I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

[Opihimonster]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

私は新しい言語に堪能になり常にたいと思った持っている。 私は悩みに私がyes/noの答えか指の方向ポイントを捜さなかったら私が日本で配置されたときに2年間の高等学校の日本語を私少 なくとも基本的な質問をしてもよい私いた取り。 私達は私達が彼と共に学ぶのでことを私達が彼にスペイン語を試み、教える私達の新しい赤ん坊、それはより容 易かもしれないことである希望と望んでいた。 私達は見る….

Yeah I wish...
the above is the below translated via MS Outlook (I always wonder how accurate that really is...)


I've always wanted to become proficient in a new language. I took 2 Years of Japanese in High School and when I was stationed in Japan I could at least ask the most basic questions but unless I was looking for a yes/no answer or a finger direction point I was in trouble. We were hoping that with our new baby that we would try and teach him Spanish, the hope being that since we'll be learning along with him it may be easier. We'll see....

[turtlegirl]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

I've said it before, and now I get to say it again....What a difference a day makes!! I'm back in love with Japanese!!

I called the instructor yesterday, which didn't help me one bit. She just told me to take it easy and let her do her job, as she's been teaching this course a long time. I was all "Noooo, you don't understand!! I don't understand!! Wakarimasen!!!!" and she was like "trust me, no big deal". That made me totally annoyed. I spent a ton on out of state tuition, and I really really want to learn this and be proficient! I was so ticked that I only studied for about 40 minutes, and went to bed veeeery early.

Well, today while we were reviewing Katakana, I actually recalled and understood a ton of it. Eureka!! Things are finally making sense!! I guess having one bad day of class wasn't as awful as it felt!

I'm also going to sign up for a night school course!

Thanks, everyone for sharing your experiences and advice!

Oh, and the homework assignments are totally ignoring the Katakana. Maybe that's why I finished them so quickly. And no mention about studying it at home. And there was no prerequisite for this class - its just basic Japanese 101.

[TuNnL]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

95% of my classmates already know Japanese!! Why are they there???

I would venture a guess that they are there because two years of a foreign language is required in order to graduate from college (I’m assuming you are at UH). In this day and age, few students actually attend college in order to learn something. Most just do it because society has ingrained in us that a degree is what we need to succeed in life.

So following that mentality, you can see why your classmates chose to take Japanese. If they already know it, it should be an “easy A.” But like acousticlady says, they are making a dangerous assumption. They are expecting to “cruise” through the class, and may be in for a rude awakening when they realize that college life requires self-motivation and discipline, unlike the public school system in Hawai‘i.

[dick]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

My BA is in Japanese language from UH Manoa. It was an excellent program when I was there many moons ago. No clue what it's like now.

I began studying the language in high school (Maui High) where I took two years. I had so much fun, I just figured I'd continue in college and get my degree in it. At the time, UH was one of the top schools in America for Japanese, thus my deciding to go there.

I took a placement test before enrolling, and was placed in the 200-level classes. In high school, we were taught hiragana and katakana before learning any words, which helped a lot once I got to college. We were also taught some kanji.

For the most part, I've found that studying Japanese requires a lot of rote memorization. Hours of it. Daily. I'd probably spend three or four hours (if not more) every day learning vocabulary (and of course the kanji). There was also the grammar to deal with. I took a 300-level grammar class that spent months on the subject of the difference between "wa" and "ga."

By the time I graduated, I could read a newspaper (not 100%, of course) enough to comprehend all the stories. Magazines were easy.

The difficulty in Japanese that I found, was levels of "politeness" used in the language. When learning a verb, there are often three or four ways (levels) to use it. It took months of memorization to learn them all (there are rules, but also many exceptions).

So what it comes down to is the realization that there are going to be many many hours of dedication daily if you want to gain practical proficiency in the language.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

I doubt this would help you learn to write Japanese, but it's fun to watch (give the web page a bit of time to get started)

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

I thought this class was for guys trying to pick up Japanese Nationals.

[turtlegirl]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

My first quiz is tomorrow, and I am stoked!! It only covers the first 3 lines of katakana (the vowels, plus k and s) and basic greetings. I made flash cards, and I'm doing okay as far as understanding the material...so, my fingers are crossed that I remember it for the test.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

Imua, turtlegirl!

(Oop - wrong language...)

[Vanguard]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

I doubt this would help you learn to write Japanese, but it's fun to watch (give the web page a bit of time to get started)

They have Doraemon! かわい-ね!

Awesome website, but I wish they had chosen different sound effects.

I hope you did well on the exam, turtlegirl. I also hope that you practiced writing the characters you'll need to use. I don't know if you can call it muscle memory, but sometimes I find myself remembering how to write foreign characters just by putting a pen to paper and letting auto-pilot take over

[MyopicJoe]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

Awesome website, but I wish they had chosen different sound effects.

Yeah. It's cute at first, but after a few minutes I need to rip the headphones off. I wonder how useful it would be as a form of torture. Supposedly some government used the recording of a crying baby to torture prisoners.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

I "wakalun" or "no understand."

[sansei]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

hi this is sansei and i wish to share it's wakarimasen or dont understand,that's what i learned by selfteaching myself to understand japanese.


Well thank's for your time

[Leo Lakio]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

I "wakalun" or "no understand."

hi this is sansei and i wish to share it's wakarimasen or dont understand,that's what i learned by selfteaching myself to understand japanese.

Wakarimasen is the formal way of saying it - wakalun (or as I heard it, wakaran) is a colloquial or slang way to say the same thing.

A friend's older relative said "wakaran" to an English-speaking salesman who came to her door many years ago. He misunderstood ... and proceeded to "walk around" the house to the back door - where the scene was repeated.

True story.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

Wakarimasen is the formal way of saying it - wakalun (or as I heard it, wakaran) is a colloquial or slang way to say the same thing.

I heard "wakalun" from my obachun from Okinawa. She would pronounce the "l" instead of "r." It was cute when your real first name starts with an R. There are differences between the Japanese and Okinawan language. Then, a word gets pidginized for Hawaii.

[turtlegirl]

Re: I think I'm learning Japanese (I really think so)

I HATE MY CLASSMATES!!!!!

Today we were asked to turn in our homework. No problem for me, cuz I did it laaaaaate last night after getting home from the big island. Yeah, I compromise my sleep to finish my homework, cuz I really really care. So I was totally embarrassed when she asks for pages including the one part I didnt do - because when I got to that part last night it was 1 a.m. and I didn't want to blare japanese audio recordings at that hour in my super quiet home.

So my hand shoots up immediately and I'm all "Surimasen. I didn't finish this one part, may I hand it in tomorrow?" And I'm real worried that she will say no!! But she said it was okay. Whew.

Then she asks the rest of the class to hand their homework forward... < Insert chirping crickets soundbite here. > Nobody else even bothered!!!! Not one other person in my class had done one lick of their homework!!! NOT ONE!!

Later in the class we were asked to turn to a page in our textbook. She asks for those students who do not have textbooks to try to share with someone who does. OMG!! It is the 3rd week and more than half of my classmates didn't even buy the freakin book! What is wrong with these people?! I gladly shared my text with TWO other kids, and I was happy to help out at the time, but then...

...on the drive home, I started getting really angry about this situation. What jerk shows to class without their books?! Or homework?!! That's an insult to me, my hard earned tuition, the instructor, and to the ideals of higher learning!! I am SO annoyed!! Hay dios mio!! I HATE MY CLASSMATES!!

On the plus side, we got our Thursday quizzes back! I got 100%!! Yeah!!!