The Japanese Front

Now that yet another semester has come to a close, I'd like to write down some thoughts concerning my Japanese course.

But first, a response to a comment on the Cobbly Post:

It was interesting to read up on various approaches to the learning of kanji, but — to be frank — the Heisig method doesn't appeal to me. When I first began learning kanji, I learned the characters individually, and in an artificial order (i.e. according to the order used in a book). Whether the order was a good one or not, and whether my memorization technique was effective or not, the result was that I learned many characters for which I had no use (at least not at the time). Even if I don't bother about the readings, memorizing characters I don't use strikes me as meaningless, so I don't enjoy it.

In any case, as has been mentioned by others, the idea that the traditional method of learning kanji consists of memorizing sequences of strokes is rather far-fetched. I'm sure it's common practice for Japanese teachers to explain the meanings of the radicals, and it's not like the order of the strokes is randomly decided.

In short, I find the points made by the author of the Shiawase Blog valid, and — as far as is possible, considering that I've never tried the Heisig method myself — I share his opinion.

Now for an account of the Japanese course I took this semester:

In general terms, the course was very enjoyable and worthwhile. We were thrown into the deep end (namely, newspaper articles and the attendant wealth of unknown kanji) during the first week, so I was initially overwhelmed and pessimistic. Once we settled into the normal rhythm, though, I found that the level suited me perfectly — challenging, but not disheartening. The instructors had a good sense of humour, too, so the classes were never dry or devoid of energy.

There were four 90-minute sessions per week. On Mondays, we mainly read texts aloud and discussed them. On Tuesdays, we were introduced to new vocabulary and grammar constructs. On Thursdays, we memorized the conversations in the textbook, came up with our own variations, and recited them. On Fridays, we did much the same, along with some listening comprehension.

There was no time set aside in class for kanji (apart from the weekly kanji tests/dictations), but we were provided with lists of kanji, along with readings, meanings, and example sentences, so we weren't entirely on our own.

Compositions were assigned nearly every Monday. They didn't need to be particulary long (about 350 characters), but — at least for me — the writing process was very time-consuming. The topics were generally vague, so deciding what to write in the first place was no trivial matter. The subsequent formulating of sentences and paragraphs would have been a chore no matter what the language. Looking up words and turns of phrase, at least, was rendered halfway agreeable by the Denshi Jisho website (particularly the "Sentences" feature).

Compositions aside, we were required to write and present four speeches (each about five minutes long, preferably memorized) over the course of the semester. The topics were standard fare: our future, our hobby (I spoke about my inline skating adventures), an unpleasant experience (dropping out of UBC), and something we like (Moomins!).

My speeches generally went well. Answering questions afterwards was the most difficult part, since any knowledge I had of Japanese grammar and vocabulary tended to fly out of my head at those times.

The textbook we used was Minna no Nihongo (specifically, the second half of the second volume), which was convenient for me, since we had covered most of the first half in my courses at the Technische Universität.

The exam, which took place this Monday, went well. I began with the kanji section, which went swimmingly, and finished the exam just as the time ran out. Although I had a good feeling throughout, there were a few problematic bits. For example, there was something along the lines of:

授業を____________場合は、必ず先生に連絡してください。

The を particle threw me off. I ended up replacing it with に and filling the blank with 間に会わない (which should of course be 間に合わない — embarrassing!). I was going for "If you're (going to be) late to class, please make sure to contact the teacher", even though it doesn't really make sense . . . :.o(

By the way, I just remembered a Japanese-related incident that occurred on the way to a family reunion in western Germany. We'd departed Berlin by train some time past midnight and were stopping over in Magdeburg for a few hours. It was the middle of the night, and surprisingly cold for June, so we were happy to discover that a fast food restaurant was open (even if there was a rather large rat outside the door). Once inside, we ordered some food and drink. Having consumed my share, I promptly did my best to sleep with my head in my arms.

An hour or two later, a group of rowdy youngsters (probably in their late teens) came in and made fun of us for sleeping in such a place and (in the case of my tootly friend) for using a magnifying glass to read. I gave up trying to sleep and began working on one of my speeches for my Japanese course.

The strange writing soon drew the attention of our neighbours, who — upon finding out that it was Japanese — asked me to write their names for them, which I did (though probably incorrectly in some cases).

These proceedings piqued the interest of the restaurant's manager (at least I think it was the manager), who had been hanging around. He went off to gather the names of his co-workers on slips of paper, and brought them to me to be translated (transcribed?). He brought us some sweets, too, as thanks.

Basically, it all ended on a good note. A testament to the usefulness of learning Japanese. :o)