Showing posts with label edufire. Show all posts

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Learning Japanese Through Music

How Listening To Pop Music Can Save Your Japanese

A guest post by Lauren A.

One of the most effective ways of learning a language is listening to music in the language you are studying. It is not only fun, but sets up the correct atmosphere in which language acquisition can occur. If you engage in some of the techniques outlined in this article, you will find yourself learning lots of Japanese quickly.

Pop Music Saved My Life

People that study language acquisition agree that language is best acquired in the context of meaningful, real-life situations. Since song lyrics are usually written on a single theme, and written based on the events and emotions that are experienced in real life, learning through music provides an excellent opportunity for language acquisition to occur. Songs are not a made-up dialogue in a textbook created to teach you a specific grammar point, but rather individual emotional accounts of the human condition, available in a wide range of topics.

The language found in song lyrics is the real language used in everyday life, not the stale language taken out of a textbook designed for foreigners to learn. Idiomatic and slang expressions are frequently employed, along with plain and expressive forms. Learning through songs is not your basic これはペンです (this is a pen) language learning experience. This is the kind of language learning that one can hear in real conversations. Beware of using it in formal situations!

Emotional Involvement and Active Listening

The more you like a song, the higher the chance that you will acquire the language used within the song’s lyrics. When you become emotionally involved with a song, the task of figuring out what its lyrics mean and the grammar behind it becomes an exciting quest for meaning.

You listen to the song again and again creating the repetitive listening “input” required for language acquisition.
You sing along with the song, creating the speaking “output” required for language acquisition.
You learn new words by figuring out their meanings based on context.

You learn new words by figuring out their meanings based on context. Because it is so fun, your brain does all the hard work without you realizing that you are actually learning. In a short time, you are remembering and using the vocabulary and grammar infused within the songs you are “studying.”

Before now, you probably already knew that learning a language through listening to music was a great method. But how can you do so in the most effective ways possible? It’s possible to passively listen to music without thinking about it and acquire a language, but this takes a very long time to reap results. To achieve the most benefit, you must actively listen to a song’s lyrics, thinking about the words as they are being used in context, and in what manner they are being used. Here are some suggested activities for actively learning Japanese through music.

Eleven Essential Activities for Learning Japanese Through Music

Choose a song to study: Choosing which song to study depends on what you would like to accomplish. You can choose a song that has meaning for you, such as your favorite song, the one from your favorite show, or the one that you heard while on the train to Tokyo. You can choose a song that has a particular educational goal, such as one with a particular verb tense you would like to practice, or one based on a specific theme in which you would like to increase your vocabulary. You can choose a song based on length and/or difficulty level, such as a short and easy children’s song or a more longer and difficult ballad or rap. Ultimately, however, it really does not matter which song you choose; you will acquire language no matter which one you study.
Find the lyrics to the song: Search for the lyrics online, preferably in Kanji. Choosing a song whose lyrics have already been translated will be less challenging to study than one that has no translation available.
Look over the song’s lyrics: After choosing a song to study, look over the lyrics and point out all the words you already know. This serves to reinforce the vocabulary you already have acquired and helps to seal the vocabulary you have up until now only partially acquired. Listen to the song a few times and list the words you recognize from listening to the song. Say the words out loud for speaking practice. Look at the grammar being used in the song. Point out to yourself the concepts you already know well, as well as the new ones that you have not seen before, and are curious about. See if you can figure out the meanings of unknown vocabulary and grammar based on their context within the song.
Study the song’s lyrics: Look up all the words that you don’t know the meanings of with a dictionary. Identify the different grammar points by performing a search in books and online. If you are using a set of lyrics with a translation, use it to see if you are using the correct definition for a word or phrase. Identify idiomatic expressions and phrases that are not translated directly from one language to the other. Create a list of the new vocabulary and grammar learned from the song for referencing and studying later on. Do this with as much of the song or as little of the song as you feel driven to do.

