This entry is part 7 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingPeople, I am sick and phequing tired of hearing it. Whether on the Internets or in RL, if Japanese is the topic of discussion, there always seems to be a kind, intelligent, well-meaning buck futter waiting in the wings to tell you: “Don’t…
Blog Archives
Success Story: Emotional Context Learning — Using Phrases Correctly Without Actively Learning Them Or Knowing What They Actually Mean
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 8 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingAJATTeer Jake C shares this little story of how he learned how to use certain Japanese words and phrases before he knew what they actually (literally) meant, because he was aware of their emotional content. I have had similar experiences myself in both…
You Are What You Eat, You Write What You Read, You Speak What You Hear
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 9 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingThe attentive will recall that Jamie (an AJATTeer) came up with what I still consider to be the greatest analogy in the history of learning languages about a year ago. The attentive will also recall that a photo of Sarah Silverman on the…
Why You Should Keep Listening Even If You Don’t Understand
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 10 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingLike I’ve said before…the set of tools/methods described on this site…I don’t know why it all works; looking at and thinking about how people learn their native language, it just all seemed obvious to me. In other words, I knew what I needed…
If Anime Is Bad For Your Japanese, Then Nursery Rhymes Are Bad For Your English
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 11 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingIf anime is bad for you, then so are nursery rhymes. What is a “tuffet” anyway? When was the last time you even saw a live sheep, let alone found a black one, and asked him for wool? Do you know any masters…
No Humans Necessary: Why You Don’t Need People to Learn a Language
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 12 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingLoners, “introverts” and card-carrying Libertarians, get out a change of panties, because the words that follow are going to make you wet yourselves with pleasure. Live, direct human contact is not essential to getting used to a language. It’s useful and definitely desirable,…