(2016-06-07, 10:15 am)CureDolly Wrote: So for example, when I suggest learning kanji more organically, I am certainly not suggesting that we learn without mnemonics. In fact I have advocated using mnemonics more widely for aspects of Japanese other than kanji.
That is not an alternative to RtK though. That is an alternative to learning Japanese through reading. That is not people who like to learn languages by reading are looking for.
RtK is a big step towards learning the writing system up-front. Learning the Kanji more organically means that you're learning the writing system as you're learning the language. Which is fine, but: the reason why that won't work for some people is because some people like to learn languages almost exclusively through reading. If you're learning German, or French, you can just start reading (extensively or intensively, doesn't matter), and, eventually, you'll learn the language. You don't need any kind of system. You can just read.
If you're learning Japanese, you cannot do that. RtK serves to get you close to a point where you CAN. That is what it does. And it only takes about 200 hours. Learning Kanji organically would take far, far more than that. It would get you further along in learning Japanese than RtK, but some people aren't trying to get further, they're trying to get to a specific point in the shortest time possible. From that point, they have it covered, they don't need any more help.
That is what an alternative to RtK would have to accomplish: get someone to that same point, faster. Without such an alternative, criticizing RtK is pointless. If it's the only option to accomplish the task, then it's by default the best option. Not saying it is, by the way...but what is a faster option (not to learn Japanese, but to accomplish the task that RtK sets out to accomplish)?
Edited: 2016-06-08, 7:18 am