みなさん、ありがとうございました！
この日本語のクラスはとてもたのしくて、おもしろかったです。ブログが好きです。
For this post, I figure I will go over how my PE goals have been accomplished and what challenges I faced while completing them.
Commentary on Previous PE Goals:
1. Confidence
- One thing I definitely notice when speaking Japanese is my lack of confidence. Sure, I've looked at and studied the words, but when it comes down to facilitating a semi-normal sounding conversation, I just sound like I'm mumbling incoherently (probably).
- Second, I noticed when I am called on in class to speak, I freeze up and suddenly forget how to read/say what I'm supposed to. I think I'm just nervous that I'll make a mistake, but we're learning a new language, so that will inevitably happen (I should chill out).
2. Building the (good) habits of paying attention to grammar and focusing on reviewing constantly
- I find that each day in class we constantly review, but we also simultaneously add new content daily. I think sometimes that can feel overwhelming when we're still trying to grasp the previous day's lesson. Often, I find myself forgetting a grammar rule, the definition of a word, or how a certain sentence is supposed to sound.
- The point of focusing on grammar and reviewing words boils down to my goal of being able to clearly articulate what I need to say in Japanese in the most correct way possible, not only speed wise (sounding natural), but I want to reduce the amount of time I spend hesitating about my speech while I'm talking (too many pauses sound awful and make for bad, broken speech).
New comments:Again, continued practice and study has definitely improved my Japanese. I can't believe how much we've learned in about 13 weeks (such a short time) and the conversations I can now hold (sometimes). I do still need to work on making consistent work habits, because my progress really starts and stops sometimes when I get (inevitably) busy with other classes and assignments. Still, it's good to see progress and it's nice to know what I need to work on specifically.
3. Intonation, Long Vowels, and Double Consonants
- When I practice Japanese slowly, I find myself being able to distinguish between these things (intonation, long vowels, and double consonants), but quickly find myself frazzled when listening to Japanese at a normal speed. Sometimes, I find it hard to detect subtle sound changes, and the difference in words with long vowels.
- Intonation is not as troublesome, and I regularly can identify correctly what is meant, but the trouble comes when I myself am speaking (sometimes it's wrong).
- I notice there are often very (very) subtle differences in how a word is pronounced (especially with pitch), and sometimes I'm still a little confused when it comes to determining exactly what those are (high/low, etc).
New comments: Pronunciation has slowly been getting better, but it's also one of those things you will never stop working on when you learn a language. I have found more tools to help me with pronunciation, including Nakama exercises, Suzuki-kun, and just regular exposure to Japanese media. Ultimately, those have been very useful. Interestingly, one recurring issue is that I seem to have trouble with the "r" sound because I over trill them like Spanish. I think if I continue to practice the proper pronunciation and focus on correcting it, it will become less noticeable.
Also, I really found office hours with しばた先生 and とくます先生 to be super helpful and very fun. I really liked that I could speak to them about my life or activities using (okay-ish) Japanese. I look forward to consistently working with them outside of class.