Rikaichan (http://www.polarcloud.com/rikaichan/) is a pop-up dictionary plug-in for Firefox that works really well for looking up song lyrics. You can hover your mouse over the Kanji, and the program identifies the definition, the part of speech, and which form is being used along with its plain form. You can also copy and paste the definitions that you find while searching.
Study the meaning of the song’s lyrics: As you are looking up the words to the song, analyze the non-literal meaning of the lyrics. Observe the way the words are ordered in each sentence and how they are being used to convey their overall meaning. If you are using a set of lyrics with a translation, use it to compare how things are being said in Japanese versus how they are said in your language. Use more than one translation of the song to verify the meanings, and if you speak another language, it is helpful to look up the lyrics’ translation in that language too. Notice the cultural differences between how each language expresses different ideas.
Learn to sing along with the song: Listen to the song while looking at the lyrics, and learn to sing it out loud. Singing is a form of “shadowing,” a process whereby you acquire language quickly by repeating what a native speaker says at the same velocity. Have the vocabulary and grammar list you created available for the words you need to learn nearby to look up when you forget what something means. Listen to the song over and over, until you eventually learn to sing the song without looking at the lyrics.
Sing the song again and again: Speaking output and repetition are the keys to acquiring a language, so sing along to it whenever you can. Bring the song with you on your personal music player when you travel outside of the house, and rotate it in with all of your other favorite songs. Enjoy your newfound ability to sing along with many parts of the song. Do not expect to remember the entire song the first time you sing it without the lyrics. You will need to listen to it many more times before you learn the whole song. Actively try to remember the grammar and vocabulary you studied while singing the song’s lyrics.
Study more: Realize that acquiring a language is a gradual process. Some words need to be heard and recognized in different contexts many times before they are acquired. Periodically go back to your list of vocabulary and grammar from the song and look it over. Put the words you want to remember in a spaced-repetition system like Anki (http://ichi2.net/anki/) or www.smart.fm. Make new sentences with the words and grammar from the song that you still need to learn, and have them checked by a native speaker on www.lang-8.com. Use whatever study method works best for you in order to move things into your long-term memory.
Study with friends: Since the goal of language is communication, studying language makes more sense when done socially. Study song lyrics together, sing karaoke together, and speak to each other using the new words. Attend classes online with others, such as the “Japanese Through Anime Music” class found at http://edufire.com/users/5219-languages-other-tutor-lauren-a, where you can learn to sing a popular Anime song together with a wonderful group of Japanese-learners.
Listen for newly acquired language in other places: When hearing Japanese outside of the song you studied, such as listening to other songs, watching TV programs, or hearing native speakers’ conversations, try to actively listen as much as possible. Bring the language you are hearing to a conscious level, where you are listening to the individual words being used, recognizing and figuring out their meanings, analyzing the grammar being used, and trying to understand their meanings on a holistic level. As you do this, you will start hearing the words you learned in the lyrics of the songs you have studied prior. When hearing specific expressions, you will most likely be able to remember exactly from which song you learned it, since the brain is designed to remember things it experiences relatively and emotionally.
Be creative: Realize that this article’s proposed methods are only suggestions. Be creative in coming up with your own method for studying though music and you will be learning lots of Japanese in no time!

Lauren A. is a formally trained language teacher with over two years teaching experience on eduFire. Her much loved classes, Japanese Through Anime Music : 皆さんの一番好きな音楽 are always well attended and free! Follow her on Twitter (@Vircocha1) or check out her profile on eduFire.

Do you listen to any Japanese music? Do you have any recommendations for good music to study with? I'd like to hear it! (ed)

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Japanese Language Coach Brett Fyfield, At Your Service

Why you should hire me as your Japanese Language Coach this Summer

Are you looking for a Japanese course this Summer? Do you have real goals that you want to achieve with your Japanese? Do you want to make sure you are fully prepared for the JLPT well ahead of time? I'm just about to take time off from full time work for summer in Japan so this presents an unprecedented opportunity for you to accelerate your Japanese study.

"9-2-4-10-5-1" - Yokohama by Sushicam

How can I help you achieve your goals in Japanese?

I can offer you a fresh perspective on Japanese that will help you make changes which ultimately lead to more effective learning. After a few hours with me you'll have much better answers to the 'how' and the 'why' that most others take for granted. You'll be able to approach your own learning with much more flexibility and creativity.

Because the focus is on real communication with Japanese, you'll be able use the same innovative techniques to improve your ability outside of the classroom too. You'll break through those plateaus that have been holding you back from acheiving real fluency in Japanese. Before we look at the statistics you might want to know why you should learn Japanese from a non-native speaker.

Let's take a look at the statistics.

Some people like facts and figures when they're making a decision. It's not the only thing you need to think about when finding a Japanese language instructor, but helps to get some background.

In the 2 years I've been teaching Japanese, I have:

Completed over 60 hours of personalised one-on-one coaching in Japanese.
Completed over 300 hours of group sessions for Japanese students of all abilities.
Worked with over 65 full-fee-paying students to improve their Japanese.
Featured on the homepage of eduFire as a Rockstar teacher.
Had my class workbooks downloaded over 2000 times.
Been one of the "Top 5" ranked Japanese tutors on eduFire.

Don't take my word for it, hear what my students are saying.

About my Japanese Language Coaching:

"Brett is a great tutor who always comes up with new innovative ideas on how to teach Japanese in a fun, yet effective, way."

Philip Seyfi, New Media Designer and Developer

"Brett is an excellent teacher and he makes his lessons interesting every time. I've learned quite a bit in the few classes I have taken."

Björn A., Hopeful Exchange Student in Japan

"He is flexible, engaging and expressive. He in just one lesson connected well with me and tried to understand what I wanted to accomplish. And we laughed a lot. Great tutor."

Allen Thomas, Interested in culture and communication

About my JLPT Prep Coaching:

"Good information so you can do your best on the test."

Rilitsa B.,

"Very nice teacher, and useful tips for the JLPT !"

Clear M.,

"Good tips on how to focus your study for any level of the JLPT. Lots of answers to general questions about the exam process."

Kara C., Japan Traveller

Elsewhere on the interwebs.

I've been in this J-blogger game for quite some time now, and I never tire of bringing you my unique perspective on Japanese culture. Here are some other places you can check before you make a decision.

