This entry is part 1 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingThis is another comment that grew so long as to deserve its own article. First, the original question: See, everyone is so discouraging when you learn a new language and say you’ll always ’sound like a foreigner’ and this is a bit depressing.…
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Mastery is Mastering the Basics
by khatzumoto
Your ability to explain new and/or complex ideas well, is predicated upon your ability to express simple ideas: Ironically, the newer or more complex an idea, the more it requires reference to simple, childlike, playground metaphors.
Where Not To Learn Japanese From
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 3 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingDon’t learn Japanese from novels. No one talks that way. Don’t learn Japanese from scientific journals. No one talks that way. Don’t learn Japanese from manga. No one talks that way. Don’t learn Japanese from newspapers. No one talks that way. Don’t learn…
How To Get A Specific Accent
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 4 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingThus spake Skyler: Hello Khatzumoto! My ultimate goal is to learn to speak French with a native Parisian accent so I have been trying to only listen to content spoken by Parisians. I would think this would be easy to find but it…
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…
Language Is Acting
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingAt university, I was in a comedy troupe. No, the comedy troupe. The best comedy troupe at my school. The greatest comedy troupe since the previous greatest comedy troupe. And I was in it. And I loved it. By the time I’d gotten…