Re: successful language learners -- techniques and experiences

From: necoandjeff (spam_at_schrepfer.com)
Date: 10/05/04 

Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 15:02:00 GMT

Justin Wilson wrote:
>> Are you on the monbusho scholarship (I'm showing my age...I mean the
>> Monbukagakusho Scholarship)? If so, I'm assuming you already have a
>> certain
>
> Yeah, I WISH. I failed to secure it, and somehow was lucky enough to
> figure a way that I could use my student loans from home to attend
> overseas. (Oh the debt that I am incurring... *sigh*)

Well, you certainly get points for determination and resourcefulness. And if
you do well with the language it will take you far (and allow you to pay
back those loans...)

>> level of knowledge to begin with. If
>> thatisthecase,watchserialdramas.
>
> Eh.. not quite up to that level just yet. I guess if I could get them
> on VCD it would be nice -- as I could constantly pause, play, pause,
> but do they sell them (affordably) in disc format ? Judging from the
> $60 Metallica DVDs etc, I'm guessing it isn't bloodly likely worth the
> money to buy ANY sort of media in this country.

Doesn't matter. Even if you don't know 100% of what's going on I think it
will still help. And the ability to pause would be helpful but don't get too
stuck on at the expense of watching the whole thing and the complete variety
of scenes and conversations. I haven't been to Japan for a few years but I
recall that they used to rent videos of the better known dramas.

>> They present real Japanese used in a wide variety of lifelike
>> situations. Record them and analyze the hell out of them. You will
>> learn real Japanese
>
> What is your recommended method for recording ? I don't have a TV yet,
> and I'm trying to work that into my budget right now.

They sell single units with a video built right into the top of the TV that
might be reasonable. See if you can find one used from a gaijin on his or
her way home (Tokyo Classified used to be a common method of finding stuff
although it is little far from where you are.)

>> rather than the gaijinese that is often presented in textbooks and
>> urged upon foreigners by Japanese instructors.
>
> Hehe... Okay -- I can understand when that stuff happens in the US.
> But, just so I'm not in for a shock here, will they do that to me when
> I'm in classes that are actually IN Japan ?

I wouldn't put it past anyone. I would be surprised if they stress much more
than masu forms only (which isn't used much in everyday conversation between
friends). See also the endless debates in slj regarding watashi, boku, ore,
etc. In any event, you'll probably find that the Japanese you see spoken by
Japanese is a bit different from what you are taught in some ways. I don't
want to stress this too much if you are still at a beginning leve, but it is
something to be conscious of at least.

>> Also, hang out with Japanese (preferrably Japanese who aren't
>> interested in speaking English.) You'll probably learn as much from
>> just hanging out with friends than you will in the classroom.
>
> I know this is a great way to get the basic words and particles that
> you will hear 1000 times a day down pat, but IMHO too much of this and
> too high a level of familiarity with a small circle of friends can
> lead to just speaking what "needs" to be spoken, and never gaining the
> ability to explain anything really complicated like your philosophical
> and political views. (Or even the nuances of why you prefer a certain
> operating system or form of music.)

Speaking philosophical and political views in Japanese?!? Ha! You haven't
spent much time living in Japan and hanging out with Japanese have you...

>> What university are you attending?
>
> *quickly thinks back to recall if he has revealed anything
> particularly embarassing under this unmistakably (though thankfully
> common) pseudo name on the group... *
>
> Ahm.. .Yeah, I'm going to Saitama Uni! It's super nice here, I just
> wish it was "inside" the heart of the city where I had originally
> expected I'd be.

I was equally disappointed to be at Nagoya Daigaku (rather than somewhere
closer to Tokyo) for my first year in Japan too. At least you're there
though. And you aren't so far away that you can't make the occasional trip
to Tokyo.

Jeff

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