Guest post on Tofugu: Learn Japanese Vocabulary Faster By Becoming A Nintendo DS Kanji Sono Mama Jedi Master
Guest post on Caught*Red-Handed: The Origin of Hiragana
Interviewed on Nihongoup by Philip Seyfi
Interviewed on Japan Podshow by Joseph Tame:
Article on eduFire: How to Choose the Best Japanese Dictionary
Featured on the eduFire channel on YouTube: 5 Ways to Pass the JLPT at Any Level
Brett Fyfield's Tutoring Profile on eduFire

I am offering two types of one-on-one Japanese coaching sessions.

1:1 Japanese Language Coaching

Tailored to your needs, these sessions to help you master conversational Japanese. Each session comes with a pre and post-task to help you incorporate sophisticated learning strategies into your daily study. Request a session via eduFire now or go direct with PayPal.

1:1 JLPT Prep Coaching

I’ve spent a lot of time developing and applying the best study techniques for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. With a highly focused 1:1 session you’ll feel more organized and confident about facing the mountain of self directed study you need to do to succeed at the JLPT, no matter what your level. Request a session via eduFire now or go direct with PayPal.

A Note About Booking 1:1 Sessions: Please give yourself at least 24 hours to find a suitable time. Because of the time difference between where you are and where I am in Australia, I’m probably asleep when you decide to book. Chances are if you leave it too late I’ll miss your request. I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.

All 1:1 Sessions are $60 per hour, unless you're a subscriber to my Japanese Language and Culture Newsletter. We can do them via Skype or via eduFire, whatever you are more comfortable with. Calls can be recorded on request so you can listen later.

Subscribers to my Japanese Language and Culture Newsletter get discounts on 1:1 Japanese Coaching Sessions and special insider tips on passing the JLPT.

What's holding you back from reaching your goal of fluency in Japanese?

Saturday, February 06, 2010

7 Reasons You Need To Start Reading Manga Today

Put down that textbook now and get some real Japanese input

If you're reading this blog I think it's fair to say you are probably interested in learning Japanese. I would hope also that you want to know more about Japanese culture, because the two things really do go well together like rice and raw fish. I wonder though, how many of you are getting enough authentic input.

Tazer v.1 by KayVee.INC, on Flickr

Learning a language is all about devouring massive amounts of authentic Japanese, through books, websites, audio and video, and in conversation with people speaking Japanese. If you're not living in Japan, some of these things might be harder to do than others, but I imagine you are doing your best with what you have. That's OK, we can work with that.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

A Rainbowhill Retrospective for 2009

Almost to the end of another year, and what a big year it has been. I have a lot to be thankful for, good health, family and friends, and the support of you my readers and students. Thanks for following. If you've read more than a few posts then you hopefully you'll have noticed that blogging for you is also a learning process for me.

If you have been here for a while and haven't commented, the invitation is always open. There are also many other ways to connect, become a fan on Facebook, follow me on Twitter. If this is your first time here this post will thread a path for you through the archive, and is probably a good way to get to know me better. If you like what you read, please pick up the feed.

Teacher/Pupil: Twitter 19/365

Got to know where you've come from to know where you're going.

I started January with Japan Blog Matsuri post about keeping yourself open to possibilities when travelling to Japan or preparing to live there. The inspiration for getting back into blogging was provided by Chris from Nihongo Notes who blogged about getting over your perfectionist streak. Thanks Chris, your insights helped unblock my inner blogger and helped get this blog back on track.

The message I have is still pretty much the same, maintaining an open mind and understanding your motivation is most important if you want to make the most of the Japanese experience. Any experience you have is yours alone to have, so I asked you what's your flavour of Japanese? A post by Jon on the Kurosawa classic Rashomon had me thinking how inseparable culture and language are. Your perception invariably influences your version of reality.

Get your blog on.

One of the most commented on posts of the year asked if learning Japanese loanwords make you lazy. The post actually lay dormant for quite sometime until I submitted it to JapanSoc and it got picked up on Twitter. I was responding to a mothballed review written in 2001 of Giles Murray's entertaining book of techniques for learning Japanese reviewed elsewhere on this blog. It showed me how a little controversy can go a long way to getting some posts noticed.

In February I posted three ways to enjoy Japanese curry rice, another Japan Blog Matsuri organised by Deas from Rocking in Hakata. Mid month I spent two weeks in Japan before coming back for more eduFire where I learnt that teaching in more than one time zone can be tough. With the exception of Field Mice and Japanese Mnemonics most of my lessons since have been at times that make it hard for those in Australia and Japan to take part. So hello North America and Europe, the Middle East and South Asia!

In March I investigated how reading Manga can be good for your Japanese and how there is always room for humour with some bad Japanese puns. I followed up in April with a guide to learning Japanese through manga with the help of my Twitter friend @natuskigirl.

One thing that I must learn how to do well is some kind of weekly link post. I toyed with the idea of sharing links that my students share in the eduFire classroom and did a photographic retrospective of Spring Sumo tournament. These kinds of posts probably should happen more often, but they also need to contribute a more to the blog than just an automated dump of delicious links or a Flickr feed. April was also the where I tapped into 6 ex-pat perspectives on Japan, a theme I continued with 7 J-bloggers far from Japan in June.

The rise and demise of Superpass.

Superpass was launched in June, and discontinued in December. In that short time it provided me with enough momentum to attract over 300 students to my classes on eduFire, so I'm grateful for it. I'll be exploring new ways to maintain that momentum in the new year, and will continue to produce top content and articles relevant to studying the Japanese language. I'll be looking for ways to offer exclusive discounts to existing students and readers of my blog. Get in early for a subscription to my email newsletter, launching in the new year where you can learn about these discounts first.

