Comments on: Speaking: You Don’t Have A Linguistic Problem, You Have A Humanity Problem — Why You Still Suck At Speaking and How to Fix it Fast

By: What Does “Fluent in Thai” Mean to You?

What Does “Fluent in Thai” Mean to You? — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 17:29:35 +0000

[…] we just chuck the idea of fluency out the window. Seems that when it comes to speaking Thai, we put way too much time and effort on attaining this mythical fluent rating. And really, in the big picture it doesn’t always mean […]

By: june

june — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 02:05:51 +0000

The answer people were looking for:

Hi, you still suck because you didn’t do what I (Khatzumoto) said. Under all the crazy-eyed “Must have fun~!” talk, there are some cold, hard numbers. And a checklist. In your target language…

Do you read 60-90 minutes a day?
Have you been reading 60-90 minutes a day for two years?
Do you do your SRS reps and additions each day?
Have you gotten to 10,000 sentences (or whatever the current method is)?
Do you listen at least 13 hours a day?
Have you been listening at least 13 hours a day for two years?
Do you have a native speaker friend who mercilessly corrects every not-native sounding thing you say/utter?

If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, that’s why you still suck.
If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, of course you still suck.
If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, don’t complain about sucking.

Follow my (Khatz’) ‘far king’ program.

After all of that, if you still actually suck, then you have a humanity problem, rather than a linguistic one.

—–

(All information gathered from this site. None of it made up or distorted.)

By: Speaking: Don’t Be Clever, Cheat | AJATT | All Japanese All The Time

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 15:00:40 +0000

[…] Stick to the script. Cheat if you can get away with it (which is almost all the time). And then, if the worst comes to the worst, just B.S. your way out of it. […]

By: lovinglanguage

lovinglanguage — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:33:48 +0000

This is so good. Thank you. I’m stuck in the intermediate stage, so you’re speaking to my pain. My problem, though, is comprehension. I can circomlocute like a master, but the response is garbledygook. What do you suggest for that?

By: ahndoruuu

ahndoruuu — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 06:49:17 +0000

Friggen thank you, Khatz. You’ve retained your penchant for looking at the simple things before inventing a complex problem. It’s this kind of thinking that has given us the library that is AJATT in the first place.

It’s not an L2 issue, it is most definitely a speaking problem in and of itself. Speaking clearly, logically, and expressively is actually not an easy thing and most people royally suck at it, myself included. One can either train herself to speak in that manner, or she can accept that perhaps speaking clearly, logically, and expressively is not very important.

By: フレヂィー

フレヂィー — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:31:20 +0000

By and far one of the best [記事] on AJATT, yet. And coincidentally just the other day this was proven to me by a native Japanese colleague in our Japan office. I usually chat with him in Japanese and lately I’ve noticed that saying too much, or what is in my head, is not really the avenue to travel on. So, I’ve just began to regurgitate stuff I know 99.9%. Sure enough, my Japanese 連中 starting telling me that lately I’ve been sounding [aka chatting] more natural and just by saying less. S### blew my mind!

Thanks Khatz!

By: Oliver

Oliver — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:30:08 +0000

My friend Meei-Jiuan always fretted about her English when we lived down the hall from each other in NYC. But I talked with her for hours, and I loved talking to her. Sometimes she would say things so plainly, so clearly, so simply that it formed a blade of insight that cut through my bulls### well-rehearsed, well-spoken preconceptions. I told her that sometimes what she said was like poetry, but I think she only half-believed me and thought I was making fun of her. 🙂

By: dtcamero

dtcamero — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 06:01:12 +0000

awesome essay, well done

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 02:10:50 +0000

At least one reader: “Oh awesome, he’s going to tell me how to fix my speakin-… ‘lower my expectations’? Sonofa…”

Brilliant stuff. You’ve still got it, Khatz.