Learning Japanese wholly organically by playing baseball with children is exactly what I would recommend if one has the opportunity to do it.
Heisig-sensei did in fact take a month to read through grammar textbooks to absorb the structure of the language:
The school had a 2-volume textbook. I read through every chapter; I didn't do any drills, didn't memorize anything; I just wanted to see the structure of the language. I just wanted to understand how the language worked. Reading through it all took me about a month. (James Heisig Interview)
He then devised his famous method to learn the kanji before immersing with Japanese children.
Interestingly enough, his approach (apart from the fact that we don't recommend learning kanji by his system, but we don't strongly disrecommend it either) was based on exactly what we said at KawaJapa:
The best way to learn Japanese is to be in Japan, interacting and using the language for everything all the time. That way the brain builds up all the natural associations of words and grammar with things and experiences that make up true knowledge of any language.
Of course, many of us don’t have the option of being in Japan (and if we are there in an English-teaching environment we still may not have the option of true immersion).
In that case the second-best way is the best way to go.
What is the second-best way?
The answer to that should be obvious.
Getting as near to the best way as possible! (KawaJapa: The Best Way to Learn Japanese)
He did exactly what we recommend: First learn basic grammar (not with a lot of drilling, but enough to grasp the basic structures of the language), and then immerse to the fullest extent possible. Of course he wasn't acting on our recommendation (he did it long before we existed). Neither were we thinking of Heisig-sensei when we worked out our approach.
And of course the approaches differ, primarily in the fact that Heisig-sensei had the opportunity for near-total immersion, while we are trying to create near-immersion without having that opportunity.
In fact I would say that the Heisig system is perfectly attuned to someone in Heisig-sensei's Japanese-learning situation. I too would see much more sense in getting all the kanji in one's mind (as well as basic grammar) before total immersion.
We recommend learning the kanji more organically alongside/inside of artificial immersion. But you can't do that on the baseball field! Essentially Heisig-sensei was finding a way around the fact that while he could immerse pretty fully, he didn't have a nine-year Japanese shougaku/chuugaku kanji education.
I had never thought of this before, but Heisig-sensei's approach to learning Japanese was essentially the same as Kawajapa's, with the main differences being adaptations to different circumstances and opportunities.
I don't think I am saying anything all that special here. It is a pretty natural and obvious approach if you believe that language should be learned as far as possible organically.
Heisig-sensei did in fact take a month to read through grammar textbooks to absorb the structure of the language:
The school had a 2-volume textbook. I read through every chapter; I didn't do any drills, didn't memorize anything; I just wanted to see the structure of the language. I just wanted to understand how the language worked. Reading through it all took me about a month. (James Heisig Interview)
He then devised his famous method to learn the kanji before immersing with Japanese children.
Interestingly enough, his approach (apart from the fact that we don't recommend learning kanji by his system, but we don't strongly disrecommend it either) was based on exactly what we said at KawaJapa:
The best way to learn Japanese is to be in Japan, interacting and using the language for everything all the time. That way the brain builds up all the natural associations of words and grammar with things and experiences that make up true knowledge of any language.
Of course, many of us don’t have the option of being in Japan (and if we are there in an English-teaching environment we still may not have the option of true immersion).
In that case the second-best way is the best way to go.
What is the second-best way?
The answer to that should be obvious.
Getting as near to the best way as possible! (KawaJapa: The Best Way to Learn Japanese)
He did exactly what we recommend: First learn basic grammar (not with a lot of drilling, but enough to grasp the basic structures of the language), and then immerse to the fullest extent possible. Of course he wasn't acting on our recommendation (he did it long before we existed). Neither were we thinking of Heisig-sensei when we worked out our approach.
And of course the approaches differ, primarily in the fact that Heisig-sensei had the opportunity for near-total immersion, while we are trying to create near-immersion without having that opportunity.
In fact I would say that the Heisig system is perfectly attuned to someone in Heisig-sensei's Japanese-learning situation. I too would see much more sense in getting all the kanji in one's mind (as well as basic grammar) before total immersion.
We recommend learning the kanji more organically alongside/inside of artificial immersion. But you can't do that on the baseball field! Essentially Heisig-sensei was finding a way around the fact that while he could immerse pretty fully, he didn't have a nine-year Japanese shougaku/chuugaku kanji education.
I had never thought of this before, but Heisig-sensei's approach to learning Japanese was essentially the same as Kawajapa's, with the main differences being adaptations to different circumstances and opportunities.
I don't think I am saying anything all that special here. It is a pretty natural and obvious approach if you believe that language should be learned as far as possible organically.
Edited: 2016-06-06, 10:03 am