Comments on: The System Will Set You Free

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[…] (and just in case you need a little convincing about the power of systems and you love a good rant…click here) […]

By: What Is The End Game of Learning A Language? | AJATT | All Japanese All The Time

Thu, 30 Jan 2014 23:37:28 +0000

[…] The System Will Set You Free […]

By: Drewskie

Drewskie — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:32:11 +0000

Khatz used to focus articles on methodology, but people wound up following it blindly and devoutly to the point where they’d suffer and burn out. It turns out that the 10 or so articles on that subject in the table of contents are more than sufficient for getting the main idea about how Khatz learned Japanese. Once you have that main idea, it’s up to you to implement it in a way that works for you, and to work out the details along the way. There are plenty of other blogs that describe peoples’ individual implementations of AJATT, so if you want those kinds of ideas, go out and find them. For Khatz, though, I think he’s taken an approach that let’s him feel like he’s aligned Neutral Good, i.e. not hurting anyone and just posting ideas to help people not hurt themselves.

By: Ken Seeroi

Ken Seeroi — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:06:29 +0000

I agree entirely. Having a good system helps a great deal. But there a piece missing that’s often mentioned in other posts. So just to complete the circle:
“All you need is to find or make a better system . . .”
. . . and stick with it. And keep tailoring it. But mostly just keep on keeping on.
A good system keeps you on the rails. Perseverance is what moves you from station to station.

By: Carlos

Carlos — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 14:51:41 +0000

This apology is systems is great. I subscribe 100%. Keep up the good work!

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:16:31 +0000

That’s a very good piece of writing. Reminding of texts by Phil Hine or other Chaos Magician. You really have to read about Chaos Magic. Really.

By: 魔法少女☆かなたん

魔法少女☆かなたん — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Counter-counter-point: what if everything is intrinsically hard, and what seems to be easy is just because you’re adapted in such a way that makes it so?

By: Strawberry Vibe

Strawberry Vibe — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 22:27:47 +0000

>I notcied that this site is mainly for people who havent studies japanese before or people who are not really serious about studying the language.

Why would a site about how to learn Japanese to fluency be for anyone else?

This site describes a broad path for people to walk, and obtain fluency in Japanese (or their target language). If you look back through the archives, you’ll see that all the major concepts of ‘All Japanese, All The Time’ were pretty much stated by early 2008. Since then, the site’s author has continued to post tweaks, new concepts, and just pitching the same ideas from a different perspective.

The point of AJATT.com is to teach a method of learning language. I don’t know if anyone would need that knowledge more than early/procrastinating learners…

By: 名前

名前 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:02:54 +0000

I agree with everything that Rout just said. Not only that, but this site essentially tells you to do what works for you. It tells you that if you really don’t like using an SRS, don’t use it. Katzh encourages you to find your own way, but also shares what he did and what he would have done differently along the way.
You use the point that people will figure it out on their own as a point against the site while the site encourages you to do just that.

By: Rout

Rout — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:39:53 +0000

Ah, but inspiration is such an important thing when it comes to accomplishing anything. I agree that people who really do want to learn Japanese will figure it out on their own eventually, but this site – and similar ones exist to start you in the right direction. So instead of trying out tons of ineffective methods, it gives you lots of ideas on how to effectively learn a language. But in the end, it’s all just advice, you make your own system.

Still, without the motivational boost from AJATT, I wouldn’t have started to learn Japanese at all.

By: ahndoruuu

ahndoruuu — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 03:22:32 +0000

Albert Einstein. “If learning Japanese is hard for you, you have not failed. You have just found 10000 ways that don't work.” It's a little known, scientifically proven fact that Einstein was one of the earliest AJATTeers. He never mentioned it in public, but there is absolutely zero evidence that says he was not.

By: Yannick

Yannick — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 17:47:14 +0000

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us Kathzumoto. Learning Japanese is only part of my life, so much more can be applied to this way of thinking.本当にありがとうございましたカッツさん

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 17:16:13 +0000

Counter-point: what if I've tried multiple systems, and they've all fallen short and have all been difficult? The only common factor here is Japanese, so at that point, the logical next step is to say that Japanese is hard.

By: Kanjioy

Kanjioy — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 02:11:59 +0000

I notcied that this site is mainly for people who havent studies japanese before or people who are not really serious about studying the language. It seems like the people who come to this site are looking for mainly inspiration to get started or get over their fear that they will never learn the langauge. Dont get me wrong, I think the guy who runs this page is a great nice person who encourages people, but I think this site is really wast of time. It seems like there is no true advice on how to get good in the language but poetic and phylisophical updates. Someone recogmend me visit this site, and while I am glad I visited it, I found that people who are truly serious in Japanese will figure how to get good in the language themselves. That is why stopped giving people advice on how to get good. It seems like all they wanna do is find era or argue with your system. But for those of us who truly wanna learn this thing called “Japanese”, no body has to pull our leg and tell us how to do it. WE WILL FIGURE OUT ON OUR OWN.

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 21:49:49 +0000

Can’t finish article. The opening anecdote was too interesting. Tell us your suit burning tale dude.

By: Jack Cotton-Brown

Jack Cotton-Brown — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 02:42:11 +0000

The system itself is really subject to one’s environment.
The environment is just the systems that one uses on a daily basis. The problem is that generally the systems aren’t obvious, like using SRS and MCD’s. URL shuffler is a system that makes getting a diverse online environment much more accessible and fun.

Then it comes down to habits and routines. In order for a system to be useful one must use it on a regular basis, and that’s just a factor of convenience. We use the most convenient systems first before we make use of harder, more complicated systems that require more set up time and thought.

Then there is the emotional element to using a system, whereby it’s not just the most convenient systems that we go for, but the ones that harmoniously balance convenience and enjoyment. For example, if there are 2 espresso bars side by side, we will go for the better one, even if the walk is a bit further. But say the 2 bars are on opposite sides of the town, you’ll just go for the one closer to get your coffee fix.

I find the emotional element to be the most important factor of all, and I often just use ‘study techniques’ that are more fun for me even if they don’t systematize and quantify progress as well as others (e.g. just watching anime and reading manga for enjoyment without adding things to a srs or bothering to look up new words).

I think newcomers to language acquisition under-estimate the emotional side of using their systems. If repping boring sentences is really ‘useful’ (following frequency lists for example) then they are likely to prioritize progress over enjoyment. This is what I did, and it doesn’t last very long. I was repping a pre-made sentence deck for 3 months, and learnt over 2000 sentences, but I stopped doing that because the sentences were too boring. LOTS of useful vocab don’t get me wrong, but just not arranged in a mentally stimulating way.

By: Strawberry Vibe

Strawberry Vibe — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:26:56 +0000

I never really thought of my Japanese study as a system so this article has been really helpful. Sometimes, I think to myself, “how can I be doing more for my Japanese?” I find this question hard to answer, but thinking of it all as a system seems to give me an new way to analyze the situation, and find ways to fine tune things.

My current system with the aid of inertia may have brought me to the level I’m at now, but a new system with more efficiency will be what it takes to get me to fluency.