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This is an odd post, but it’s something that happens every now and again, so i was curious.
So, I’m an average partying 21 year old, and every once in a while, whenever i get drunk, i try my best to remember as much japanese as possible, (to test myself) and it’s almost like my head just wont’t produce the bits of the language i do know.
i know it’s perfectly normal to be drunk and not even know how to speak your own language clearly – let alone one you’re trying to learn, but to have (countless) hours of studying be wiped away temporarily.. is a little unnerving. Sometimes it makes me think that it has only sunk in to some shallow capacity – that i don’t have an actual understanding of what i DO know, and have drilled a countless number of times.
anyhoo, does anyone have any stories like this? I know if you’re at a party, and drunk, you sometimes end up talking about what you do for school, etc… so i wouldn’t be surprised if someone out there knows what i mean when the other person inevitably demands “say something in japanese!”, and you have to cover because you can’t recall any of it, and will look like a total BSer
I’m just basically nervous that when i end up studying abroad in about a year and a half, and then end up going drinking, i’m going to forget the language and not be able to communicate with anyone! O__O
wish i could articulate this better.
well, that’s all.
Cheers!
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This topic was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by
Funny because my sister told me a story once about a vacation somewhere in South America and spoke fluent spanish instead because she was drunk
you mean she she forgot whatever language she was supposed to be speaking (excuse the ignorance), and just spoke Spanish instead?
Yeah like she told me she had to take a cab home while drunk so the cab driver started making small talk and she answered back in Spanish
I wouldn’t worry. If you will indeed study abroad, then it should sink in to a deeper level than now. I have the same experience as missings sister. Just last weekend actually I went to a beer garden and got drunk with some random Japanese guys I had never met and I felt less inhibited. Of course it might not help your accuracy but it definately helps your fluency. That night I was talking to my friend (Japanese) and I was wasted, but the next day she told me my Japanese was really good. I just wish I could remember! I forgot maybe 40% of that night…
I think it varies from person to person. I’ve been googling it after reading this and a lot of people say that they actually feel like the speak foreign langauges better when they’re drunk. I feel like this is attributed to (some) people not feeling so self-conscious when they’re drunk, so they’re not so caught up on making mistakes. I feel like it’s really dependent on your reaction to alcohol. Like for me, sometimes I speak in Spanish when I drink, and I’m never really entirely sure why. I’m also pretty sure that I do so pretty well — although I do so pretty well without drinking anyway, it just feels a little more natural under the influence.
As a side note, though, there was this one time when I was very, very under the influence of a certain plant that is medicinally legal in some places and I was pretty convinced that I could understand French almost fluently. I was going back and forth between freaking out that I was surrounded by people who were speaking French, and partially understanding them (probably through just context and made up stuff in my head). I was doing pretty good at Armenian too. I also tend to think that I can out-sing Whitney Houston in that state of mind, so all this should be taken with a grain of salt.
@Swoosherz: If people think they’re speaking a language better when drunk, it’s probably less likely “more self-confidence” and more likely “distorted perception of reality”. I’m sure a lot of people, when drunk, think they are awesome at everything XD
“Hey guys, I can TOTALLY do a backflip off that wall there, watch me!! *falls off the wall* Aw man, did you see that?!? I totally OWNED back there!!!1″I remember a few months ago when I was still learning Hiragana, I went out and got drunk with my now ex-boyfriend. I didn’t drink a lot, but then again I am a HUGE light-weight anyways. Well, the next day, I completely forgot half of the Hiragana that I learned.
It’s not a huge deal, but yeah… I haven’t had a drink since; that really scared me. Not a good feeling.
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This reply was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by
リンディ.
This is interesting to hear from all of you!
It looks like, as i figured, experiences varied. I can definitely understand believing you speak a language better.
I’ve been in Swoosher’s French experience on about 4 dozen occasions.. hahah except i was surrounded by American folks >_>
リンディ – yeah, whenever something like that happens, i just chalk it up to not studying it enough in the first place, so ya know.. just punish myself by drilling it x20 harder the next day lol
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This topic was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by
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