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    Thread: Dates + arithmetic practice
Post: Dates + arithmetic practice

One system that generates those dates is a voice mail system. Not sure if you have access to a Japanese phone, but it may be a possibility. Another possibility is commercials for events. If you want...
mattyjaddy General discussion 23 4,655 2009-05-12, 5:33 pm
    Thread: Thinking in Japanese
Post: Thinking in Japanese

I'd say, if you're doing it right, thinking in Japanese is a by-product of having acquired Japanese. You don't really need to emphasize it or practice it. I'm not sure what the purpose would be to fo...
mattyjaddy General discussion 16 6,122 2009-04-29, 2:35 am
    Thread: Are any of you kanji learners parents, too?
Post: Are any of you kanji learners parents, too?

QuackingShoe- I think you're misunderstanding. I don't think I said that textbooks should ever be one's only source for studying a language. Textbooks have been useful to me both times I've gone to ma...
mattyjaddy Off topic 22 2,918 2009-04-25, 6:27 pm
    Thread: Having difficulty with Group 1 and 2 verb conjunctions
Post: Having difficulty with Group 1 and 2 verb conjunct...

I'm with QuackingShoe and mentat_kgs. Do what they say. Just read a lot. Like QuackingShoe said, it's good to read about these verbs so you know what to look for when reading/listening, but trying to...
mattyjaddy The Japanese language 15 7,454 2009-04-24, 5:30 pm
    Thread: Are any of you kanji learners parents, too?
Post: Are any of you kanji learners parents, too?

Yes. It's different. Adults brains are physically different from children's from my understanding of the knowledge and research about brains. Basically, what it equates to is that adult brains are mor...
mattyjaddy Off topic 22 2,918 2009-04-23, 4:29 am
    Thread: Remembering the Hangul?
Post: Remembering the Hangul?

Brute force isn't so bad with such a small set. For some reason I decided to learn Hangul as well. It took me just a morning to get the Hangul down enough so that I could slowly sound out words. From ...
mattyjaddy General discussion 26 15,121 2009-04-21, 5:23 am
    Thread: Are any of you kanji learners parents, too?
Post: Are any of you kanji learners parents, too?

Children don't need to "learn" languages. Not like adults do. As long as they are exposed to enough of the language they will pick it up. This can work until about the age of 13. Of course, the older ...
mattyjaddy Off topic 22 2,918 2009-04-20, 5:27 pm
    Thread: Onyomi studies AFTER Kunyomi?
Post: Onyomi studies AFTER Kunyomi?

As always, you should do what works for you and what you believe will work for you. If you work hard enough and have a reasonably workable plan, then you will likely have success. People are just givi...
mattyjaddy General discussion 20 6,319 2009-04-16, 9:20 am
    Thread: Onyomi studies AFTER Kunyomi?
Post: Onyomi studies AFTER Kunyomi?

I agree with Jarvik and Wally. In a year and a half, I was able to go from roughly 0 Japanese to passing the JLPT 2 basically from reading and listening alone. I did some textbooky stuff but just enou...
mattyjaddy General discussion 20 6,319 2009-04-16, 3:01 am
    Thread: Significance of remembering stroke count
Post: Significance of remembering stroke count

I find knowing and using the correct stroke order helps in several ways. If you use an electronic dictionary or DS game with writing pad, using the correct stroke order can make looking up kanji and c...
mattyjaddy Remembering the Kanji 18 2,782 2009-04-10, 2:51 am
    Thread: How to not waste my time with a language Partner?
Post: How to not waste my time with a language Partner?

Koyota, I'd first just like to say, if you are understanding more than your able to say, then you are normal. Your ability to understand will always outpace your ability to produce. Just keep working...
mattyjaddy General discussion 23 3,584 2009-04-07, 6:55 pm
    Thread: Learning Sentences
Post: Learning Sentences

At first reading, I had a similar reaction to Tobberoth's post. But I realized, as is evident in your post, it may just be a matter of semantics. Perhaps fully internalized doesn't just mean "grammati...
mattyjaddy General discussion 77 10,546 2009-03-26, 6:10 pm
    Thread: Learning Sentences
Post: Learning Sentences

Hinode - Do what model works for you or follow others' suggestions here. I'd like to comment one part of your post though. The whole point of sentences is to not consciously study grammar (or at least...
mattyjaddy General discussion 77 10,546 2009-03-26, 2:49 am
    Thread: Hand-writing
Post: Hand-writing

Seth - Try the suggestions they gave. I've got a bimoji DS training cartridge. (that I don't use every day like I'm supposed to.) Though you say, you don't want to be a master calligrapher, signing up...
mattyjaddy General discussion 10 1,929 2009-03-25, 9:46 pm
    Thread: Long vowel sound
Post: Long vowel sound

I had trouble with that too. Like Tobberoth said, you get used to it after a while of listening to Japanese. The other part is when you have a large enough vocabulary and extensive enough grammatica...
mattyjaddy The Japanese language 12 2,625 2009-03-24, 8:15 am
    Thread: Learning Sentences
Post: Learning Sentences

Asriel - Yes, the sentences will help get a feel for kanji. I really have no idea what's on and kun. At all. I couldn't tell you. I know that one is Chinese readings and one is Japanese readings, but ...
mattyjaddy General discussion 77 10,546 2009-03-17, 9:28 pm
    Thread: Learning Sentences
Post: Learning Sentences

I would say, you have the general idea down. But I think there are a couple important parts that are missing in your overview. (This depends on if there are other "sentence methods" out there besides ...
mattyjaddy General discussion 77 10,546 2009-03-15, 8:03 pm
    Thread: What are you supposed to say in a Japanese store anyway?
Post: What are you supposed to say in a Japanese store a...

