The Eigo Syndrome

[4n01]

I'm kind of stalled on my Japanese lessons. It reminds me of something that I read about Japanese culture a while back...

It seems that Japanese children are taught English regularly as part of their education, yet many Japanese aren't able to speak English well in spite of that. The reason given, is that they don't have many opportunities to practice the language... so it's forgotten as time goes by.

I remember when I first began studying Japanese... I was really thrilled to be learning the language, and wished that I had someone to practice with... even simple sentences. I kept going at it for a while... but without having the chances to speak with another person regularly, it felt more like I was talking to myself... or learning just for the sake of learning. There didn't seem to be a practical purpose for continuing.

I sure don't feel like the time spent learning was wasted, but I do feel that it's very, very hard to make progress without a partner.

[TheFrustrated]

When I was in Japan, it was the young ones who could speak more English, rather then the middle-aged/elderly folks. The reason being, as you might expect, is because English is fresh on their minds or they're still in school learning English everyday. I think that if somebody went to Tokyo with little or no knowledge of the Japanese language, they'd be fine. The average person can speak enough English to point you in the right direction. But you'd think they'd know a little bit more for studying English for 6 years. And I spoke to some random people who knew plenty of English. But I've noticed that at the place that I was staying at, the staff/bartenders were able to speak a good amount of English. They're young too! I asked one of them where they learned English and she said that she didn't continue her English education outside of high school but she learned from working at a place where so many English speakers come in.

So it does help to have somebody to actually practice Japanese with. Although, I don't have opportunities   to practice daily, I'm quite devoted to learning so it hasn't been a problem for me. With the right resources and means of learning, I'm sure that anybody can find the motivation that they need to progress their ability further.

[4n01]

Thank you for the words of encouragement, TheFrustrated... it helps a lot!

I guess I'm just saying that it would be nice to speak some Japanese with someone every so often, instead of just saying phrases from time to time when it becomes a topic of conversation with friends or coworkers... I always feel embarassed doing that, like I'm trying to show off or something. And since nobody understands what it is I'm saying, I could actually say lots of meaningless things, and people would still nod politely and give me a "good for you" look...

It's just practical, everyday use I'm looking for... that would feel really good...

[DaCrow]

Why don't you try Stickam Japan? I see more japanese speaking people from the U.S. on there than from Japan some times.  Also many Japanese people are looking to converse in english for their practice. I'm sure they would recipricate by speaking back to you in Japanese.
It's face to face interaction and a nice place to meet new friends.


http://www.stickam.jp

[4n01]

Thank you so much, DaCrow... It's a really good site, and a deep one, too!

I'm not sure I'm brave enough to flaunt my embarassingly awful skills over there tonight yet, but it's good reason to get back on track and get involved! That sense of usefulness was what was lacking, and this just might be the fix!