Is the Japanese language going to die out?  Well, I wouldn't be so rash, but some people are worried. Everyone knows Japanese is a very difficult language to learn (as many anime fans have probably found out the hard way). Even native Japanese speakers can have trouble with the language, as shown when Prime Minister Taro Aso screwed up reading kanji out loud.

But with the onset of technology and so many Western influences going on, the Japanese language is seeing some new turns. English words are increasingly becoming part of the language, and people are typing letters instead of making them as beautiful calligraphy. The New York Times itself got involved with this in a recent article, prompted by Minae Mizumura's book The Fall of Japanese in the Age of English.

While part of the article told about email taking over calligraphy, it also quotes some people who are fine with the changes. Novelist Haruki Murakami, in fact, is quoted saying language is a living thing and therefore will change. And just because some of these changes are happening, it doesn't mean calligraphy is dead. Still, I can completely understand the other side's point-of-view. It's like how I have to capitalize and spell things right while texting, no matter how much my friends roll their eyes at me.