly unique syntax and a mere handful of knowledge in English grammar can hardly help you learn it properly. It goes and proves then that the Japanese must first wash this unique syntax off their system before tackling English - tackling it not so much as a language but a manifestation of culture.

Now, let's get down to today's episode: learning English through the Bible.

A unique textbook was published for learning English, based on 18 stories handpicked from the Bible. Written in elementary English, it is easy enough for high school students to enjoy reading. The author/essayist, Ishiguro Mary Rose, effectively demonstrates in this book that language is more a culture than a  school subject. She urges students to appreciate the culture of which the English language is merely a part.

Technically, Ishiguro is advising students rather to grasp what is told in the Biblical stories than to stick to how it is told. Her conviction is based on the reality that the Bible is a powerful  component on which the vast western world is conceived. She is suggesting one damned good way for the Japanese to "master English".

More power to Ms. Rose Mary Ishiguro and her rewarding workwomanship.