Before studying Japanese

Steps to learn any language

**I have spent ten years to learn English IF I had known or followed these Steps It would take me 1year and half to reach the same level in English So I applied these Steps on Japanese and guess What ! It took me only four years .**

.. read it carefully ..

Step 1. Motivation

Before asking a lot of questions about where to start and what website or book to use you must stop for a while and think what are the reasons you are learning the language

motivation is like the fuel of your car . In the beginning of your Journey you are filled with it but after a short a mount of time it going to vanish and you will stop tell your self I HAVE REACHED NO WHERE ...the reasons are :

1-You run out (motivation,fuel).

2-You realized you are going no where . Swimming in Ocean

OK what a professional language learner would do , refill his motivation by remind himself all big reasons that he/she started to learn the language ,achieving a thing better than nothing ,language is a big Ocean not a small river that you can cross easily **you will not see result in a short time period**

prepare yourself for the Journey

Step 2. Language is not difficult, but require more Time

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) has created a list to show the approximate time you need to learn a specific language as an English speaker. After this particular study time you will reach Professional level. so in this list we see

Japanese is four times harder (it take more time) than English and French

This means

More data = require More Time

Less data = Less Time

You can expect to drive a car and see results in two days and expect to fly a Helicopter in a month so why not expecting language learning could take years.

prepare yourself for the Journey

Step 3. expel all the myths

Myth 1:

Learning a Language require a Gene or a Talent.

No it require Perseverance and Making Time.

Myth 2:

Kids learn better than a Adults

see this video by a polyglot (Luca Lampariello )

Why and how adults can learn languages better than kids

Myth 3:

I forget things fast especially words because I have a bad memory.

We all forget word ,but people who remember word tend to spend a lot of time review them

see Forgetting curve

Step 4. Listening and reading

There is four aspects of language learning reading , Writing , listening , and Speaking learning one of them let’s the other to improve to ascertain level like when you listen a lot your speaking level will improve and when you read you will find your level of writing improve passively.

**From the start you must focus on reading and listening . Listen to material that comes with transcript so you can try to understand what are you listening to this is called ( active learning).

Step 5. Start with Textbooks And get rid of them

Textbooks only Teach you the basics with a lot of boring stuff and considered very understandable and give you the feeling of satisfaction but when you go out to fight (using the language) like trying to understand movie , music , News you will be frustrated that you understand a little because

Textbooks designed to make you feel that way they are a basic materials

But how to choose a Textbook

1. Authentic content (ex. Colloquial Japanese, Assimil Japanese and many others)
2. Interesting short content
3. Simple grammar
4. One book not many parts (you don't want to stick with basic boring content
5. Contains no tests (because eventually you will forget half of it)

**after two or three month of basic materials and Textbooks comes the real thing learning a real authentic listening and reading materials (you have to find them yourself) in the internet there is many of them ( study actively not passively)**

Step 6. Active Vs Passive Learning

It is up to you

-Passive learning will cost you a lot of time because you are having fun with language like watching movies, listening , to music, playing games etc trying to pick stuff here and there ( learning language like Japanese you will spend more than 10 years roughly )

- Active learning tiresome and boring like watching movies , music , anime, without subtitle and studying the subtitle and try to understand and memorize the sentences and words( learning a language like Japanese will cost 3-4 years roughly )

You can mix the two and having fun while studying (80% Active 20% Passive) it's up to you

Step 7. Make the Habit of studying

          Habits things you do every day and we don’t feel they are heavy because we accustomed to

do them. changing language study to be similar to a Habit makes your language acquisition be more steady because you will keep studying everyday . Attaching one habit to your study I experienced it to be more effective (ex. I told myself l will not brush my teeth until I at least study for 15 minute) with this I have made a condition to continue my habit.

Step 8. Don't Memorize list of Words

Words not associated with any idea it is too hard to be memorized not like reading a story or watching movie clip contains a pleasant imaginable ideas ( you will be able to recall the words by the scene you saw or imagined)

A fallen fruits will not grow unless they are attached to a tree .you have to attach the fruits with there branches .whole sentence contains structure (Tree branch) and words (fruit).

*Abstract ideas

The brain works by making connections between idea , pictures , thoughts, usually learning words by attaching the meaning in your native language then your brain will understand the meaning because your native language already attached to pictures , ideas, thoughts . So words with extra attachments (in sentence ) increases your chances of remembering them.

Step 9. Keep it relevant

Native English speaker knows between 10,000-25,000 Words most Words they are Called Passive Words ( words that not used in daily basis but knowing them when encounter in reading and listening or hearing). We use the most common Words about 1000-2000 Words in every day situations . According to that reading literature books is not very beneficial compared to reading newspaper and the latter not compared to (ex. comments in YouTube, listening to radio ,watching a native uploaded video talking anything etc.)

When studying language We want to see fast improvement in using the language. memorizing irrelevant unused vocabulary Seeing improvement will cost more time and chances of quitting the language increases.

                  ** Take your time choosing the content**

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***I am not A native English speaker so any correction, Idea, opinion you are welcome please email me**