My initial interest in Japanese language and culture was sparked by an article about the genetic study of East Asians and Asians in general which revealed the striking similarity between Tibetans and Japanese. Later, I also discovered the existence of quasi-historical stories or myths-like accounts of ancestral links between the two peoples or regions. Anyway, I decided to learn Japanese because I would like to study Japanese history, specifically, the political and institutional history of Tokugawa Japan and the role of religion in state formation and practices of governance in general.
I soon discovered that there isn't much of a similarity between the Tibetan and Japanese language beyond the numbers, but I am still highly excited to learn the language and read Japanese history (I am taking a history course on early modern Japan). The most challenging aspect of the course is keeping up with the fast pace of it. I need to work on both grammar and memorization of vocabulary. I still find the transition from romaji to hiragana difficult, I tend to think in romaji to produce hiragana. What's the best way to avoid it?
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ReplyDeleteDear パラデンさん,
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting how your various global perspectives (your Tibetan culture and your living in Delhi, India) have had an influence over your initial interest in the Japanese culture, specifically the history and religion of Japan. Similarly, the article about the genetic study seems like it was very insightful and significant to your desire and pursuit of the Japanese language. For your Hiragana troubles, I recommend you listen to the audio files from the textbook and write down the sentences the people speak in Hiragana. Most of the audio files have corresponding written pages, so you will be able to check your spelling. Also, instead of imagining the word in Romanji, when you familiarize yourself with the Hiragana characters well enough, you can imagine the character associated with the sound. There are two apps that help with memorization for Hiragana and Katakana characters (called Hiragana Memory Hint and Katakana Memory Hint). That and practice seem like they might be the most helpful. I am sure that as you familiarize yourself more with the alphabets, it will be easier :)
~ サマンサさん
Thank you Samantha for your suggestions and words of encouragement :)
DeleteThis course is really fast-paced, which needs more practice outside class time. I think as long as you are fluent in hiragana alphabets, you will get to used to it. (Same with Katakana.) It takes time and practice, but I believe you can finally get to it. がんばれ！
ReplyDeleteありがと。がんばれ！
DeletePalden,
ReplyDeleteI had been wondering what had led you to take Japanese given your regional focus! Even if direct connection between Japan and Tibet does not turn out to be particularly apparent, the methodological/intellectual inspiration derived from exploration outside of one’s own area of expertise certainly has great value. As for your struggles with vocabulary and the writing system, it is important, I think, to devise a system for regularly reviewing vocabulary (anki flash cards are excellent for this, and each of the chapters in the book we’re using have pre-made flash cards available online). As for trying to mentally assimilate hiragana and katakana, that is something that simply requires patience and time. As you continue to read the scripts, you’ll find that your difficulty quickly understanding them gradually fades (though, of course, it’s often easy to feel that you should be doing better than you are - the best way to handle this kind of feeling is simply to channel it into your studies). Anyway, I look forward to learning alongside you this semester!
Mackenzie
Thank you Mackenzie for the suggestions and words of encouragement.
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