Moving forward.

Part of the formula for attracting and supporting new students has been the goals I create on smart.fm. I blogged about the introduction of colloborative smart.fm goals in July, and not much else. I got back in to the swing of things with a guest post on Caught*Red-handed about the history of written Japanese and organised a forum for students of Japanese students on eduFire. There was also a bit of fun with bottom grabbing on Twitter.

In September it was all about the JLPT and test preparation with a five step series to ace the JLPT. The five posts outlining the five steps were also completed in 5 days, which was a bit of an experiment in speed blogging. I was also lucky enough to be able to give away a free month of SuperPass to @aggettzz who was overjoyed. I found posting a series of blogs to complement my classes on eduFire helped maintain my motivation. In October I began a book review of 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese, a text I've been using in my Fast Track to Fluency classes.

My network on Twitter has been a fabulous source of inspiration for blogging, and even a source of answers where I am unable to provide them to my students. I find every time I'm asked a question that people really want to know, like "what are the best apps for learning Japanese on iPhone?" I get the best answers from my Twitter friends.

Again in November I asked if my friends were using a monolingual Japanese dictionary and came up with 3 good reasons to use a Japanese only dictionary. I had previously written an article for eduFire How to Choose the Best Japanese Dictionary, but I wanted to go into more detail about discovering new vocabulary using a Japanese monolingual dictionary.

By the end of November most people studying Japanese were preparing for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I could probably do a lot better at rounding up resources for the JLPT, but it's a long way off now and there is plenty of time. At least I have a game plan for how I'd like to approach the JLPT in 2010.

Thank you for reading.

It has been a big year, and I have lots of people to thank. I'm planning to have an even bigger year in 2010 and I want to get things of to a good start. Why don't you become a fan of the Rainbowhill Language Lab on Facebook or follow @rainbowhill on Twitter. If you have done a lesson with me on eduFire, please tell me what you think, I want to get to know you better. If you haven't already, Get in early for a subscription to my email newsletter. In it you'll find discounts on lessons with me, specific tips for preparing for the JLPT and of course all the best content on Japanese language and culture.

あけましておめでとう

All the best for 2010!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

New Japanese Language Proficiency Test for 2010

No Test Content Specifications for New JLPT 2010

Earlier in December the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) released further detail about the New Japanese Language Language Proficiency Test. As has been reported elsewhere this marks the first time the test has been offered with five levels, with a extra level intended to bridge the large gap between the previous 3rd and 2nd levels.

Other bloggers were quick to point out other major departures from the the previous test format, including the intention not to publish test specifications or past tests, and the requirement to pass each section of the test for an overall pass. It seems that the Japan Foundation have moved to modernise the test to measure both “Japanese language knowledge, including vocabulary and grammar,” and “the competence required to perform communicative tasks using language knowledge.”

There are also other small changes to the presentation of test sections, and the types of questions within them. Under development is a 'can-do' list of proficiencies which will be provided to help examinees and other better understand the test in practical terms.

What does this mean for you if you want to take the test in 2010?

Some things never change, like the need to do hour upon hour of mind numbing study, but if you want to know if the test is right for you here are some answers to questions I get asked all the time.

Who is it for? The JLPT was devised in 1984 to respond to a growing demand among students of Japanese to evaluate and certify Japanese language ability. It has grown in to a internationally recognised test the results of which have been used for employment screening and evaluation for pay rises and promotions. In 2008 well over half a million people took the test in centres all over the world.

Why should I do it? You should do it if you want to certify that you have passed a standardised test which measures Japanese language proficiency. The Japan Foundation have expanded the aims to inlcude measuring “the competence required to perform communicative tasks using language knowledge”. I don't think a paper based test will never come close to testing your communicative ability without a spoken section. Having said that though, it's always good to have something to aim for and if you need some reason to break open your text books this is as good as it will ever get.

What does it test? Test levels N5 (beginner) through to N3 (lower intermediate) are broken in to three sections; vocabulary, grammar/reading and listening. Test levels N2 (intermediate) and N1 (advanced) include vocabulary and reading/grammar in the first section, and lsitening in the second. Speaking and writing are not measured directly. Answers are machine scored multi-choice as in the current test. More details are provided in the New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Guidebook - Executive Summary (pdf).

When is it held? In 2009 the JLPT was held on the first Sunday in July, but the level 1 and level 2 tests were held only in Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan. The first Sunday in December is known to most who have taken the test as a day of dread all over the world. If you plan on taking the test this year, nothing less than your full comittment from day one is needed to pass at the level appropriate to your perceived ability now. There is a handy table in the executive summary (pdf) of linguistic competencies required to pass each level.

Where is it held? The test is held in over 150 locations outside of Japan, however in 2009 the July test was only held in China, Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan. Locations for the test are not normally confirmed until test vouchers are received but you can get a good idea if one is close to you by looking at the list of local host institutions. Application forms are not normally published until a few months before the test date either, and outside of Japan they can be a bit hard to come by. Host institutions are the first place you should ask, their phone numbers are published on the same list. For those of you wanting to take the test in Japan here is the list of test sites, and a link to bookstores where you may purchase the application form.

