How far can you get with Japanese alone?
- Tuesday Dec 1,2009 05:04 PM
- By diddy
- In Others
I want to learn Japanese. I’ve used a few websites and have learnt Hirigana, Katakana and some words but that doesn’t mean i know any Japanese. I was wondering how to take my Japanese to a higher level. The university i’m going to doesn’t teach Japanese and private lessons are more then i can afford. Does anyone out there have any ideas on how to improve my "spoken Japanese" in the most cost effective way.
Japanese Lessons, Katakana, Learn Japanese, Private Lessons
2 Comments
Not very far. The writing systems are easy to learn and you don’t need a teacher for them because even with classes it’s still up to you to learn them.
But the vocabulary, grammar, syntax, idiomatic expressions, slang, formality, and the cultural phrases all need a teacher to explain to you.
Japanese has a lot of words that translate to the same meaning in English and no dictionary gives a very good explanation of the difference between them all.
There are plenty of things that may tell you what you should be trying to do in terms of grammar and syntax, but none of them can tell you if what you’re trying to do is correct or not. And it’s not just about being correct, there’s also the matter of sounding natural. You need a teacher there to correct you. All books do is give you three or four examples and maybe, if you get an answer key, a few more in the back. But that’s not going to help you in your daily life. There is no "answer key" when you’re in the middle of a conversation.
Japan is still a very traditional society and there are so many phrases that you are supposed to use in very specific moments of your life. It’s more than just "hajimemashite" and "yoroshiku onegai shimasu" and more than what your standard self-teach program will ever tell you.
Then there’s the cause of formality. Japanese has formal, informal, and neutral. AND humble, honorific, and neutral. As most languages don’t have such a stark distinction between these anymore it is very difficult to grasp all of them correctly and if you don’t have a teacher to actually tell you when you’re using the wrong one for a situation or not then you’re doomed to insulting others.
If you want to learn Japanese that’s great–but realize you can’t do it on your own. If your university doesn’t offer it there are still other outlets for you.
1. Search around for tutors. Not all have the same price.
2. Check out your state’s Japan-America Society (assuming you live in the USA) and see if they’re offering any classes. Many times they do, and for a fair price in my opinion.
3. Peek into some nearby community colleges and even other colleges. Just because your university doesn’t offer them doesn’t mean they can’t or don’t.
4. Wait. Good things come to those who wait, and trying to rush into Japanese on your own will only make you confused and leave you with bad habits that will be so much harder for you to get over once you start real classes.
Okay, at Barnes and Noble, they have a workbook called "Japanese for Busy People". The way they present the subject is phenomenal and it sure did get me ready for the high school course I’m going to take.
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