Learn Japanese Now With These Secrets
Though it may seem challenging, to learn Japanese now is far from impossible
. Just bring along some enthusiasm, commitment, and focus and you're off to a good start. While these traits are valuable, it's necessary to know some basics. The Japanese language uses three writing systems, or "alphabets":
* Kanji * Hiragana * Katakana
Kanji is a "picture" alphabet that uses Chinese characters.
Katakana and Hiragana, both based on Chinese characters, are scripts that represent sounds like Western alphabets. Sometimes used in the same sentence, Kanji and Hiragana are the most used "alphabets" in Japanese writing nowadays. Used chiefly to depict the sounds of foreign words borrowed from other languages, Katakana is also used to depict other sounds like the meowing of a cat.
A running joke is that Asians do things backwards; well, Japanese scripts is written vertically, as opposed to the Western horizontal, and from right to left, as opposed to the Western left to right. The Western style has been adapted to scientific writing and for computer display, but the familiar method remains in use in practically all other Japanese publications.
Japanese is a subtle language, there are differences in tone and vocabulary indicative of the class of the person speaking or spoken to, and degrees of politeness are also indicated by vocabulary and tone. Beyond social class, the use of vocabulary, grammar, and tone of voice, it is possible to determine the gender of the person speaking as well as the gender of the listener.
Every language school, of course, always pushes their method of teaching as being the best and fastest way to learn a second language. When you are ready to pursue learning a new language, you should consider your budget, of course, your level of interest, as well as the amount of time you're willing to spend. To learn Japanese now, you have to determine whether or not the curriculum or method of teaching is suitable for your needs. Learning to read and write well is one thing. Getting around the country and engaging the natives is quite another. Which do you need to do? If your interests are academic, involving a lot of reading and writing, your needs are a lot different than those necessary for getting around, eating, getting hotel rooms, or enjoying the life of the locals.
Anyway, if you want to learn Japanese now, your first goal should be to engage the spoken language, it's much easier than the reading or writing. Listening to a native speaker pronounce and use words is the best way to pick up conversational language, get yourself audio files to help you with this. (If you're planning to learn reading and writing, even lesson books that focus on those skills also include audio CD-ROMs.) Every language depends somewhat on tonal variation, this is especially true of Japanese. Listing carefully and imitating them as closely as possible is crucial.
The amount of grammar and vocabulary you need to study is an important consideration. To save time, focus on important, elemental words and phrases and then later start to flesh out your vocabulary. As with vocabulary, learn more as you go along but master the basics of grammar enough to set yourself at ease as you tackle the necessities of getting around and getting along.
Patience and perseverance, remember those two words as you focus on learning the language. Textbooks, teachers, and drill exercises are important, but what you bring to the process is most important. Studying by yourself has its benefits. Your classroom is always open, it can be anywhere, and the curriculum set to your own style.
by: Billy Buchanan
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