[biocit]

While I agree with you that someone learning comparisons should already have the kanas down I have reasons for having romaji as well as kana.

I've been teaching my college friends Japanese because we do not have a Japanese course here. They are completely new to Japanese and it's hard to force them to learn Kana when there's no grade involved. The only ones who learned kana fully on the first week are the people who are self-motivated.

When I decided to make this website, I wanted to teach those "self motivated" people to minimize headaches, but I soon found out that the demographic of people wanting to learn Japanese isn't as professional. There are high school students who wants to learn Japanese, English teachers, travellers, Korean mothers, and all sorts of different kind of people with different schedules.

I repeat, I agree that a true linguist always starts by learning to read the language in order for them to go to the source to learn. The only problem is that not everyone claims to be a self-proclaimed linguist.

The site is the end result of my contemplation. If it happens so that people want and require a more strict way of teaching, I will agree with their wants and produce my lessons in a different way.

At this point, the site is still an experiment. If no one comes and participates with the site, then I am obviously doing something wrong and I will adapt to the situation respectively.

I repeat, I am not a Japanese teacher and did not learn Japanese formally. I don't believe in a formal education nor do I think degrees make a person qualified. I look up to a lot of people and most of them have never received a formal education. They fueled their passion with study and produced ground-breaking results. I went to Taiwan for a Chinese school but ended up never going to class and just studying in the library. (yay visa) The school was ready to kick me out of the country but I convinced them otherwise.

I'm not saying that being self-taught is the best way. To be honest, it's more of a way to hinder yourself.
Quoting Mark Twain -

"The self taught man seldom knows anything accurately, and he does not know a tenth as much as he could have known if he had worked under teachers, and besides, he brags, and is the means of fooling other thoughtless people into going and doing as he himself has done."

It's true. Being self-taught is the downfall of modern-day education. Everyone needs a general education to survive and act in the modern world. But, I believe that being self-taught is the most natural way of learning. It's fine to imitate your father as you grow up, but I believe that finding your own way is a valid way to learn.


As far as the criticisms go, I am not ignoring it. I will take everyone's opinion into consideration and make my next lessons to suit everyone's tastes.

I'm sorry for this long rant but I feel strongly that being self-educated is my goal. (Though my boss probably won't think so)

Thanks for reading this wall of text.