So you say you speak Japanese?
HARDSHIPS OF LEARNING LANGUAGES

Learning a foreign language is one of the world’s most difficult subjects. It is both challenging and fulfilling to each individual. One of today’s most challenging foreign languages is Japanese. The language study starts off fairly simple, but like with any other language, it gradually increases in difficulty as one continues to understand the linguistic depth. Japanese can become overwhelming at times, but there are some helpful things to remember when you take this journey for the first time. Developing a listening ear, using the vocabulary previously learned, and being fearless when it comes to making mistakes are a few important tips everyone should consider when learning Japanese.

Get ready to put those cue tips to good use. One’s listening skills is critical in learning Japanese. The best way to strengthen this skill is to practice. You can practice listening to Japanese people converse amongst each other in movies, dramas, cartoons, or even audio cassettes and CDs. Doing this for the first time may feel discouraging because it is hard to tell if it this process works or not. There were times I would get discouraged when I could not catch every word some friends and teachers would say, but one of the greatest things one of my sensei’s taught me was do not try to hear everything because it is impossible. Usually, if one listens to any of the choices above often, soon things will begin to click in your mind. Eventually, the mind will adapt to only listen for the meat of the conversation. Once I put this experiment to the test, it became clear that the crux of the conversations heard were based on verbs, nouns, and assumptions. Assumptions, meaning Japanese people usually do a lot of guessing when in dialogue. Knowing this may put one’s mind at ease the next time one listens to dialogue, no matter how long.

Let’s keep it simple. There is no point in trying to impress a Japanese person with fancy words and phrases one may have learned from watching famous Japanese films or television and then clumsily slip up on simple grammar. For example, when I studied abroad in Japan, I was always approached by older people telling me I was tall using hand gestures (they usually stretched their arm high up in the sky). After I said, “tall” in Japanese, it was shocking to believe that I knew the word “tall” in Japanese. For some of the experiences, it “broke the ice” and the people opened up to a total stranger. The one thing about Japanese people is that culturally, it is not in their nature to speak to a stranger unless they are introduced through a third party. But once the ice is broken, using the vocabulary and grammar that one learned can then be valued, appreciated, and eventually built upon gradually.

Nobody is perfect, but everyone is unique. Do not be a shy and timid Japanese speaker, but be humble. Since you are not a native Japanese speaker, mistakes will be made. Even Japanese people sometimes stumble over their own native language. However, it is naive to believe that having five, ten, even twenty years of language experience makes one immune to mistakes. The best thing one can do is learn from them and try not to make the same ones as often. One of the most memorable mistakes I remember making was during a conversation with a Japanese girl in college. For ten minutes, we had a conversation about general things, but she asked me my major. I replied in Japanese, “My major is Japanese people.” She flinched at my response and repeated my answer several times. Unknowingly, she was trying to help me by pointing out that there is no major of Japanese people. The mistake was so noticeable that the heat on my back began to flare because the conversation was being recorded. After the conversation, I apologized for the big flop, but my sensei assured that a mistake can happen at anytime and to keep studying so that I could improve.

The hardest thing about learning Japanese is accepting oneself and the amount of knowledge that one has gained. Once the mountain of insecurity is climbed, it will be easier to see that human error, audio competency, and vocabulary will develop if nurtured. Keeping the points mentioned above in mind would make the journey less stressful and worry-free.

Submitted by Eric Miller (B&A Fall 2008 intern)