Some people, no — a lot of people — have asked me, “18 months? WOW! But that’s a miracle! Isn’t that a bit short? Are you BSing us? You must be really smart”. Well, let me tell you three secrets. First, I am not BSing you. Second, I am not preternaturally intelligent. I’m just normal,…
How to Use the Sanseido Web Dictionary
by khatzumoto
One of the more intimidating things about using a Japanese-Japanese dictionary for the first time is, well, that it’s all in Japanese. What’s a Japanese-loving student to do? How do you even use the thing? Well, I’d say that learning the vocabulary you need in order to use the dictionary is part of the fun.…
Isn’t Real Japanese Too Hard for Beginners?
by khatzumoto
This is in answer to an email which raised some really cool questions, so here it is for your benefit (I’m all “because I know what’s best for you!!”)…Whatever, anyway: “…I can certainly see how an emphasis on reading sentences leads to a large vocabulary and an intuitive sense of grammar and usage. However, what…
How to Score Yourself on Repetitions
by khatzumoto
This advice applies specifically to Mnemosyne, KhatzuMemo and SuperMemo, since they all share a 0 — >5 scoring system. It may well apply to other SRSes, too. The “readings” are of course pronunciations for characters. The “meaning” is the meaning+context+intent of the sentence. Of course, many sentences can have slightly different meanings in different contexts;…
How to Pronounce Japanese
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 5 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingUpdate [2008/9/22]: I’ve finally found the original source/basis for the advice I’m giving here — the very article I read. It was this paper from UC Berkeley quoted by a Tom Hodgers in this thread of the Wakan Project forum. The key points…
No Speak English
by khatzumoto
When you first set out to learn a language, it’s an act, a game. A game whereby you acquire a habit of writing symbols and making sounds in a certain way, a way that is called [insert name of language]. Unfortunately the word, “game”, carries with it a negative connotation, one implying a lack of…