How should I prepare? The Japan Foundation have determined that it is inappropriate to publish "Test Content Specifications", a major departure from previous years. Their reasoning is that rote memorisation of vocabulary, kanji and grammar does not guarantee you are capable of using Japanese for communication. It does go a long way however. I have written about the best way to prepare for the JLPT, and have run some online training on how Ace the JLPT at any level. I plan to run similar training in 2010 and tailor content for the select group of people that sign up for my newsletter that launches in the new year.

How will I know what is on the test? The executive summary (pdf) contains a “Composition of Test Items” at each level of the test, which is something you can use to structure your study. Other things that could prove useful include the “A Summary of the Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level” found in the executive summary (pdf) and the "New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Sample Questions" found on the official website of the Japanese-Language Proficiency test.

Which level should I take? Since the new test levels correspond to the past test levels past tests are always going to be the best way of establishing your current level. The only grey area is with N3 where the number of kanji and vocabulary required fall somewhere between the old level 3 and 2. Jonathon Waller has created an excellent comparison of the old versus the new JLPT with descriptions drawn from the JEES to help you decide which test to take.

After all that, if you still want to take it, please read on.

Let there be no illusions.

This test takes a fair commitment of time and energy, you must make sacrifices. There are few excuses on test day if you rock up unprepared, and the pit in your stomach is bottomless when you realise all that time has gone to waste in March when results are released. If you want to know how others who have just taken the test are spending their time right now see my light hearted attempt to infuse some joy in to the long wait for results.

It is also clear from reading the executive summary that you must come to the test a well rounded student with no obvious weaknesses.

"examinees must now exceed the minimum acceptable score for both the total as well as each scoring section. Failure to exceed the minimum acceptable score in any scoring sections will result in a fail for the entire test."

I'll be going into much greater detail about how to prepare for the test for those that sign up for the newsletter. In the meantime check out past posts on preparing for the JLPT, including an hour of exam preparation training on eduFire, and the series 'Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level'.

5 Steps To Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level is a Free Online Seminar at eduFire

How will this change your approach in 2010?

Are you taking the test this year? Do you plan to do things differently this time around?

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Get Your LangFreq On Twitter

New Tool LangFreq Helps to Uncover the Most Common Words on Twitter

Everybody loves Twitter for the people, but not many people know how useful the bots can be. When Evan Williams talked about the impact of persistant communication on being social at LeWeb03 in December 2007, it was in the context of Twitter as a command line interface.

The idea had been around for quite some time and came about as Twitter began to open up the API, heralding the rise of Twitter as a mobile applications platform. A whole ecosystem of apps and bots sprung up around the api, now inhabiting the Twitter fan wiki in various states of (dis)repair.

One of the points Ev liked to make was that too often we ask "What can we add to a product to make it better?" He thought rather we should be asking "What can we take away to create something new?"

The new austerity.

Many of the bots that have sprung relate to productivity or novelty, but there is also a small handful devoted to languages. One of the most recent additions to this burgeoning hive of activity is LangFreq by Zyaga. LangFreq is set of language tools including word frequency, phrase rank and comparison, language translation and identification.

Zyaga and I first talked about his ideas in my Japanese classes on eduFire as he was developing these web tools to compare word frequency across a few languages. During an exchange of emails I suggested that Twitter would not only be a good source of data, but a good platform for a command line interface to his web work.

A Twitter bot is born.

The LangFreq suite of language learning tools is in beta so there is still plenty of work to be done, already it's showing lots of promise. LangFreq is built on the simple premise that someone studying the 100 most frequent words in any language would be much further ahead than someone studying 100 words at random.

Linguists have long been aware that there might be some advantage to learners in identifying a core vocabulary^[1]. There are a certain number of high frequency words in each language that cover a large proportion of words in common use^[2]. The notion of a core vocabulary has also become a central principle of some language learning systems, notably Pimsleur.

LangFreq addresses the need to know these most frequent words simply and cleanly on the website for English and Spanish. For Japanese however, the situation is a little more difficult. The trouble with Japanese is that it is difficult to define where one word ends and another begins^[3]. Although it is possible that breaking words down into smaller units makes it easier to work with, doing so limts the applicability of the tool.

Japanese is a language largely built on compunds of two or more kanji and the okurigana that helps identify the nature of the verb conjugation or adjectival inflection. It will be interesting to see how Zyaga solves this computational problem. It might be worthwhile taking another look at Jim Breen's classic Japanese dictionary WWWJDIC, or looking at the work of Rick Noelle and his Japanese Sentence Parser which uses the MeCab morphological analyzer.

Taking a closer look at the bot.

Please go and take a closer look at the bot @langfreq, I'll be doing an indepth comparison with some other similar bots in the next week or so.

It's pretty easy to get started. There are only four commands including help, rank, translate and identify. The bot is an elegant way to get this kind of information about core words when you are out and about.

Have a play around with it and tell me what you think. Do you use bots like these?

1. Carter, Ronald. “Is there a Core Vocabulary? Some Implications for Language Teaching*.” Applied Linguistics 8, no. 2 (February 1, 1987): 178-193.

