Archive for May, 2009
Studying Japanese At Temple University In Tokyo In The Fall
Posted by: | CommentsComment:
Hello Robbie,
I am currently studying Japanese at the moment although I have studied Danish for a quite a while but due to the lack of resources for learning Danish and what not I have put it aside for now. Probably the most frustrating thing while learning Japanese is remembering the Kanji, and finding native speakers to speak it with. My ultimate goal for learning Japanese to be able to speak the language to the point where I sound fluent and not like an animé character(Applemilk1988) as well as working there. I’m currently planning to attend Temple University in Tokyo during the fall semester.
I use a website called http://www.lang-8.com where I write a blog entry in Japanese and a native speaker will correct it and in return I correct their English entries.
Sincerely,
Josh B.
My Response:
Hi Josh,
Thanks for the comment. That’s great that you have studied Danish… it is definitely not a commonly studied language in the United States.
To respond to your comment about lack of resources for Danish, I think you should remember that literally any native material in Danish can be turned into study material for your language pursuit. For example, let’s say that you like mystery novels, you might consider purchasing a mystery novel in Danish and using that to increase your language abilities. Remember that you will also want to have some sort of system for keeping track of all the new vocabulary that you will come across.
As for Japanese, nice choice! Japanese is also a language I have studied extensively. Kanji is a problem for a lot of Japanese speakers but I think you might find some helpful hints on studying kanji in some articles I have written… here are four articles you might find useful: How Many Kanji Should I Learn Per Day?, How To Learn All 1,945 Joyo Kanji Without Much Effort, Difficult Kanji: How To Learn Hard Kanji Fast and Best Way To Remember Kanji.
Also, I’m glad that you have decided to learn Japanese to fluency and not just a few phrases here and there. It’s clear that you are a serious language learner.
Temple University in Tokyo is quite nice! I have a good friend who goes there and I think that you will find that by living in Tokyo, you will have a wonderful opportunity to improve your Japanese. However, don’t fall into the trap that so many language learners fall into. You will still have to put effort into learning Japanese even while in Japan. You can read more about the problems study abroad learners face and how to overcome them here: Making The Best Of Your Study Abroad Trip.
Also, by being in Tokyo, you will find that you will have access to many, many Japanese speakers. I think that should solve your problem of not being able to find any native speakers with whom to practice Japanese!
In any case, if you haven’t already, you should really consider picking up a copy of my language learning book before you head over to Japan. The book will teach you the fastest and best techniques for learning a foreign language so that you will be able to implement them immediately. This way not only will you be well prepared before you head over to Tokyo but you will also not waste any of your time while studying in Japan.
I wish you the best of luck on your study abroad trip to Japan next fall and in your Japanese studies, as well!
-Robbie
Author Robbie Kunz is a recognized expert in language learning. He has created a language learning book that will teach you to learn any language in the shortest bit of time including learning the Japanese language. Foreign language learners of any level should be sure to read his fast language guide website where free information and articles are available.
Learning Indonesian To Join The National Language Service Corps
Posted by: | CommentsComment:
Hi, Robbie:
The two most important target languages for me now are Mandarin Chinese, because so many people speak it and Bahasa Indonesia, because learning Indonesian is the quickest way I can become a part of the national language service corps (www.nationallanguageservicecorps.org) . I am still passionately interested in other languages also.
One great benefit I have gained from my language studies is the chance to teach English as a second language as a volunteer at my church. I hope someday to find a way to teach ESL for a living.
Thank you for your interest.
Sincerely,
Charles Bowen
My Response:
Hi Charles,
That’s great that you want to join the National Language Service Corps! I wish you great success in your language studies.
It’s also great that you are willing to learn Indonesian solely for the sake of being able to join the corps more easily.
I think this is a good point to show to other people who are considering learning a foreign language. It’s very important to have a set goal or reason to learn the language that you are interested in learning. For example, in your case, you want to learn Indonesian to join the National Language Service Corps and once you are in, your language services will be in high demand. You have a clear vision and a definite goal for your language pursuit and this is exactly the kind of thing that will keep you going in your language studies.
For everyone else, if you are thinking of learning a new foreign language, try to come up with a defined, clear goal for how the language can fit into your life and bring you benefits. Having this kind of goal will lead to the motivation that can keep you going in your language studies for a long time. Because language learning is a serious commitment over a long period of time, it’s important to have this motivation or else you may find yourself giving up half way through!
Of course, if you have a clear goal in mind and are interested in the fastest techniques to learning any foreign language, you will definitely want to get a copy of my language learning guide which will teach you how to learn a new language faster and more easily than ever before. Go ahead and take a look!
-Robbie
Pop Culture and Language Learning
Posted by: | CommentsQuestion:
Dear Robbie,
I’m a college student from Taiwan.(Asia)
Recently, our profesor asked us to find some information about the conection between “Pop culture and language learning”. Therefore, I found your website. I admire your work very much. I’m wondering that if it is possible you can let me know more imformation about author’s name, published year (or finished year) and if you have already publish a book, I need the book’s name . If you can help me, I’ll appreciate you very much! Thank you!
-Helen Yu
My Response:
Hi Helen,
Thanks for contacting me and thanks for the kind words.
My name is Robertson B. Kunz (but I often go by “Robbie”) and my language learning guide is currently only available through my website. My book’s title is “Learn That Language Now” and you can find out more information about my guide by visiting the Learn That Language Now website. If you are interested in learning a foreign language, I definitely recommend it since it is a comprehensive guide that will teach you the quickest, easiest way to learning any foreign language.
