How many unknown words do we come across each day in our own language? There's strange descriptors like 'voracious' and 'balmy,' anomalous verbs like 'abet' and 'rebuff,' and even remarkably specific nouns like 'gimlet.' Even though most mature writers use such words, people aren't baffled when they encounter them. We can use context clues to infer the meaning of these specific terms and it works fine. Most of us probably never want to use 'sinecure' in a sentence anyway. However, when I step outside of English, I end up not knowing how to use context clues. When I read a sentence, I almost always stop in the middle of it when I see an unknown word. Off to the dictionary! I told my self this was a bad habit: I don't want to be chained to a dictionary my whole life. Now, I try to read the sentence as a whole at least once so I can get a chance to use those context clues. However, this created an even bigger problem for me. How do I know the meaning I inferred was right?!! When I have JDIC or something nearby, its easy to check and most of the time i'm spot on. But there are still those times when faulty inferences lead to the distortion of meaning. I know the obvious suggestion is to learn more vocab, but I think there's a limit to how useful learning some of the words in novels is. Secondly, I don't want to wait until I finish learning X amount of words to start reading. My question is this: How much should I use the dictionary while reading? Do I need to look up every word or is it OK to stop when I have the basic meaning of the sentence?
Taishi
Member
From: Sweden
Registered: 2009-04-24
Posts: 127
I think it might be a good idea to ask yourself some things when you encounter a new word when reading.
Is it hindering my ability to understand what the sentence is all about? Am I bothered by not knowing what this specific word means? Do I think it's important to the plot?
I think the answer depends a lot on your mood. Sometimes I simply cannot be arsed looking up a word, so I don't. Other times I get all fussy about not knowing a seemingly unimportant word, so I write it down. I think that's a pretty good strategy, it means you can just continue reading when you feel like it, and not be hindered by looking up too much since it doesn't necessarily have to happen at the same time as reading.
I also think it depends on you feeling for the language. In English you probably have a pretty good grip on how you can express yourself, and what feel like an unnatural way to develop a sentence. In Japanese that might not be the case, to the same degree at least. When you read an English sentence with an unknown word, you probably still understand the rest of the sentence without issues, which makes guessing easier. In Japanese, even if you have a decent grip on the language, there are always a few uncertainties that make guessing harder.
The last paragraph is just speculation on my part but it helps me visualize why things are like they are.
TL;DR Don't be fussed by looking up every word, as you say, you don't even do it in English so why would it be a better idea in Japanese. Look it up if you feel like it.
