[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Aniki

I see the words "and that's just the writing system" were skipped in my previous post. Check your eye sight.
I never said "learn the 26 letters of the alphabet and you'll know English".

You are comparing the two, pointing out the simplicity of the English alphabet in contrast to the large number of kanji... And then add "and that's just the writing system".
No one skipped what you said. In fact, that quote carries quite a bit of heavy meaning in that context.

The same "scenario" which you see above was used in USSR.

Not quite. The USSR was lumped into a large group with overlapping government. Borders between individual countries were obscured, and it became necessary for individuals to master some level of a shared language.

That necessity simply isn`t present in Japan, and won`t be unless Japan is colonized by some English speaking country.

Question No.1. Is it being taught in ALL Japans kindergartens/preschools/elementary schools?

I can tell you this much - it was impossible for me to find a kindergarten anywhere in this area that didn`t have at least one class a week. Public schools include it in their curriculum so you can answer 100% yes for anything above elementary.

Question No.2. Is the English teaching program the same as in America, or Great Britain?

No, and for obvious reasons.

Don't think if today Japan decides to have English as the second official language, then tomorrow everything going to be like in my "scenario".

I don`t think anything, let alone everything, would be like your scenario.

And I can only speculate how everything might be done when a country chooses to have a second language by itself, not being forced.
I'm guessing the officials won't be touched in the beginning, but after, about 6-8 years when the next generation shows up, they'll simply make an official decree stating that from now on English is going to used in parliament and other government places.

A generation is not 6 to 8 years. In a government setting where most everyone is 60+, it will take a very very long time for enough of them to be proficient enough in English to use it in any official capacity. And in order for a generation to have reached that level... Wait, that will send us right back to the never-ending loop.

So unless, you're writing a book with a story where a country decides to have another official language don't ask me such questions.

You have decided to present this model. The very least you can do is answer to speculation. And if you don`t know the reasons I can make such speculation then there is no point in pulling out my credentials at this point.

It existed in USSR. Also, go to Belgium or Canada and you'll see that there are some similarities with my "scenario". Here's a wiki page on how bilingualism works in Canada.

In the case of the USSR, in the beginning the government was filled with native speakers and teachers in schools were replaced with natives or native level speakers. Media was often available only in Russian...
I find it very hard to see a similar situation arising in Japan. Even if the schools were to switch over to English-only education, there is no shortage of Japanese media.

Canada is a different story completely, starting with the simple fact that there is a native speaking group of French speakers in the country.

そして本番・・・

I just showed one of the differences between the two languages where English has advantage over Japanese. Though I agree with it being harder then Japanese, my point was that in the environment I told about, it would be easier than Japanese.

It would NOT be easier than Japanese. It would not be easier than Japanese in ANY environment. Nor would it be more difficult. This is where you`re really starting to push my limits.
Would it be easier to acquire English proficiency if the language were present in the environment. YES. Would it be easier than Japanese if presented equally in the environment? An outstanding NO.

You are evaluating the difficulty of a language based on how you - a speaker - perceive it. This is so incredibly skewed that I cannot even begin to explain it. Of course you find English easier than Japanese - you can speak it! And it`s not a wild guess to assume that you were exposed to it (and possibly as a single language) on a regular basis in your environment.

For a language to be easier than another language, it has to be limiting in it`s expressive capabilities. You may not realize it, but in saying English is an easier language than Japanese - you are saying that English is a lesser language than Japanese. I somehow doubt that you are intending to do so.

Right. I'm already imagining how the teacher is saying "Children, today we're gonna learn the first letter of the alphabet and it's letter "A" /eɪ/, and tomorrow we're gonna learn another letter which is... also "a" /eɪ/, but smaller". Even if it does not have just 26 letters... let's say 42 if you like, it's still nothing compared with the Japanese kanji amount.

Or... 52, perhaps?
Either way, that isn`t the issue. The number of words, and the skill required to properly use the two languages does not differ. You are using your perception, as a speaker of English, to rate another writing system badly simply because YOU find it too hard.

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