Teaching culture through language

Photo By Heather Johnson | Joyce Gourley, a student in a cultural class at Marine Corps Community Service’s Personal Services Center, makes creases on her obi, a sash used for decoration of traditional Japanese dress. The class is one of many given throughout the year on a variety of Japanese cultural topics.  

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JAPAN

02.04.2011

Courtesy Story

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

By Cpl. Kelly R. Stevens

Language can play a huge role in culture. People communicate verbally to share their thoughts, invite friends to dinner, ask someone on a date, tell someone how to make a recipe and so many other things.

Marine Corps Community Services offers a way to combat this potential communication gap by offering several courses designed to teach Status of Forces Agreement personnel the basics of the Japanese language.

In Michiko Urasaki’s Japanese level one class, the lesson begins with pronunciation and ends with the class discussing the Japanese superstition of the number “four.”

Urasaki integrates the culture of her country into the language classes she teaches because she believes without language, there would be no culture.

“Language is culture, don’t you think?” Urasaki asked her class.
Urasaki, a community relations specialist with Marine Corps Community Services, teaches the Japanese language classes at the Personal Services Center and says it is important to learn basic Japanese, especially if people are staying here three or four years, because it can help people communicate more effectively while shopping, talking to their neighbors and getting around the island.

Having a basic understanding of Japanese can be important for people who have children with food allergies or for people who are exploring the island. Being able to communicate can prevent people from being served food they are allergic to and could help people get directions when they get lost on the island.

“(With language skills) you can go to a grocery store and ask things politely,” said Lauren Rhodes, a cultural class student. “I want to come across as being polite and this is a great way to (be) a respectful person.”

Upon enrollement, students receive a booklet on portions of the language that will be covered in the course. Japanese level one includes numbers, common foods, common phrases and questions for various situations in addition to teaching the months and days of the week. Urasaki explains how the words and conversations are used in context and helps her students understand when to avoid certain situations so as not to appear rude.

Urasaki explains that it would be perceived as rude in Japanese culture to give somebody four flowers or a set of four dishes because the word for the number four is pronounced the same as the word for death. She explained to her class that they would not ordinarily find a room number “four” or a fourth floor in a Japanese hospital or high-rise building much like many buildings in the U.S. skip the number 13 when labeling their floors.

Here on Okinawa, where many members of the local community speak English, it seems reciprocation would be the courteous thing to do.

“This is their country and we should be respectful of that,” said Phornphan Homiack, a cultural class student.

“I think learning the language is important because it reminds us that we are not in America. We are in a host country and we should respect the country and its culture,” said Rhodes.
“If you forget to add some part of a sentence when talking with somebody, it is okay,” said Urasaki. “They will still understand you. The important part is that you are making an effort and trying to communicate with them.”

Those interested in taking Japanese language courses can find a schedule at the Personal Services Center at Camp Foster or online at www.mccsokinawa.com/psc.

• Date Taken: 02.04.2011
• Date Posted: 02.03.2011 23:26
• Story ID: 64769
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP