>During the Meiji period, influential Japanese scholars argued that the country should ditch its millennia-old language in favor of English.

>During the Meiji period, influential Japanese scholars argued that the country should ditch its millennia-old language in favor of English. It had already become the language of trade and science, and was seen to be the language of modernity. The biggest advocate of this radical idea was Mori Arinori, Japan’s first ambassador to the US and education minister during Meiji rule.

>Mori made his case in the introduction to a book published in 1873: "The commercial power of the English-speaking race which now rules the world drives our people into some knowledge of their commercial ways and habits. The absolute necessity of mastering the English language is thus forced upon us. It is a requisite of the maintenance of our independence in the community of nations. Under the circumstances, our meagre [sic] language, which can never be of any use outside of our islands, is doomed to yield to the domination of the English tongue, especially when the power of steam and electricity shall have pervaded the land."

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  1. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    YESU, WE MASUTO ABANDON AWA RANGUIJI AND RAAN INGURISHUUU!!! AI ITO DOGGU!!!

  2. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    They should have abandoned japanese. I hate that shitty language. I wish all anime was in English then we wouldn't have to translate it

  3. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Mori was a member of the Meiji Enlightenment movement, and advocated freedom of religion, secular education, equal rights for women (except for voting), international law, and most drastically, the abandonment of the Japanese language in favor of English.
    Holy shit that guy was a total cuck (except for voting)

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      He should have succeeded. Now we have to translate Japanese works

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        least lazy Amerimutt

  4. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    VGH WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

  5. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    >meagre [sic]

  6. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    >meagre [sic]

  7. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    There’s no chance this would’ve succeeded even if it was further pursued

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Why not? Japanese wasn't modernized yet as he said it was still a "meagre" language unadapted to the modern world. English wouldn't have been forced on people but it would've become the language of science and education, so people would still speak Japanese but if they wanted to have an education they'd have to learn English.
      That's pretty much the system in place in many third-world countries right now and it works fine.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Yeah and they fixed that issue by creating a ton of neologisms that later on also got adopted by China and Korea.

  8. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    >It had already become the language of trade and science, and was seen to be the language of modernity.
    Wasn't French still the Lingua Franca in the 19th century?

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      yes but the nips were trying to industrialise and the bongs were ahead in that department

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >Wasn't French still the Lingua Franca in the 19th century?
      moron

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        cry about it
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Constantinople

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          >en.
          :^)

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      cry about it
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Constantinople

      napoleon lost

  9. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I wish they'd taken this guy's arguments a little more seriously. The average english level of japanese people is pathetic. Their education system in general needs serious work.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Why do you expect them to know English? Do you know Japanese?

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        I expect people participating in international business to actually know the international lingua franca, yes. You think engrish doesn't cause real problems, all the fricking time?

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          No, if anything it's endearing
          Compare the following:
          >So how about we talk that down to 10,000 grand and I get first shot at your wife?
          >puresu... no maneh... berry berry good dealo kudasai

  10. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Geez almost every time I hear a tit bit about Meiji Era Japan they have some weird idea that seems like something only an alternative history fan would come up with. From converting to Islam to allying with Ethiopia to just becoming an American puppet before America was a superpower.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >converting to Islam
      wait what

  11. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    It's obvious that they didn't end up literally switching languages from Japanese to English, but anyone who has gone through even a short weeaboo phase knows that pieces of English language, western culture and romaji are pretty much ubiquitous in Japan.

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