Category Archives: Language
Ask Ryan: Going Monolingual and Trusting Yourself
Today we have an e-mail from Alan, who has managed to get through what I think is the hardest part of learning Japanese: kanji. Now Alan is kind of worried about where to go from here. Here’s what he writes:
Ryan,
I’d be a liar if I claimed to be a long-term reader of your blog- I [...]
Also posted in Ask Ryan!, Getting Literate (Kanji), Japanese, Language Learning Techniques, Motivation 59 Comments
Play the Rules, Break the Rules, Make the Rules
Going the Distance
Apparently the last post was pretty popular. I was blown away by the activity on the blog, so I’m resolving to write this article as well in response.
I wrote last time about AJATT, and what I think is the real secret of the 10,000 sentences/hours. The purpose of the structure is that the structure lasts [...]
Also posted in Learning, Motivation 14 Comments
Life After 10,000
Life after 10,000 sentences and hours on the AJATT method.
I’ve been wanting to write this one for a while. Truth be told, I’ve been wanting to write it for over a year now, ever since I finished. I’ve wanted to write it before I even started the blog. There’s a couple of reasons why I [...]
Also posted in Learning, Motivation 23 Comments
A Confession on the New JLPT
Many of you were wondering. Now you will know.
I went with a couple of friends and colleagues yesterday to take the new JLPT (N1). Many long-time readers of the blog will know that I am not very fond of this kind of assessment because of the way people single-mindedly set their sights on the test [...]
Also posted in Japanese 13 Comments
Learning Sound-Symbol Correspondence through DVD
So since I was forbidden by my loving fiance from doing anything outside a small radius of my bed (I tend to be an idiot and start moving at the first sign of feeling better), I holed myself up with my laptop and my new collection of Scrubs Season 4… in German.
One of the things [...]
Also posted in Language Learning Techniques, Learning German 29 Comments
“Fluent” (Part 2 of 2)
So, about “fluent.” The other reason why “fluent” is a very unhelpful word is because it doesn’t guarantee your language will help you when it counts. Especially if you’re just trying to have a normal conversation, you can quickly have issues. Depending on your circumstances, this can be a huge problem. I have a personal [...]
Also posted in Motivation 50 Comments
“Fluent” (Part 1 of 2)
Fluent. Possibly the most overused word in language learning. Basically meaningless now. Here’s some of the things that it has been used to mean, ranging from the most far-ranging to the narrowest definitions:
Able to fully converse and operate in the second language as with the first.
Able to fully converse in the second language as with [...]
Also posted in Life in Japan 10 Comments
Getting Personal with your Learning
So I need to thank my coworker Casey for this one. Casey came in to my office to talk about a pretty specific instance of a possible use of the SRS, but it generalizes pretty well.
At our work, like at most places where teachers teach, there are student evaluations of the teacher’s performance at the [...]
Also posted in Language Learning Techniques, Motivation, SRS 14 Comments
Go Ahead, You Can’t Break it
You can’t break your language. I promise.
Seriously. If you’re sitting around wondering “I wonder if doing X will help my language studies,” then I highly encourage you to try it.
There are very few things that I can honestly say won’t work. Here they are:
You won’t learn literacy through romaji
You won’t learn to listen and speak [...]
Also posted in Language Learning Techniques, Motivation 32 Comments
When Your Listening and Subs Don’t Match