I just read one of the newer AJATT posts about sentence-entering in the SRS. I have to say, I don’t agree at all with his suggestion. And it’s fine not to agree. It’s the AJATT “approach” not a school of martial arts or anything, so I feel free to take what works and disregard the rest. The point made in the article is that excessively long sentences are not good for SRS entry and should thus be edited into shorter, more consumable forms. Come on, that’s just ridiculous. Is he trolling or something?
Long sentences are part and parcel of Japanese writing anywhere. If you choose to run away from them in your SRS you will only meet them again elsewhere, in real writing where they don’t pull any punches. Furthermore, if you come across a sentence you feel is too unwieldy for your current stage of learning, just don’t include it in your collection. Why emasculate it, thereby destroying its authenticity and power? If the writer meant to write「現代社会は『準備社会』だ。」then that’s exactly what he would have written, not「中村によると、我々の現代社会は『準備社会』だ。」, right? In short, this is one piece of advice I will be merrily ignoring as I go on my way towards Japanese fluency. Perhaps for easily-intimidated beginners it might be a good way to get started, but it just doesn’t work for me.
