Learning Japanese

[Ksim3000]

Well, I was speaking to someone I know the other day and I was at a loss on what I could do to develop more hobbies and interests. So he suggested a number of things I should do and just try to develop more interests, wether it be gardening, walking, languages, etc. So, I thought to myself, "Well, I've always fancied learning Japanese but I've never felt that confident".

So, I'm thinking of taking the steps and learning it as a hobby. Now I'm not one of these Manga folks, "OMG! JAPAN! GOTTA GO, NOW!", I just want to learn a good portion of the language where it is usable and have fun doing it at the same time. The Euro languages such as French, German, Spanish, etc aren't really anything I'd be particulary interested in doing (I still need to fully learn Americanised English, too! )

Well, I've heard that the Rosetta Stone series is good for learning the language because it helps teach one the "natural way". However, for folks with experiance in Japan (I am looking at Vi and Daisensei for any advice) what would be my best way of going about it?

Japanese is a complex language from what I understand with three seperate languages. That's virtually like English, traditional Welsh, Irish and Celtic stuffed into one.

I've also read a good dictionary would be useful to use whilst learning, too. Now, I don't live near any places offering Japanese as a lesson (they concentrate on the Euro languages, probably because the EU agenda) so any links to decent material and tips on how I could begin would be excellent.

Should I pick up Rosetta Stone? And what would be a good dictionary to begin? Can I learn Japanese on my own or would I struggle without somebody?

Thanks for the help.

[Violet]

You should start by learning the hiragana and katakana writing.  It will make learning words easier once you understand how they are put together.

[Flash Kid]

Violet has some lessons on her site. I started learning with those. Slowly but surely. Also try http://www.japanese-online.com . The only thing I hate about them is that they jump from romanji (roman text like this) to katakana suddenly in a lesson.

[Ksim3000]

Thanks for the advice.

Since you will be teaching yourself something the main concern you should have is if you can discipline yourself enough to really dig into it. I'm not saying you're lazy or anything, but with something so complex as learning a new language you will have to have the appropriate drive and motivation or you might find yourself a little bored with the whole prospect. You'll also need the time and money. Learning a new language can get somewhat expensive. I would also like to learn Japanese some day, but I can't right now because I do not have any of the aspects I just listed. I've gotten a very faint "feel" for it by watching some of my anime's exclusively in Japanese because the dubs don't sound as good. It would undoubtedly be easier if I could get into a course that teaches it. They do teach Chinese at the institution I attend, but it's a 7:30 class and I am not an early bird.

Perhaps after college I'll give it a little more effort. Anyway, if you really have the patience, you'll get farther than I have. Try to view this as an interesting challenge and you will find that it can be fun. Don't let any aspect of it get on top of you, either. If you're in charge of what you're doing you will have an easier time getting it done.

Thanks for the advice particulary. It seems like a hard lesson although someone told me they learnt Japanese, well, conversational Japanese within 9 months or so. However, the rest, such as the writing and what have you, took a good year or so to get the hang of. I wouldn't mind learning it ultimately and it would be something fun but I am looking for a language that will be beneficial to my time and if Japanese is one of those, then obviously I will be wanting to do something with it. But still, thanks for the suggestion.

Also, Violet and Flash Kid, thanks. I have checked Violet's website and I'll be sure to use that for reference if I decide to jump into it.

Anyway have an opinion about zee Rosetta Stone?

[Flash Kid]

Anyway have an opinion about zee Rosetta Stone?

Yes. Very very very expensive! It has more than one language granted but I'm sure you can find cheaper alternatives.