If I were you, I would not be in a rush to learn even the most basic conversational Japanese, since Japanese is quite different from English in grammar and usage. Would your wife know enough English to serve as your interpreter at the upcoming family reunion? I ma sure that this is the least stressful way.
Then again, if you insist on learning Japanese... As a fellow Japanese-as-a-second-language learner, I cordially offer you the following advice. 1. Which study method do you prefer? Do you like study on a formal basis (like myself), or do you prefer study on an informal basis? Choose a study program that fits in with your schedule. Even as little as an hour's worth of study, on a daily basis, will allow you to grasp a language. 2. Are you familiar with nomenclature for linguistic devices? The following should remind you of what you learned in English class during elementary. Do you know what a subject is? A predicate? Do you know what a noun is? A verb? An adjective? A preposition? A postposition? (As opposed to English, Japanese uses mostly postpositions; these come AFTER the modifier in a sentence.) If you know even a few linguistic terms, you will begin to unlock the puzzle of learning another language. Since all languages are different, it is not often enough to simply compare characteristics between two different languages. One must know what a grammatical device does in a language. Think of languages as machines; one machine has a particular set of parts and each part plays a role in making it work. As you may already know, languages, like machines, are designed differently. Even if any two machines share the same part, the one in machine A may fill a role different from that of the one in machine B. 3. Japanese, as I said before, is a different language from English. Proof of this is in the grammar. (Yes! Grammar!) For example, typical word order in Japanese is Subject-Object-Verb, vs. Subject-Verb-Object in English. So, in Japanese ALWAYS put the verb at the end. Also, in Japanese questions are usually formed by the use of special interrogative pronouns (e.g., "dô", "doko", "dare", "donna") and the use of the particle "ka" at the end of the sentence, whereas in English we just put the verb at the front of the sentence. 4. Japanese is pretty easy language to speak, but if you also want to write in Japanese, this will take time, so be prepared to get yourself a book that teaches you to write "kana" (phonetic symbols) and "kanji" (Chinese characters as they appear in Japanese). Speaking in Japanese should be enough, unless you plan to do writing on a regular basis, you need not learn writing right away. In fact, better to stick with just speaking and listening since a word in Japanese can have several different meanings, just as in English. 5. If you are in doubt about something, ask someone who knows. If you do not know what a word means, ask someone (e.g., your wife) to explain to you what it means. Learning a language is inherently social, so be ready to ask a lot of questions. That was just my two cents. If you have any more questions of your own, please feel free to post them here. - Arian I. --- In [email protected], "Doc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I am a 54 year old physician living in Rockwall, Tx. USA. My wife is > Japanese and from Kumamoto Pref. (Yamaga). Thjough I am blessed to > have a native speaker living with me I don't seem to have the "knack" > to learn a foreign language. I have half a dozen books, tapes, and > computer courses. Perhaps i have overwhelmed myself with different > study methods. I am looking for advice on the best way to study > Japanese. I will be going to a family reunion next march and would > like to be able to converse a little with my wife's family. Any > suggestions are welcomed! > > Bill Boone > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/u8TY5A/tzNLAA/yQLSAA/9rHolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Japanese_Language/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
