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I’m taking my first college Japanese course in a month, and so i’ve been using textfugu during the summer to hopefully get me through the first few courses and whatnot.
Now, since i have to take these classes as part of my major, i’m a little concerned about how i’m going to keep learning..
Should I just do what the professor/class dictates and then once that is over (the particular lesson), come back home and hop on textfugu, to continue these lessons?
I’m just starting season 2, and I’d really hate to get my wires crossed with how i learn on here, and how they teach in a classroom. The only real benefit of these mandatory courses I imagine, would be an academic barometer of my progress..
Anyways, any advice from someone who’s been in this situation?
Thanks!
Yo. I’m about halfway through season 2 Textfugu (cause I’m a noob slacker) and I’m starting my freshman year of college next month. I’m taking first year Japanese (cause I haven’t practiced my kanji at all, meaning I won’t even attempt to test out of first year. lol.). The way I see it, it doesn’t really matter which one you learn first. Textfugu then going to class might make you seem like a bit of a smart-ass, and going to class then Textfugu might be a little jarring with how differently they teach, but it’s not like they’re going to give you contradicting info. I think you and I will both be fine. Between Anki, class, and Textfugu, you should be a tad ahead of the pack, or at least on the same level as Textfugu/class wants you to be.
Just my opinion, but I hope it helped. Haven’t seen you around, either. Welcome to the fugu.
I’m going to what the North Americans would call “freshman year of college” pretty soon too (mid-September is when we start here) :) They have a beginners’ Japanese class at the University I’m going to, but, closer to the time, I’m going to email the department and see if there is any chance I could take a more advanced class – a whole semester of possible roumaji + kana learning just doesn’t appeal to me :P This would be an “outside” course (a “minor”?) to go alongside Computer Science (“major”?). Sorry I can’t give you any answers since I haven’t been in the situation yet, but I just thought I’d reveal myself as a member of the club hehe. I guess most colleges/universities will teach things differently.
I’ve been in this situation for the past 2 years.
I gave up with TextFugu and all my other self-learning resources and only stuck with Japanese homework and learning almost only what my Japanese tutor was giving me. I can not stress enough how BAD THIS IS.
Yes, it makes life easier (I’m extremely lazy) but my Japanese learning ladder (just imagine it’s a ladder) could be 4x higher if I’d combined self-study and tutor homework, all for an extra hour or so every few days.
I regret this and I don’t want the same to happen to you.So, my advice is just manage your time correctly. Do your homework and solidify then make time once, twice or three times a week for self studying. I wish I had.
There’s my two cents, sorry if it doesn’t make sense. I’m bad at explaining things.
@Kaona: You can’t have given up TextFugu 2 years ago… Back then it wasn’t even a twinkle in little Dashfugu’s eye :P
Oh no, I don’t mean TextFugu – I was implying all Japanese learning resources.
@Mister Holy crap a whole semester of romaji and kana!? They do that!? What a colossal waste of time…
But I am insanely jealous of anyone that gets to take formal Japanese classes… I screwed up big in high school and im not doing to great in my junior college nonsense (which doesnt offer any japanese classes T_T) so I cant get into any of the schools around here that have a Japanese program. DO GOOD IN SCHOOL KIDS! or youll end up like me and not be able to get the education you want.
Thanks everyone for the input!
@Mars yeah, i think it’ll be ok… now that i think about it, i was more worried about the kanji.. you know, learning about it in the dreaded fashion of pure repetition.. but i’ll maybe try to take them on using Koichi’s method.. haha
and thanks i’ve only been on here for about a month total. i love the community aspect.
@ Mister I was curious about the entire semester of kana + romanji.. i’m not exactly sure what my college does, but i’ll end up pulling my hair out if this is the case. i remember having a friend in JPN101 and by the end of the semester, all he knew were phrases in romanji… *shiver* what a horrible waste of time. everyone should come here to Textfugu if that’s how school will be spent lol..
@Kaona very sound advice, and i really appreciate it. this will definitely be how i end up handling my japanese education. (i mean the part where you give advice haha, not the first part.)
@ Dazanan i got kind of lucky.. i was a really bad high school student, but then picked up my education for college, and the program i’m in will send me to japan for a semester for study (assuming i can keep my grades up)…so realizing there are people in a position who can’t always do what they want, i’ve been hoarding education/knowledge/grades like a bear hoards food in december haha
and counting all the blessings
You got me all wrong XD I only meant that they will *probably* be going at a snail’s pace; I have no idea *exactly* what’s in the courses. All I remember is that the description says something like “involves kana writing and around 200 kanji”. I’m just assuming that’ll be really slow going in the beginning with lots of roumaji.
