Comments | chard: The three month itch

chard

The three month itch

Aug 16, 2005 18:39

It's three months into the Japanese language course at the Naganuma School, and I'm in crisis, and not sure how to proceed.

I first came to Japan in 2001. Before I came I spent a couple of months of mornings studying Japanese from An Introduction to Modern Japanese. When I arrived I took a three week course at the YMCA in Tokyo. After that I ( Read more... )

etp, japan, nihongo

Comments 15

keirf August 16 2005, 10:35:11 UTC

I think different people learn languages in different ways. I've never found the classroom a good place, but that's because I want to learn to speak and think in the language, rather than be able to write letters to the President.

As such, for German, Dutch, French and now Finnish I find a social environment the best place to learn. I learn lists of vocabulary by rote, just to give myself more building blocks with which to speak, and I learn the basic grammar (mainly of the present tense) in order to get started with conversation.

Different countries provide different challenges. For example, it's hard to learn Dutch because the Dutch will insist on speaking English to you. Finnish is hard because of the genative case, and the vowel and consonant harmony rules.

matoki August 16 2005, 11:12:11 UTC

That's what I meant by saying that you should took the good things from Naganuma: just getting those building blocks. Afterwards, go out there and start building small simple towers until you get to build skyrappers (how the hell is it spellt?)

chard August 16 2005, 12:02:09 UTC

At the moment the school is forcing me to build skyscrapers without first building small towers. Actually, it's quite a lot like a game of Jenga. My Jenga tower fell over this weekend when I got an unexpected migraine.

aldabra August 16 2005, 10:54:38 UTC

What's your commute like? Any chance of getting a taxi instead?

What happens if you sit in the language lab with the headphones on and the tape off? Does anyone notice? Could you substitute a different tape?

My guess is that getting the school to stop the forward march of lessons will be really quite difficult (and get you labelled as a troublemaker), but that getting them to excuse you from some of them (particularly if you're demonstrably competent at the ones you're skipping) might be possible. I'd be wary of cocking up the EU grant as a first move.

How are people-who-aren't-you finding it?

chard August 16 2005, 11:30:32 UTC

My commute is 40 minutes walk or 30 minutes on the train when the heat is unbearable (which it has been for the last month). Usually I listen to the lesson recordings during this time. In the afternoons I just space out.

The teachers are not unkind. If I don't participate much in the language lab they let me get away with it to some extent.

I don't mind being labelled as a troublemaker. In fact, I'll wear a T-shirt with "troublemaker" written on it if necessary.

Some other people on the course find it very good - mainly the people who started from scratch. Perhaps my expectations are high because I had such a good experience the first time.

I know they itch... matoki August 16 2005, 11:06:56 UTC

Hi Richard ( ... )

Re: I know they itch... chard August 16 2005, 12:15:40 UTC

Hi Carmen. Many thanks for the support. Don't worry, I am thinking positive, which is why I'm thinking through solutions. I am at the moment reorganizing my study time to reduce the burden of kanji and vocabulary learning. I am hoping to free up enough time to organize some language exchange.

gareth_rees August 16 2005, 13:35:43 UTC

You know very well what the problem is - you're lacking immersion and conversation practice. You're in Japan to learn Japanese, not to please your teachers. So as long as you don't disrupt the class for other students, study in the way that does you the most good. Spend less time studying and more time talking. If you don't do so well in class, that's not a big deal.

p4user August 16 2005, 13:51:51 UTC

It sounds like this 2-week break is coming at the right time. I hope it is long enough. You are working very hard but without a feeling of achievement and that's demoralising. I have noticed before you have a tendency to work to a point of fatigue and this school is forcing you into this mode. But you are absorbing the grammar, the vocabulary and the kanji. I wonder if with all that crammed in you'll find that later when you do get a lot of conversation something will flip in your brain to join it all together.

No helpful insights or advice I'm afraid, just sympathy. I hope you find a solution that keeps you going into the kenshu phase, which I suspect you'll find much more enjoyable and valuable.