2. Nation, I. S. P. Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge Univ Pr, 2001. [pdf]

3. Douglas, M. O. “Japanese Cloze Tests: Toward Their: Construction.” [pdf]

Friday, December 18, 2009

Blogger Disclosure and Food for Thought

Recently the FTC said that it would revise rules about endorsements, testimonials and advertising to include blogging and social media. Although this blog falls well outside the FTC's jurisdiction the NYT article has provided me with food for thought about the kinds of endorsements I make on this blog and how my relationship with advertisers may affect my relationship with you the reader.

Although I've been blogging for years, I first started taking this Japanese language and culture blog seriously about the same time I started teaching Japanese on eduFire. I initially saw this blog as both a vehicle for promoting my lessons and establishing some credibility as a language instructor.

If you have taken lessons with me before, please tell me what you think, I want to get to know you better.

In the past year this blog has become much more than that. It has become part of a conversation I am having with you, and the broad community of people with an interest in the culture and language of Japan. I've made so many interesting friends and been exposed to many new ways of thinking. I have lots to be thankful for, well beyond any financial reward I could ever hope to gain from blogging.

So what's the occasion?

My motivation for blogging has always been about communication and personal growth, and it will continue to be. As 2010 the year of the Tiger comes around it provides me with the opportunity to renew my commitment to you, to continue to provide top quality content and opportunities to learn about Japan and the Japanese language. I'm also making a renewed commitment to blogging for fun and for profit.

I want to be upfront about my motivations for blogging with you. I have seen friends do this kind of personal disclosure well, and others with a sense of good humour, so I thought I too would take this opportunity to connect with you.

My blog and how I make money

Just so there are no secrets, I make money from teaching people Japanese. But you knew that already right?

I had one affiliate link for SuperPass which has generated a modest number of clicks but no conversions. Now with SuperPass gone I'll be looking for ways to offer exclusive discounts and subscriptions to readers of my blog. Get in early for a subscription to my email newsletter, launching in the new year where you can learn about these discounts first.

I also make money, not a lot, in fact a very small amount of money through an the Amazon Associates program. In future I may experiment with advertising, but at the moment I'm happy with the way things are on this blog without it.

Sometimes I am offered freebies to evaluate and blog about. In these cases, I'll let you know because I think it's important you understand the relationship I have with the people behind the product. Product reviews of this type are difficult to do, but I won't shy away from telling you if a product has faults. I have a responsibility to you my reader to tell it like it is. If a product is poor quality, or if the people behind it aren't behaving ethically I simply won't blog about it.

My ethical standards.

My golden rule for endorsements is "does what I promote have real value for readers of my blog". I am also less likely to promote something I haven't used myself unless there is a compelling case for doing so. If there is anything you think doesn't quite sit right with you, please bring it up with me, because chances are others might feel the same way too.

What's in it for you?

Thanks for making it this far through this rather dry post, I will return you to your normal programming soon. There has to be something it for you for sticking with me this far:

Expect more workbooks, this time focussing on grammar and verb conjugations, because you asked for it.
Keep an eye out for greater integration between smartfm goals, eduFire lessons and the workbooks, because the combination has worked well in the past.
Look out for free themed lessons on eduFire that coordinate with the exclusive content found in the newsletter.
Anticipate courses and course-ware that use the very latest technology and have very clear outcomes for learning.

I'm looking more ways to connect with you, to understand your needs and tailor content to help you achieve your goals. So let me know about it! What would you like to see on this blog? What lessons would you like to take? I want to hear about it in the comments, or take the survey.

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Secret #3 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Readable Phone Numbers

How to Master Numbers from 1 to 10

The fourth post of the series -13 Secret Techniques to Put You on the Fast Track to Fluency in Japanese.

One of the things I first learnt in Japan, is that as soon as you can read the kana, everything becomes something worth reading. It's the same with phone numbers. Numbers needn't be something you gloss over in your study of Japanese. Sure there might be hundreds of different counters, and many different ways to use ten digits, but that shouldn't stop you from learning how to read them. Once you've learnt a few different readings for each digit, deciphering phone numbers becomes a game.

No 携帯 by kirainet, on Flickr

When I first encountered this technique in 13 Secrets to Speaking Fluent Japanese I didn't realise how prevalent it really was. But once I started paying attention to it, I found it everywhere. You're probably familiar with the practice in your part of the world of advertisers using numbers on the keypad of your cell phone as a handy mnemonic device. (The key '1' can map to either A B or C), as in the following example.

One of the most recognisable and memorable numbers in my home town is 13ecab or 132222. However this mnemonic relies on a touch-pad mapping rather than a true phonetic match.

Alternative Readings for Japanese Numbers

Just like kanji, there are two or more readings for Japanese numerals, kun-yomi and on-yomi. These readings described in the table below allow numbers to be mapped phonetically to spell out pithy phrases aiding memory. The most common use is in advertising.


