Aijin wrote:

Tobberoth wrote:

ahibba wrote:

Aijin, a native Japanese says that most Americans need 7-10 months to pass JLPT 4.

But he is, like you said, a native Japanese. In Sweden, you're supposed to be able to pass JLPT3 after one year of studies. I can't really believe the difference is THAT big from the states.

*Points to the 'he'* I don't have a penis

Is it really only one year of studies in Sweden to pass JLPT3? Does that include study during the summer, or only two semesters? It might be that Sweden has better/more intensive programs than over here. I've only been in three states, so I can't speak for every American university, but in general over here: Japanese 1 = hiragana/katakana  Japanese 2 = katakana (some universities don't teach it with hiragana) and about 150 kanji or so. So, after two semesters students, in general, are supposed to be prepared for JLPT4. If students did Japanese 3 over the summer, then they should be about JLPT 3 level. So the average American student could do it in a year. Those who take their studies very seriously of course will have no problem doing it in a year, but I think that might be too short for students just taking it light heartedly and not putting too much effort into it.

One year, two semesters, summer not included. In Sweden, the first semester is Genki 1, the second semester is Genki 2. That should be more than enough for JLPT3. (so yeah, that's over 150 kanji in the first semester alone). After that first year, a summer course in Gifu is offered, for conversational training (at my university that is). Afterthat (where I will jump in next semester) they start to mix things up now that the basics has been covered. From what I hear, classical litterature (on an easy level obviously) will be included.

It might be that the pace is higher, but I don't understand how the difference could be this big. I mean, this is university, not high school.

Last edited by Tobberoth (2009 June 03, 6:34 pm)

I'm not exactly sure how to upload a text document anywhere...

Should I upload to Google documents?

I suppose nobody got the joke... *sigh* Am I the only person who saw "Better off Dead"?

The main problem I have with Michel Thomas is that he sounds like he's drowning in his own saliva all the time. I tried to listen to his German course, but I found his voice repulsive after an hour. I kept wanting to yell at him, "Rinse and spit already!"

Is it petty of me? No. His voice was distracting. He should have hired actors. It's all about sales.

The other thing I couldn't stand were the wretched accents of the two "beginners" he was trying to teach. They were mangling the language. Again, hire actors or natives who don't torture the language.

If I'm trying to learn proper German pronunciation, I should *not* be patterning some dude from Iowa who can't say basic German words without choking on his own tongue. I don't need to hear someone else's mistakes to learn something. It's distracting. It's what I would classify as "bad input."

The whole experience was distracting. His techniques were interesting, from a gimmick point of view, but a gimmick is a gimmick. It will only get you so far, and then you're on your own.

Knowing cognates (his main trick) is marginally useful, but in German, it's a minefield because many cognates are false friends.

Pimsleur is mind-numbingly tedious, but it's something to do in the car, and it won't FUBAR your accent if you have half of an ear. It also lacks the distractions that Michel Thomas has. I'm playing with it in the car because I got it from the library, and it's something to breeze through in the car, and keeps the road rage down.

I wouldn't actually shell out the money for it, though.

Naturally, YMMV.

I take it http://www.insightin.com/ was not supposed to test a native English speaker's word count.  I found 3-4 of the sentences to be very poorly written and honestly don't even seem like proper English.  Then some of their answers are not even the most correct ones. lol

29 So, your focus is not inward on your own processes, but outward, on supply chain processes.
Correct answer: d) inbound      Your answer: c) inside

inward -
1#  situated within; being on the inside; internal    <--- inside
2# of or belonging to the inner nature of a person; mental or spiritual
3# directed toward the inside; ingoing the inward pull of a centrifuge  <--- inbound

32 The new program will integrate social and employment services with treatment for drug addicted persons and their families.
Correct answer: c) care      Your answer: a) assistance

The difference being?

And the best...

40 They're supposed to be preparing us for the meeting.
Correct answer: b) believed      Your answer: a) scheduled

Something you're supposed to do is not what you are believed to be doing but what you are expected, meant, should be doing.  Something you're scheduled to do is something you're supposed to be doing.  Though all the answers seemed rather poor on that one.

Now I wanna go try that 120 question one and see if it's any better.

Edit, woo hoo 22200, and I'd like to know what average college student knows capacious, prolixity, redolent.  Sure as heck not the people I'm going to college with, also pretty sure most "People at the top levels of their professions" don't either lol.  They're trying to make the Japanese feel bad by making us look better than we are, woo hoo!

Edit:  I guess in line with this topic... I tried to use that site to read Momotarou, but all it did was confuse me a bunch and wonder why I did it, though it was nice to see a few words I knew in there, must be learning something.

Last edited by klaoth (2009 June 10, 10:31 pm)

http://www.insightin.com/test/take_test.phtml

I stopped at 14.  Time wasted on this is better spent SRSing.

"14  Survey show that the silence majority agree with me and not you. "

Yes the engrish is not the greatest.