Re: [Lingo] jyukugo question: thanks...

[steve <sjs@example.com>]

On 03/10/2014 01:28 PM, Jim Breen wrote:
> I'm surprised that you are surprised. I think it was in week 3
> of Japanese 101, when we started on kanji (weeks 1 and 2 were
> hiragana and katakana(*)), that the on and kun readings were
> described, along with the various combinations, 台所, etc.
You were fortunate.  I took Conversational Japanese at the local Junior
College.  That's the only Japanese offered anywhere around here.  I
actually had to convince the teacher to stop using ローマ字. She now
teaches outside of the JC system and is teaching in hiragana/katakana
and some very basic kanji but I don't recall her ever talking about on/kun.

I was in Japan in the 50's as a child and mom said I spoke good Japanese
and played with Japanese kids, but I came back to the US at about 10.  I
didn't really start studying the language until my mid-50's and it seems
none of the childhood language stuck. Mostly I'm self taught and
probably that's why the questions I ask seem foolish.

Since then the JC has entirely dropped Asian language study.  Sometimes
the US seems like a very short-sighted country.

Where I'm suprised is that there are special phrases/words to describe
the mixed on-yomi/kun-yomi jyukugo and none for jukugo composed entirely
with one or the other pronunciation.

Steve S.