.	Cardinal	Japanese	Chinese	Phone Number Readings

.	0	ゼロ	レイ	zero\|maru\|o\|wa
.	1	ひとつ	イチ	i\|hi\|hito
.	2	ふたつ	ニ	ni\|fu\|ji\|tsu
.	3	みっつ	サン	san\|sa\|mi
.	4	よっつ	シ	shi\|yon\|yo
.	5	いつつ	ゴ	go\|i\|itsu
.	6	むっつ	ロク	roku\|mu
.	7	ななつ	シチ	na
.	8	やっつ	ハチ	ha\|pa\|ya
.	9	ここのつ	キュウ、クウ	kuu\|kyuu\|ko
.	10	とう	ジュウ	tou

An Exercise in Code-breaking

Part of what I really enjoy about 13 Secrets to Speaking Fluent Japanese is that it peels back the layers of culture in a way that unlocks hidden visual resources you can then tap in to to accelerate your learning. Now you know what the readings are, use the code to unlock the hidden meaning in these examples.

Example 1 - An Eikaiwa Corpse

The following is from a company I would rather forget, but their number is etched in my memory. The phrase みによくつく can be translated in much the same way, 'stuck well to my body'.

Example 2 - An Eikaiwa Contender

Their competitor in the English Conversation world borrowed from the bastardised English ゴートークトゥミー, 'Go talk to me'.

Example 3 - From the Financial Papers

If you often read the Nikkei (Japanese Financial Newspaper) then you would know what these numbers stand for.

Now it's your turn

For the last two examples I have left the kana hints out, use only the numbers after the dash and little bit of creative license.

Phone code quiz 1 - Get your teeth into it!

Phone code quiz 2 - This is it!

How did you go?

I'd like to see your answers in the comments section below. For the best answers I have two Google Wave invites!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Secret #2 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Explanatory Phrases

How to Communicate Despite Not Knowing the Right Word

The third post of the series -13 Secret Techniques to Put You on the Fast Track to Fluency in Japanese.

If there is one tip to take away from the book 13 Secrets to Speaking Fluent Japanese, it is knowing how to use a substitute phrase for the word you want but don't know. The one thing I come back to time and time again with my students is that an exhaustive vocabulary doesn't necessarily make a good communicator, the ability to talk around sticking points and repair conversation does.

Lost in Translation Too ? Shibuya Crossing Tokyo by hitthatswitch, on Flickr

The technical term is circumlocution, but all you need to know is that you can't always have the words you need at every given stage of learning. I've seen students with highly specialised vocabulary in their field of interest, start reaching for their dictionaries as soon as they are taken out of their comfort zone into novel topics. The trick is to sacrifice a little eloquence for a rough and ready description.

The technique is simple, describe something completely, without hesitation, with words you already know. Say for example you don't know the word for 'ambulance' in Japanese, but you do know that it is a car that takes people to hospital. Choose a descriptive phrase like 'びょういん　まで　ひと　を　はこぶ　くるま (byouin made hito wo hakobu kuruma | a car that transports people to hospital) and leverage words you already know to describe something new.

There is a certain redundancy to this technique, which allows the listener to guess at a word even when mistakes are made. If you mistakenly utter 'hold' (もっつ) instead of 'transport' (はこぶ) it doesn't make much difference in conveying meaning because of the other words in support. This technique works best with a forgiving listener, but even in the most difficult situations with strangers it can get you out of a bind.

The best way to practice is with a partner in a game like Jeopardy. If I describe either a thing (もの), an action (こと), a state (じょうたい), a place (ところ), a person (ひと) or other noun (くるま、どうぐ、どうぶつ、ほん、しょるい). My partner attempts to guess what I mean by phrasing their answer as a question. My description doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to contain enough clues for them to guess what I am thinking of.

Let's try it together! Read the explanatory phrase and then select the text in the square brackets [like this] to discover the word I'm trying to describe.

Things | もの

とり　は　たまご　を　おく　ため　に　
つくる　もの

Q: tori ha tamago wo oku tame ni tsukuru mono
Q: Something a bird makes to place eggs upon.

「とり　の　す」　は　なん　でしょう？

A: [tori no su] ha nan deshou?
A: What is a 'bird's nest'?

Photo: Wunderkammen!! by peppergrasss, on Flickr

Actions | こと

おちゃ　を　のむ　ため　に　
みず　を　あたためる　こと

Q: ocha wo nomu tame ni mizu wo atatameru koto.
Q: The act of heating water to drink tea.

「わく」　って　なん　でしょう？

A: [waku] tte nan deshou?
A: What is 'boiling'?

Photo: Japanese Tea Garden by heather, on Flickr

States | じょうたい

め　から　なみだ　が　でて　
とまらない　じょうたい

Q: me kara namida ga dete tomaranai joutai
Q: The state when tears don't stop flowing from someones eyes.

「かなしい」　は　なん　でしょう？

A: kanashii ha nan deshou?
A: What is "sadness"?

Photo: [Shibuya] Sad Rain by scion_cho, on Flickr

Places | ところ・ばしょ

りょうり　を　する　ところ

Q: ryouri wo suru tokoro
Q: A place where you cook

「だいどころ」　は　どこ　でしょう？

A: [daidokoro] ha doko deshou?
A: Where is the 'kitchen'?

Photo: Untitled by Andrew McLucas [tokyogoat], on Flickr

Others | なんでも

1950s ambulance used on a film location; Tsu, Japan

びょういん　まで　ひと　を　
はこぶ　くるま

Q: byouin made hito wo hakobu kuruma
Q: A car that takes people to hospital

「きゅうきゅうしゃ」　は　なん　でしょう？

A: [kyuukyuusha] ha nan deshou?
A: What is an 'ambluance'?