In general, you don't have to say much to the clerk when you are checking out. Answer their questions when needed and say thank you if you want to as you leave. You really shouldn't look to other fore...
mattyjaddy General discussion 116 19,581 2009-03-12, 7:36 am
    Thread: What to do??
Post: What to do??

You can just switch to traditional flash cards. If you've only been at it a month, perhaps you won't have too many. I did only flash cards for the first 700 before it got to be too overwhelming. If yo...
mattyjaddy General discussion 14 2,369 2009-03-03, 5:50 pm
    Thread: "The Illogic of U.S. Foreign Language Education"
Post: "The Illogic of U.S. Foreign Language Education"

Gomen igordesu. I put the caveat because I didn't want to be assuming. To be noted though, is that even professors with PhDs don't necessarily have official teaching credentials (though yours may have...
mattyjaddy Off topic 34 5,385 2009-01-20, 7:17 am
    Thread: "The Illogic of U.S. Foreign Language Education"
Post: "The Illogic of U.S. Foreign Language Education"

Interesting article. I don't understand the title of the post though. If anything, US high school foreign language classes are based on logic. But that's the problem, language isn't a logical system....
mattyjaddy Off topic 34 5,385 2009-01-19, 10:11 pm
    Thread: Teaching Japanese to English-Speaking High Schoolers?
Post: Teaching Japanese to English-Speaking High Schoole...

Enjuku - That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking that students experiment with various ways of interpreting the information teachers provide them with the guidance of the teacher. Subsequently, the tea...
mattyjaddy General discussion 71 9,134 2009-01-14, 9:41 am
    Thread: Teaching Japanese to English-Speaking High Schoolers?
Post: Teaching Japanese to English-Speaking High Schoole...

igordesu - Your post happened to be the most recent post to mine and was relevant to it, but as mine wasn't addressed to you specifically, it shouldn't be read as such. This is a forum with many peopl...
mattyjaddy General discussion 71 9,134 2009-01-14, 2:39 am
    Thread: Teaching Japanese to English-Speaking High Schoolers?
Post: Teaching Japanese to English-Speaking High Schoole...

Being a student doesn't make you an expert on pedagogy. You most likely do not know all the reasons for any given project chosen by a teacher. Something that is being ignored here is that (public sc...
mattyjaddy General discussion 71 9,134 2009-01-13, 5:51 pm
    Thread: Suggestopedia: Real or Voodoo?
Post: Suggestopedia: Real or Voodoo?

Yes, it is for real. I'm sure it has worked for some, just as any other method has been successful to some extent. (I don't know of any methods that were created and spread around that didn't work at ...
mattyjaddy General discussion 6 3,768 2009-01-13, 7:49 am
    Thread: Teaching Japanese to English-Speaking High Schoolers?
Post: Teaching Japanese to English-Speaking High Schoole...

MoogleFan- It's good to get a variety of suggestions. The people here might be Japanese and/or self-study experts and they can give you some good insight along those lines. But I suggest speaking wit...
mattyjaddy General discussion 71 9,134 2009-01-11, 10:35 pm
    Thread: Learning via Paper Dictionary vs Electronic Dictionary
Post: Learning via Paper Dictionary vs Electronic Dictio...

OP - Could it be that all the times you spent looking it up added up to it finally clicking when you looked it up in the paper dictionary? That said, I think you're on to something. I know when I use...
mattyjaddy General discussion 8 6,745 2009-01-03, 11:23 pm
    Thread: Do you use "cool" Japanese?
Post: Do you use "cool" Japanese?

I hear ぞ and ぜ in normal conversation around here in Kagawa. I've heard women use ぞ as well. I guess you might sound odd if you over use it or if you incorrectly apply it. For me I'm not concerned so...
mattyjaddy General discussion 15 2,062 2008-12-26, 7:04 am
    Thread: Heisig is rote memorization
Post: Heisig is rote memorization

No worries. We all have opinions and should feel free to express them. It's the only way we can get anywhere really. That is if we are open to changing our minds. Linguistics is a pretty vast field. ...
mattyjaddy General discussion 42 10,196 2008-12-25, 11:52 am
    Thread: christmas in japan
Post: christmas in japan

I just had a really nice eikaiwa tonight. I told them that if I was going to have eikaiwa on Christmas we were going to have a party. So we all brought food. Of course, I procrastinated, but managed t...
mattyjaddy Off topic 24 3,444 2008-12-25, 11:42 am