Language Acquisition in Action
Reading Heather's "Ears Turned ON" post, I came across so much that sounded familiar. It is now almost exactly six months since I landed in Japan, but my language ability has improved so much! I even surprise myself sometimes!
When I first landed in Japan, my head was spinning from all of the new sounds that surrounded me. Picture a computer with an input overload--I could almost feel my brain whirring through the words, and trying to pick up on familiar-sounding phrases. My responses were slow, disorganized, and often wrong. I was tired. But I was also determined.
I always heard that practice is the key to success, so from day one I practiced my Japanese at every opportunity. When someone asked me a question, I stumbled my way through the answer, racking my brain for ways to express myself in Japanese. When I ran into a word that I didn't know, I substituted the word in English and just kept on talking. Even when someone spoke to me in English, I responded in Japanese whenever possible, constantly pushing myself to use what I know.
I talked to whoever would listen. After a few weeks, I realized that I knew how to ask simple questions so I made it like a game to practice with people in everyday situations. Even if I already knew where the nearest 7-11 was, I asked a friendly-looking stranger for directions. Even if I didn't plan on buying a pen, I asked the sales person it was available in any other color. I often didn't understand their response, but I acted like I did, exclaiming "A soo desu ka?!" ("Oh really?!") and "Hai, wakarimashita" (Ok, I understand), secretly hoping I was saying them at the appropriate moments. I watched people's body language and facial expressions, and eventually picked up on some of the words that they used frequently, such as "massugu" ("straight ahead").
Despite my efforts, at first I didn't think that natural acquisition was working for me. Day after day, I learned new words, and then promptly forgot them. I confused similar sounding words, and my mistakes were endless. I even started to keep a diary of new words, hoping to improve my memory deficit, and study it in my spare time.
Eventually, though, I found that periods of confusion were followed by periods of improvement. When I did improve I improved rapidly, sometimes recalling several new phrases at a day! I found that, rather than using my vocabulary list, I could remember phrases better if I connected them to daily events. I still remember the day a friend of mine told me a funny story, and ended it with "Hazukashikatta!" ("It was so embarassing!") I know that from now on I will never forget "hazukashikatta." My fluidity also improved, slowly but surely. Even phrases I know, I learned to say more quickly and more naturally. Pauses in my speaking were no longer awkward as I learned to insert phrases such as "ano ne..." ("well...") into the conversation.
Now, after 6 months, my ability to communicate in Japanese surprises even me! Without even thinking, Japanese pours out of my mouth, sometimes even a word or two that I didn't even realize I knew. I have found that I even think in Japanese! While talking to my dad on the telephone, I had to pause to remember even simple English, like months of the year or days of the week. "What was month 11 called again?" Its a weird feeling to be so comfortable conversing in a language other than my native language, but it makes me so happy.
Now sometimes when I speak Japanese, my coworkers, family, and friends burst out laughing. I ask, "What did say wrong?" They respond, "Nothing. That's what's so funny. You said everything exactly right! It sounds so natural!" . When I think of all of the friends I have made and all of the new ideas I have been exposed to, I know my determination and effort was worth it. I look forward to many more times on this language acquisition adventure.
When I first landed in Japan, my head was spinning from all of the new sounds that surrounded me. Picture a computer with an input overload--I could almost feel my brain whirring through the words, and trying to pick up on familiar-sounding phrases. My responses were slow, disorganized, and often wrong. I was tired. But I was also determined.
I always heard that practice is the key to success, so from day one I practiced my Japanese at every opportunity. When someone asked me a question, I stumbled my way through the answer, racking my brain for ways to express myself in Japanese. When I ran into a word that I didn't know, I substituted the word in English and just kept on talking. Even when someone spoke to me in English, I responded in Japanese whenever possible, constantly pushing myself to use what I know.
I talked to whoever would listen. After a few weeks, I realized that I knew how to ask simple questions so I made it like a game to practice with people in everyday situations. Even if I already knew where the nearest 7-11 was, I asked a friendly-looking stranger for directions. Even if I didn't plan on buying a pen, I asked the sales person it was available in any other color. I often didn't understand their response, but I acted like I did, exclaiming "A soo desu ka?!" ("Oh really?!") and "Hai, wakarimashita" (Ok, I understand), secretly hoping I was saying them at the appropriate moments. I watched people's body language and facial expressions, and eventually picked up on some of the words that they used frequently, such as "massugu" ("straight ahead").
Despite my efforts, at first I didn't think that natural acquisition was working for me. Day after day, I learned new words, and then promptly forgot them. I confused similar sounding words, and my mistakes were endless. I even started to keep a diary of new words, hoping to improve my memory deficit, and study it in my spare time.
Eventually, though, I found that periods of confusion were followed by periods of improvement. When I did improve I improved rapidly, sometimes recalling several new phrases at a day! I found that, rather than using my vocabulary list, I could remember phrases better if I connected them to daily events. I still remember the day a friend of mine told me a funny story, and ended it with "Hazukashikatta!" ("It was so embarassing!") I know that from now on I will never forget "hazukashikatta." My fluidity also improved, slowly but surely. Even phrases I know, I learned to say more quickly and more naturally. Pauses in my speaking were no longer awkward as I learned to insert phrases such as "ano ne..." ("well...") into the conversation.
Now, after 6 months, my ability to communicate in Japanese surprises even me! Without even thinking, Japanese pours out of my mouth, sometimes even a word or two that I didn't even realize I knew. I have found that I even think in Japanese! While talking to my dad on the telephone, I had to pause to remember even simple English, like months of the year or days of the week. "What was month 11 called again?" Its a weird feeling to be so comfortable conversing in a language other than my native language, but it makes me so happy.
Now sometimes when I speak Japanese, my coworkers, family, and friends burst out laughing. I ask, "What did say wrong?" They respond, "Nothing. That's what's so funny. You said everything exactly right! It sounds so natural!" . When I think of all of the friends I have made and all of the new ideas I have been exposed to, I know my determination and effort was worth it. I look forward to many more times on this language acquisition adventure.
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