i was wondering if anyone has used either rosetta stone or something like it to learn japanese, also how well do u think it would work
Tapes and CDs and stuff should only be seen as a supplement to formal instruction and/or daily interaction with native speakers. The Rosseta stone thing is interesting but you won't really learn a language that way. And if you are a native English speaker you can only look at the process of learning Japanese as a loooooooooong term effort.
Matsuno... the best would be to have access to Japanese people where you can speak it on a daily basis. Not always an easy thing to come by. But there are lots of options... not the least of which... hiring some tutors from within you local English as a Second Language section of the college in your area. Don't turn it into lesson hour... turn it into social hour... set it up as a coffee break with some notebooks between you and them. It's a good way to get results.
The best way to learn a foreign language is to learn it with someone with whom you don't have another language in common. So find someone who doesn't speak English and is learning Japanese as well. The only common language you will have this way is Japanese and you will be forced to use Japanese to communicate. Works even better in a Japanese enviornment.
sorry, that doesn't hold water Why wouldn't you find a native speaker of the target language to communicate with rather than another learner? Also, having a common language to reference with your teacher/language partner can facilitate the learning process in many circumstances if we are talking about adults learning a second language.
I've had some success with the online course at www.YesJapan.com. It brought be up to a conversational level with my Japanese co workers, taught be both hiragana and katakana, as well as an introduction to kanji.
thanks for th replies guys, and it sems like most people are saying what i was thinking, which was that a formal class or another person who speaks japanese would be more beneficial than any online class or cd. Many of the instructors at my school speak japanese and in one of my classes he only speaks japanese. Also i can see what Baichi means about it being a loooooong term thing. Ive been wanting to learn Japanese for as long as i can remember and ive picked up things here and there but its so far from english its really hard without actually focusing on it for a while.
Yeah it pays to keep in mind there really is no deadline. So you're not under pressure to learn how to speak fluently in say a semester or so. Pick up the basics of communication and generally all the other stuff either falls by the wayside or falls into place. I'd say for basic communication I've found that Japanese is one of the easier ones to pick up as there are no tones that have to be learned like with Chinese or Thai. So that's going to work in your favor.
yes trust me i keep in mind that i have no time limit to try and learn japanese. Luckily since i know that its something that i dont need to know and just something that i want to learn i can take my sweet time learning it. They have classes at the community college though i might take a couple and see what i can pick u. I think it would be easier to learn on my own if i was tought the basics from an actual person for some reason
ah well there you go. Your class will be teaching from the basics... by an actual person. If they offer a class... take it. It's going to be structured and methodical... that'll give you a good handle on how to approach the language and the basics. As well you're bound to run into people who share your interest in learning it. At time professors can make really good contacts for getting in certain loops. Getting in touch with more people in Japan, from Japan and that speak Japanese is always a good thing.
