Thunderbird2 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 Are you actually learning Japanese now, and how are you going about it? I seem to have hit a level where it's seeming really hard to improve, even though I'm trying to study (although admittedly not that much time to do so). Just wondering about everyone else... Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 I take two 1 hour lessons per week. I never ever study and I am going no where with my skill level. I have never studied another language before so i have only just found out that learning other languages is one of the least interesting avenues of study that I have ever participated in. No offence meant to those that chose to make languages the basis of their academic pursuits. But for me, language study is not stimulating the correct part of my brain. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 Studying a language is boring as hell. Maybe one day you remember 10 items of vocabulary - great. Trouble is, it seems like such a tiny drop in the bucket that you never feel "I'm progressing here!" I'm on the passively learning regime. It's less frustrating. Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 I am - and I cant wait till im better. lots of the people I ski with are japanese and if the one of the two that have english arent there there is not alot I can say or understand. by next season ill be much better. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 I identify with both of these comments. I want to learn it, but I just can't bring myself to be enthralled in the learning process. Link to post Share on other sites
Antonio 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 I seem to be enjoying it now that i have a personal reason (getting married) as opposed to a company reason for learning. Although you are right, it is extremely tedious....especially when someone wants to explain it to you using english grammar examples. Sorry, but i have no idea what a past participle is For the sake of better communication at home i will press on. Good luck Jared! Link to post Share on other sites
danz 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 I studied formally in uni for a few years...that really helps, because without a stricht formal structure its hard to build that annoying foundation... but I am glad I did it, as it really helps! now I just have 2 hrs a week through my company, and am learning at a fraction of the pace I did in school...mostly I pick up new things from my friends, and I try to use it as much as possible... languages are cool..I like learning them, even though it can be frustrating in the beggining...but once you pass that it is really cool danz Link to post Share on other sites
snowboard_freak 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 I did Japanese for three years in high school. I think it was years 8,9 and 10. At that time I hated it and thought it was boring. The only reason i kept on doing it was because my mum was very keen on me doing it and pressured me to do it. I really got fed up after three years so i said stuff it, and stopped doing it. Alas, i should have listened to mum. I now wish i had stuck it out and gotten into more. Damn mum's are always right! I want to start learning it again, but the motivation just isn't there. Link to post Share on other sites
mogski 0 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 I started at high school at the ripe old age of 12 and continued on my "official" Japanese education until I was 20. During this time I had 4 years at High Schol in NZ, 1 year at High School in Japan, 3 years at Uni majoring in Japanese. I have had enough. Anyone want to buy a Japanese speaking, reading writing brain? Offering a good deal to right person. Link to post Share on other sites
zwelgen 0 Posted April 10, 2003 Share Posted April 10, 2003 Yeah Im pretty much the same as you mogs, started at 13 studied at high school, university and a year and a ski season in Japan. Now Im doing the osmosis thing, just soaking it up from the environment. I seriously think the best way to improve your Japanese is to get some friends or a girlfriend/boyfriend and spend lots of time talking to them. This helps to move beyond saying what you can to trying to say what you want to. Maybe that is why my Japanese still sucks Link to post Share on other sites
nekobi 0 Posted April 10, 2003 Share Posted April 10, 2003 yeah i wish i studied japanese in college- i really need the external pressure to force me to study hard and learn it. otherwise i cave and choose to read the forum instead of learning vocab. any other jets out there doing the clair course? i'm doing the intermediate level and it's the only studying i do. well, it's not even studying- i read thru the lessons, copy it down in a notebook and then try the test and get my students to check it. i did go to two different j classes a week, but it felt like such a waste- it was good general practice, but i wasn't learning anything new or reviewing what i was doing in my workbooks. the only times i've really felt motivated to study have been when I'm trying to impress a j dude. Link to post Share on other sites