Photo: 1950s ambulance used on a film location; Tsu, Japan by jsteph, on Flickr

Conclusion

The exercises in this second chapter of 13 Secrets to Speaking Fluent Japanese are arranged according to word types introduced above. They each include illustrations, a word in English, and a substitute phrase in English, Japanese and romaji. The answers to the explanatory phrases are included in the English - Japanese glossary at the back of the book. There is no suggestion of using this technique with a partner as I have demonstrated above.

In his introduction Giles Murray makes clear that his book is aimed squarely at independent and motivated self-studiers, but perhaps he doesn't go far enough to encourage working with others to improve language acquisition. Personally, I can't learn a language in a vacuum and I've always need others around me to bounce ideas off. After all, learning a language is all about communication and if you aren't doing that with someone else then you aren't communicating.

If you haven't tried this kind of thing before the quiz at the end of the chapter is a real confidence booster. Almost every time I'm stumped for a word I come back to the principle of thinking like a dictionary. This 'secret' frees you from having to know the exact word for the concept you want to explain, and it's something that can leverage your existing language ability immediately, and for a long time after learning it.

The technique is a valuable one, but by Murray's own admission many of the techniques in his book are things that you might "encounter at random" after several years in Japan. It's a good thing he has done us the favour of compiling all of them in to one handy paperback volume!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Secret #1 for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Abbreviations

How to Speak with Maximum Efficiency

The second post of the series -13 Secret Techniques to Put You on the Fast Track to Fluency in Japanese.

The first chapter of the Giles Murray book 13 Secrets to Speaking Fluent Japanese sets out "to increase vocabulary by learning abbreviated spoken forms". Like it or hate it, modern Japanese is littered with absurd abbreviations; of Japanese words, loan words, and hybrid words. Recognising that these words are part of everyday speech, and becoming familiar with them may help you in a limited range of situations.

Paul (in the center) speaks Korean fluently by Invisible Hour on Flickr.

Just as you wouldn't pepper your speech with TLA's (Three Letter Acronyms) in everyday English, there isn't much point alienating people by using these abbreviations too often. Even so, this chapter gives you a good idea of the structure of the rest of the chapters in the book.

There is a little bit of culture and history to start the chapter, a rationalisation for the choice of strategy, a few examples and then a quiz in the form of a short story. The answers to the quiz form a small vocabulary list at the end of the chapter. The vocabulary is starting to look a little dated, and the story of the research scientist is perhaps one not many people can relate to, so I've updated them in the smart.fm list How to Speak with Maximum Efficiency.

Let's take a closer look at some of the different types of abbreviations that are characteristic of modern Japanese. The first type to consider are Japanese words that you may already know, for example Nikkei, which is an abbreviation of Nihon Keizai Shimbun (日本経済新聞｜にほんけいざいしんぶん) The Japanese Economic Newspaper, or lesser know examples such as yougaku, which is an abbreviation of seiyou ongaku (西洋音楽 | せいようおんがく) Western music. This isn't much help though unless you are familiar with the Japanese in the first place.

Where you are going to get the most leverage is with the words you already know in English that have been abbreviated for Japanese consumption. There are many plenty of good examples from the world of manga, Fruits Basket (フルーツバスケット) known colloquially as furuba (フルバ) is just one. Anime (アニメ) is another of these abbreviations that has become so much a part of modern lexicon that we have reappropriated the word in English.

Slightly less familiar but also highly valuable are the hybrid abbreviations, combinations of Japanese and English in one contracted form. One such example is shāshin (シャー芯) which is short for shāpupen no shin, or the lead of a mechanical pencil. Many acronyms represented in romaji also appear in written Japanese, particularly in advertising and print media. For example GW stands for Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク), a holiday period in early May. More examples of these types of Japanese abbreviations and contracted words can be found at Wikipedia.

Now that you have a good idea of the kinds of abbreviations to expect, read the short story below and see how many you can recognise. Once you have read the story practice the vocabulary on the smart.fm list. We'll be taking a much closer look at using these abbreviations in the live video lesson on eduFire - Fast Track to Fluency.

A brief account of the life of an Eikaiwa dreamer.

When John left his マスコミ job in ロス for the bright lights of Tokyo he knew he'd have to teach English for a while before he could live his dream of being がいタレ on Japanese テレビ.

Living in Tokyo wasn't too bad, his アパート was small but it was an lively neighbourhood with plenty of characters at the local パブ to share a laugh with over a beer or two.

John didn't have a girlfriend, but there was a cute デパガ who worked in the エーブイ section of the nearby デパート. He never had a lot of money so the thought of asking her on a date when all he could afford was a ファミレス was sometimes too much to bear.

Most weekends he sat at home and tapped out a drum master rhythm on a second hand playstation. When the タタコン broke John was devastated so he decided to catch the train into Akihabara find a ゲーセン.

Akihabara wasn't his favourite place in Tokyo, with a high concentration of ロリコン guys chasing コスプレ and teenagers dressed as ポケモン. But it did have a couple of good book stores and デジカメ shops.

When John got tired of walking he found a ネットカフェー and decided to strike up chat session with someone on twitter. He always felt a little uncomfortable because he could never be sure if they were ネカマ or not. This Japanese life might take a little longer to get used to than he first thought.