My Japanese Sucks and It Pisses Me Off

[AssKissinger]

I've lived here a long time but maybe you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I try to speak Japanese but I can't understand shit. I can't even construct simple sentences. I hate it! I forget even simple words like 'math'. How the hell can anybody learn a whole language worth a words and all that grammar and do the listening? I might as well try to learn to fly like Superman. Don't even give me advice. It's hopeless. I give up.

[DJEB]

I would suggest that... oh never mind. It's hopeless.

Seriously, just plow away at it. The grammar is easier than english grammar. Just don't criticise yourself if you don't understand.

[subgenius]

My Japanese isn't really good, but I can order food, ask directions and have a somewhat meaningful conversation. I really wish they had Japanese conversation schools at every station. I used to take a class with 3 Thai women, but it was early in the morning, and well I'm a lazy American.



I suggest meeting some people that can't speak English and hanging out with them. You will use the hell out of your Japanese dictionary until you get sick of looking up so many words you just remeber them.

[AssKissinger]

I can order food, ask directions and have a meaningless conversation. Can you really have a meaningful conversation? That's such a huge leap from ordering food and asking directions that I suspect you may be a bit delusional about it.

[American Oyaji]

What is the word for math?

[jim katta]

asskissinger, I feel your pain. from my trips back and forth to japan, and then trying to study while in america, I'm convinced that the best way is full immersion. forsake english to the point of even avoiding anyone who speaks english (assuming you're in japan). I have met some people in america who have claimed they gained their japanese fluency from pure studying the united states, but these are VERY rare cases, and these people basically were on a language jihad of epic proportions. I don't think japanese is something most can pick up casually like spanish. it basically forces you to commit, or give up.

[maraboutslim]

"suugaku" is the word used for common every day math as studied by school kids.

[Andocrates]

well, what works for me is overstudy (learning the same thing over and over) aslo dictating the conversation helps. It's hard to know how good or bad your Japanese is, so forgive me if I get to simple.

You don't need to understand everyword in every conversation. Since Japanese is based on syllables and not letters certain sounds serve as beacons through the conversation.

Pimsleur Japanese (I swear to god I did not study with Pimsleur) is useful for putting all the information together. the first set is useless but sets 2 and 3 are ok, you just need to know enough Japanese to avoid those crazy old fashioned pharses they are infamous for.

As much as it sucks stay in polite forms, people will repond to you in polite forms (masu/desu) which is much easier to grasp.

Learning Japanese is really good for your sex life too. When the primitive western mind is exposed to the wonders of Japanese it grows to twice it's normal size (your mind i mean)

[Big Booger]

Ass,
Does your wife speak English mostly at home? If so you're doomed like me. I know some Japanese, not a shitload of words but enough, and all that wing wang.. but I don't have to learn Japanese so I don't. If you had to, like you were alone in japan, I think the motivation to learn it increases. Being with a J-wife who speaks fluent Engrish, is well, a disadvantage.

[AssKissinger]

I think you're the first one to call me just Ass . Yep, my wife is a fluent English speaker. It's the nail in the coffin. But I have a rule that we only use JPN on Tues. and Thurs. The reason I was so pissed is I'm studying Japanese conversation over Yahoo messenger and I had a really difficult time being understood for one particular lesson. However, last night my band played a gig and afterwards this J-chick was going on about how much she likes us and bought one of our cds. I ended up talking with her for a couple hours only in Japanese. Still there was definitely a bit of communication breakdown here and there. A lot of the time I was only like 20% sure of what she was talking about but when I replied to what she said or asked she never seemed startled so I must have been at least roughly on track. It made me think of subgenius's advice. Just go out and practice with people who REALLY can't speak English. Plus anyone into Robert Anton Wilson's stuff must be ok. Anyway, learning Japanese is hard as hell for me. Sometimes it pisses me off so bad I'm ready to scream.

[altar]

you can say you speak Japanese when you can read the newspaper and understand 90% of it

[AssKissinger]

you can say you speak Japanese when you can read the newspaper and understand 90% of it

Uhhh, that would mean you can read it.

[Andocrates]

you can say you speak Japanese when you can read the newspaper and understand 90% of it

Boy, there is always someone ready to piss in your corn flakes isn't there.

[altar]

"Boy, there is always someone ready to piss in your corn flakes isn't there."

If all you saw was piss, I advise you to look again!

No I can't read the paper yet. This was just a troll in your stream of commiseration.

[kamome]

The first four years of formal language study gave me a foundation, but not the ability to speak in cogent sentences and understand what anyone was saying. I had a true immersion experience for one year living in the inaka and working where English was hardly spoken. That really improved my Japanese skills, along with having bilingual friends who were nice enough to help me struggle through my studies. After paying your dues, you reach a point where classroom study and talking with friends doesn't help anymore. You just have to grind through it on your own.

[japslapper]

I learnt good conversational JP in a year flat - by staying in Inaka for a year. I can converse on most things if people talk slowly and directly. How did I do it? I avoided J-english speakers and made a point during J-chick selection that they do not speak ANY English.


Ass

Get your wife NOT to speak English to you, ever - until you are as good at JP as she is at English - If she loves you she will help. Surely you being more linguisticaly independant would be good for all?

[kamome]

I learnt good conversational JP in a year flat - by staying in Inaka for a year. I can converse on most things if people talk slowly and directly. How did I do it? I avoided J-english speakers and made a point during J-chick selection that they do not speak ANY English.

Same with me, although I found that dating the non-E speaking J-girls, while improving my Japanese, led to unfulfilling, short-lived relationships.

[AssKissinger]

I found that dating the non-E speaking J-girls, while improving my Japanese, led to unfulfilling, short-lived relationships.

Me too, but boy were they fun while they lasted!

[kamome]

I found that dating the non-E speaking J-girls, while improving my Japanese, led to unfulfilling, short-lived relationships.

Me too, but boy were they fun while they lasted!