rajeem 0 Posted April 10, 2003 Share Posted April 10, 2003 I wish I had more time to learn, but I am just too busy with work. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted April 10, 2003 Share Posted April 10, 2003 Yeah i do the CLAIR course. I actually think its really good, though i know thats not the cool thing to say. I also have one private lesson every week in my house for 90 mins. Thats amazing, my teacher is great and I learn a shedload in that time (well worth the 2500yen). Also, i go to a workshop with 3 other jets and a japanese volunteer and do stuff there for 90 mins a week. That was great when we were going for 3kyu together, but now we just sit about and chat and dont learn anything (or 'teach' each other stuff that is incorrect and get into bad habits). All this is enough to push me along at a medium pace, but I wish I was moving faster. I should stop playing video games and sitting in front of my computer perhaps. Chatting to japanese people using MSN or Yahoo Messenger can be great, so long as you are both actually writing in kanji/kana, and you force yourself to practise those newly-learnt grammar points. Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted April 10, 2003 Share Posted April 10, 2003 I'd love to learn the lingo Link to post Share on other sites
woywoy 0 Posted April 10, 2003 Share Posted April 10, 2003 I also did japanese all through high school and then studied it for 3 years at uni. One of those years was spent at a uni in Tokyo. The best way is to make friends or girlfriends/boyfriends and just go out with them and chat and have a laugh. You dont realise it but when you are sitting on the train, being annoyed by neverending jpop or whatever, you are actually absorbing something via the osmosis method. You never learn anything via that method when you are still stuck in your own country. Having said that though, you also have to have a strong foundation to build on to get any good at a language. It is hard work and a real slow pace but speaking another language opens doors that otherwise would be tightly shut and gives you the chance to meet people that you would otherwise never get to meet. I think its worth the effort. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 10, 2003 Share Posted April 10, 2003 woywoy, at what point did you learn all about seaweed and sake combos, and Japanese flutes? Link to post Share on other sites
oblivion 5 Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 I've done no study for ages now, and osmosis doesn't seem to be working too well. If anything, making my Japanese worse with all the bad slang that's going in. Link to post Share on other sites
woywoy 0 Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 Seaweed and sake combos and the japanese flute... i learnt all about them when I actually spent a year at uni in tokyo. That was a good time. How about you ocean? Link to post Share on other sites
igloo 3 Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 Somewhere near the bottom of the table Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 Well, going back a few years now. It seems that vocab is first year syllabus for most onna-no-sensei. Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 WoyWoy I agree totally. A good Foundation is critical. No amount of "osmosis" will drastically enhance your real language ability if many of the basic mysteries are not unfolded. One occasional acquaintance who spoke great Japanese, when asked, "Why is your Japanese so good?" often replied "Osmosis mate, I just soak it up" to the squeals of delight from the thin-hipped, mini-skirted set. Actually he always failed to mention that he studied privately like a dog, replayed & replayed dubbed videos ad nauseum, feverishly noted new vocab, spent hours learning by heart a reportoire of karaoke and practised card tricks to perfection in Japanese ― amongst other things. Which all means osmosis-shmosis, if you don't put in. Which is why my 4yr old(soon 5) is(has) rapidly overhauling daddy's limited ability. The daily reading of war & peace to a monkey, won't make a banana split.かな！ Link to post Share on other sites
enderzero 0 Posted April 12, 2003 Share Posted April 12, 2003 I started studying Japanese exactly one year ago and can confidently say that I speak today better than I did one year ago. I haven't studied much since I have been here, but I am getting motivated again. Actually it was leaving the country and talking to Japanese outside of Japan that did it. They were so impressed by my very minimal conversation ability. Here it is no big deal at all, but Japanese aren't used to people speaking it outside of their country. That said, I know if I study my ass off I will learn quickly...but I think if I just study half assed, maybe in a few years I will still be progressing, without all that hard work. Link to post Share on other sites
AET 0 Posted April 12, 2003 Share Posted April 12, 2003 Recently I've been really slacking. Link to post Share on other sites
giggsy 0 Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 I'm starting to learn here in the UK for the laughs - sounds like a challenge and I'd love to visit. Link to post Share on other sites
Karnidge 2 Posted April 28, 2003 Share Posted April 28, 2003 Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites
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