Hold on, I’ll get the page.
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/cxasst07001.htm – 1st semester, basic course
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/cxasst07002.htm – 2nd semester, basic course
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/cxasst08002.htm – Japanese 1 – I think this is the course for people actually doing Japanese majors. Slightly more difficult than Introductory Japanese 1 and 2, I assume.
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/cxasst08006.htm – Japanese 2A, full year, Year 2 – I’m going to email the department and see if this course is available to me or even suitable for my level – usually taken by second year Japanese majors, I think.
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/cxasst08007.htm – Japanese 2B, full year, Year 2 – taken at the same time as 2A, revolves around kanji writing which I covered in 2 months XD I wouldn’t want to take it and couldn’t because I wouldn’t have enough spare “credit points” haha.
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This reply was modified 12 years, 9 months ago by
MisterM2402 [Michael].
Ah ah ok. well now i’m thinking… my Japanese 101 class description says it only covers 25 kanji in the first semester…. what a difference. not to mention thanks to Textfugu i’m already associated with a good number more than that..
though they’ll probably be teaching the “basic” ones, or whatever.
I’m taking Japanese as a Minor, and I figured that even if i already technically know some things covered, i have no actual conversational experience.. so i’m going to spend a lot of time grabbing people and having them talk with me about stuff lol.. no rush i guess
I visited a bunch of courses, but in the end they were all useless and a waste of time and ressources. Ecept I learned how to order a pizza and give directions to a taxi driver in tokyo.
They tried teaching a few kanji each week and making us learn ALL THE READINGS at once for every Kanji. Of course we learned very complex Kanji and the only help to learn was a little image that was meant to be the look-alike of it. So, 20-stroke Kanji… picture of an ape eating a banana and write the kanji over and over until it “sticks” (+6 readings).
We also used a Textbook avoiding the actual use of Kanji and relying on Romaji most of the time. Learning like.. 5 kana per WEEK. Honestly, when I first self-teached myself out of frustration I learned all of them on a weekend and continued using them and it was SO EASY -.-’
TextFugus way to go about it is 300% more effective than any courses.The only positive things about japanese classes is “maybe” the actual talking. Find yourself a fellow language student or Japanese friends (offline, online) to chat and talk. You’re 100% better off.
Self-teach all the way – with the added benefit of not having to “order” pizza and learning other “useful” sentences (meaning, to cram them and repeat them, without understanding what’s behind it really).
Sorry for my bashing on courses, possibly not every course is the same, of course.
Im pretty lucky, my course is pretty good. We definitely move at a challenging pace. Our textbook is minna no nihongo which is 100% in Japanese.
However I can confirm that its likely that your entire first semester will be based around kana. If you have a really good grip of kana and the VERY beginnings of Japanese, you could easily skip it.
One of the best parts for me however is motivation. Being around a teacher, and classmates (who beyond first year are all great) and being able to talk to my teacher is a huge motivator to me. I also don’t want to let my teacher down or be outdone by other students. (im competitive >->)
yeah see i’m afraid of those things Revenant is talking about.. I have a really good grip on season 1 of textfugu.. that makes it sound like i could at least bypass the first semester.. lol.
I feel ya Sheepy. I feel like i need a classroom setting to be able to test what i know against the other people around me, maybe if only to confirm how well i’m doing. Sure, i’m sitting here, just starting season 2, being told how easy the first semester is going to be, but maybe hardcore drilling the most basic of basic will only help.
also, my major is East Asian Studies, and i want to do the whole study abroad – then most likely play the Gaijin Sensei role for a few/many years.. SO, i’m taking japanese as a minor.. i’ll be subjected to this archaic way of teaching (worst case scenario) for a long time…. so that’s why i brought up the question from the first post.. because i at the very least have a couple/few years of japanese classes ahead of me..
Also, i’m not sure how testing out of a class works – GPA-wise but i wouldn’t mind chilling in an easy class for a semester to boost my GPA a little… ya know?
Even if the classes are as dire as Revenant says, I still *have* to take an extra course along with my major (not that we use the terms “major” and “minor” over here haha), and the “outside” classes kinda boil down to languages or computer literacy and basic programming. I’m taking a Computer Science degree, so languages are the only option, really, and I may as well take a language I like :)
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This reply was modified 12 years, 9 months ago by
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