Your professor’s question, however, is an interesting one. I think there is a great link between pop culture and language learning. In terms of language learning itself, pop culture can be a great way to learn a new language. Because pop culture naturally holds your interest, you can easily spend sustained amounts of time listening/reading/receiving the foreign language you want to learn and in that way, you will pick up a lot of the language without actually “studying”.
In terms of simply pop culture’s effect on an individual’s choice in which language to choose, I’d say that many people often end up studying a language simply because they are admirers of some part of that country or culture’s pop culture.
For example, I study Japanese and I noticed that many other students who study Japanese have an interest in Japanese anime (animation) or Japanese manga (comic books).
While many people study a language for other reasons, as well, pop culture is definitely a force in determining people’s language choices and can also be a great tool to make progress in learning a new foreign language.
If you have any other questions, just let me know! Thanks.
-Robbie
Learn Fluent Italian In Under 3 Months
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are thinking about studying Italian, you are probably wondering how long it is going to take you to achieve fluency. In this article, I will explain how you can achieve basic fluency in Italian in 3 months or less by following this plan.
The truth is that many students end up taking Italian language classes for many years and still cannot understand real Italian conversation. I also know many students who have achieved fluency in Italian or in other foreign languages in less than 3 months.
Before I get more into the plan, I should note that those of you who already know another romance langauge like Spanish or French will find this much easier to do. Also, if you have studied a foreign language that wasn’t necessarily a romance one, you will still have a slight advantage. For those of you who have never studied a foreign language before, you may find that the process takes you a bit more time because you are not used to learning foreign languages yet.
However, you should know that it is definitely possible to achieve basic fluency in Italian in 3 months as long as you stay committed to studying Italian each and every day for a serious amount of time.
Let’s go over some basic numbers so that you can see for yourself what is required to get to the basic fluency level in Italian.
In European languages, the 1000 most commonly used words make up 85% of common speech. The 3000 most commonly used words make up 95% of common speech. In order to achieve basic fluency in Italian, we need to hit the 95% mark which means a total of 3000 words.
Additionally, many experts in languages say that in order to become fluent in languages like Italian, Spanish or French, 200 hours of active study time is required.
So, because you are going to study for 3 months, you will have 90 days of study. This means learning about 33 new Italian words per day. If you devote 2 hours to this study process, you will get 180 hours of study in by the end of 3 months which is basically the 200 hours recommended by language experts.
You might think that learning 33 new Italian words per day is too hard. But consider the fact that you are going to be studying 2 hours everyday. This means you learn 16 words per hour or about 1 word every 4 minutes.
Take into consideration the fact that many coganates exist between Italian and English like the English word “international” being “internazionale” in Italian and you will see that you will be able to pick up many Italian words in less than 5 seconds.
However, we should remember that you won’t have all 2 hours to devote entirely to the study of new words. Remember that you will want to review words that you have learned in the past and also make sure you are picking up important things like correct grammar. After all this, however, you should still have enough time to reach your goal of basic Italian fluency.
If you are able to study Italian actively for 2 hours per day and reach the goal of learning 3000 Italian words by the end of 3 months’ time, you will have achieved basic Italian fluency. The important thing to remember here is that you need to stay committed each and every day to your Italian studies and take each step seriously. If you are able to stick with it each day and progress, then you will attain fluency in Italian.
Robbie Kunz is the author of the Learn That Language Now book. If you want the fastest method to learn a language like Italian so that you will become fluent in a Italian in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
Italian: Learning A New Language
Posted by: | CommentsThe descendent of Latin, the language spoken in the Roman empire, Italian is now spoken by more than 60 million people. Unlike its ancestor, however, Italian has grammar that is considered much easier to learn.
You may be interested in learning Italian for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you are going on a vacation to Italy or intend to live there. Maybe you have Italian ancestry or plan on getting a job that involves work with Italians. Whatever the reason may be, learning Italian can be a very rewarding exeperience.
One factor that may help speed up your studies of Italian is if you already have knowledge of another romance language like Spanish or French. Linguists consider these languages to be very similar and if you know one, you will find that you already know much of the vocabulary and grammar.
For English speakers, Italian is often remarked to have a “pleasing” sound to it, most likely due to its great use of vowels and especially its use of vowels at the end of words. Unfortunately, this stress of vowels also means that listening to Italian seems like an incomprehensible stream to most English-speaking Italian language learners just beginning their studies.
Some differences in Italian from English include the fact that there are two genders for nouns: masculine and feminine. It will be necessary to learn which gender a noun is everytime you learn a new noun. You will also find that Italian verbs conjugate quite differently based on the subject.
Word order, however, is quite similar between Italian and English. Both languages are subject-verb-object languages and because the syntax is similar, it will be very easy for you to start putting together your own sentences in Italian even as a learner.
Italian is a popular language to study so there is no shortage of materials to use for learning Italian. You can choose from computer software programs to traditional style classroom classes. Depending on your ultimate goals, you will want to find the tool that makes most sense for you.
Whatever your Italian language goals may be, remember that to succeed in learning any foreign language, you should make a commitment to learning the language everyday and continue to apply effort to your studies for as long as it may take to reach your goals, even years if you are aiming for fluency. But don’t forget to have fun at the same time! Make sure to enjoy Italian by listening to Italian music and watching Italian films. These cultural elements can be the most fun and most rewarding parts of learning Italian.
Author Robertson Kunz is a recognized expert in language learning. He has created a language learning book that will teach you to learn any language in the shortest bit of time including learning the Italian language. Italian learners of any level should be sure to read his fast language guide website where free information and articles are available.
