I begin Japanese class tomorrow, paying (handsomely) for the privilege or torture of gaining some modicum of proficiency in what I think is the most challenging part of integrating into a new culture, speaking its language. So it’s time to buckle up and knuckle down and get down to brass tacks about Japanese. (Hmmn, I wonder ruefully whether I’ll ever be able to toss out Japanese idioms willy-nilly like I do with English one’s).
So should anyone care, posting here and on my photo diary might be a bit light for a while, we’ll have to see how it goes, but as the course is costing a pretty penny, I’m going to do my best to concentrate on studying.
I went back and forth about whether or not to take a class. Oh, I have been until recently taking a 50-yen per session class once a week at the local community center, but I was being taught by Tokumaru-sensei, who bless his heart is a retired high school English teacher and let’s just say that while his blessed heart is in the right place, his teaching style is decidedly old (Japanese) school, which meant that each 2-hour session I would be inundated with grammar concepts with very little reinforcement drilling and absolutely no practice applying any of them. By the time I had reached home on my bicycle after class, I had already forgotten all of them.
I’ve been told often that I don’t need to take a class, that I have the perfect environment with which to learn the language: a Japanese-speaking home. Three native Japanese speakers, and it’s free to boot (well, sort of). But the problem with that theory is that Naoko and I speak English to each other, predominantly (actually we speak sort of an 80% English – 20% Japanese creole). In large part this is due to her having to act as a go-between between the in-laws and myself. I’ve gotten into the bad habit of calling Naoko whenever I need an explanation or clarification. And I lack the confidence to forge ahead through this difficult time when I don’t understand 75-80% of what’s being said to me or have the ability to reciprocate and express 75-80% of what I want to say.
I also want a good grammar foundation (just not all of it all of the time), especially when taught in a communicative approach, which is what this school touts. It suits my anal personality, and gives me confidence. My hope is that unlike my previous Japanese classes back home, I’ll have the opportunity for lots and lots of practice outside of class, and going three times a week will force me to study more consistently.
Whether or not I’ve made the right choice we’ll have to wait and see. It’s an high-cost gambit to be sure, language schools here are incredibly expensive compared to the States, and while I did find one whose per hour price is the among the cheapest, it still adds up to a lot (I’ll be taking this particular course for almost 3 months). Gambarimashou!
Oh yeah, you will? Going to Japanese class could be good to keep you highly motivated. I’m very interested to see how you’ll improve your Japanese skills, which I often feel as if you were gifted with. Gamba!
I understand completely how difficult it is for you to learn Japanese in your home environment. What many people don’t understand is that just because someone’s a native speaker, it doesn’t mean they can teach a non-native learner how to speak. Just look at the number of native English speakers supposedly teaching ESL in Japan!
I hope your class goes well. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.
M,
your comments are spot on, one of the reasons I’m adverse to speaking at home is that my wife’s and family’s nature of correction, uh, shall we say, leaves something to be desired. As a few “chigau”‘s thrown my way, it’s hard not to get angry and frustrated. To be fair, I’ve never been great at accepting criticism and correction, so some of this is on my side as well. But it would be nice if once in a while they might practice a bit of “echoing” in their correction. (Echoing is where you repeat what the person/student said but in the correct form, but done in a way so that it sounds like you’re confirming information rather than out and out correcting incorrect sentences.)
As you mentioned, it points up what a lot of people don’t realize about teaching English as a foreign/second language, that there’s a lot more to it than just being a native speaker.