How to Learn Japanese - The Two Fastest Methods

If you want to know how to learn Japanese fast then you need to know two vital rules. There are many ways you can learn the Japanese language, but most methods are slow. To get the most results from your time, you'll want to use both of these techniques.

Stop Messing Around With Grammar

In Japanese, grammar rules don't matter like they do in English. Most words in a sentence can be said in any order, as long as the verb comes at the end! The benefit of this is that you don't need to spend years studying grammar just be able to communicate.

So, with that benefit in mind, how can you become a Japanese speaker fast? Simple... Learn lots and lots of Japanese words. You're probably thinking, "I can't pick up foreign words very quickly". But in reality, you can. You just need to learn differently than you were taught in school. And I'm going to show you how.

Let's pick a Japanese word that you want to learn, and I'll show you how to lock it permanently into your mind. For this example, the word we'll use is duck. To permanently memorize the Japanese word for duck you just need to create an association with an English word or phrase. Then you need to think about the phrase for 10 seconds, and you're done!

The Japanese word for duck is ahiru.

For 10 seconds, close your eyes and imagine a duck who is A HERO.

Now the word for duck is permanently locked into your mind.

Complete Immersion Method

Once you know lots of Japanese words, it is important that you use them as much as possible. You know what they say, "use it or lose it". So, if you can't get on a plane to Japan, do the next best thing. Find some Japanese friends, or language exchange partners, in your local area and meet up regularly. Listen to their Japanese and make sure you practice.

When you practice you will make mistakes, but that's okay. The more mistakes you make the more fluent you will be in the long run.

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Intellectualism of Indigenous Languages

Africa is a beautiful continent, blessed with rich natural resources. Different communities speak different languages, that play a significant role in their lives, and identify who they are when among people of other cultures. All these different languages are attached to cultures that tell the world who we are as Africans. As Africans we have different cultures, but they are somehow similar to each other. They are beautiful and make us whole and appreciative of our circumstances in life as human beings and families.

However, there is one thing that bothers me about our indigenous languages, they are not portrayed as languages of access, knowledge sharing and development. They are portrayed as languages of communication in our small communities, amongst ourselves and thats it. They are not used for business transactions, if one cannot speak English or any believed to be the language of access, they would never be able to access some of the most basic things they need. For example in South Africa, for one to get a proper job, they must at least be able to utter a few sentences in English, and the rest follows.

Reality about Africa is that, many people in our communities are not literate, due to a lot of challenges that we are presented with. As a result many people, especially from rural communities feel comfortable when expressing themselves in their own languages. They become uncomfortable, if they get into a situation where they have to speak English. Scholars like Alexander, and others have argued that, for indigenous languages to grow and become languages of access and knowledge, they need to be used in domains that have long been dominated by English. Domains that have been portrayed as areas of power and knowledge, for example, media, Science and technology, insitutions of higher education etc. This is believed to be a very good way of intellectualizing indigenous languages.

South Africa is a multicultural society, but people from other cultures do not know much about indigenous languages and cultures. indigenous language speakers are the ones required to adapt to other cultures and languages, as a result many people still believe that in order to be cool and be accepted in our society, one has to be proficient in English and follow its culture. That shows clearly that our minds still need to be decolonized (Thiong'o). Reality is that everyone likes beautiful things, if English is the language of access to beautiful things who would want to be stuck with indigenous languages, that have nothing to offer? My take on that one is that, there is a lot we can do as indigenous language speakers to uplift the standard of our languages and remove the stereotype around our languages, so that we become able to access, share knowledge and develop them even further.

Media is one of the most powerful tools to share knowledge, educate, entertain and inform people. It also has been dominated by English. But that can be changed, as indigenous language speakers we need to be active, start working from the grass roots level. Community media need to acknowledge the use of indigenous languages, in terms of content. Newspapers need to make sure that good indigenous language writers, also get an opportunity of writing articles in their languages, so that our languages can be at the center of information sharing. That would help uplift the standard of our languages and develop people who believe that, they are not good enough because they are not proficient in English. People would eventually develop into becoming readers, writers and editors in their own language.

Community radios, would need to develop programs that use pure indigenous languages, programs that celebrate heritage of African cultures. Programs that would educate young people about African culture and its meaning in people's lives. Programs that would generate more research by indigenous language speakers. That would revive people who believe that they no longer have a role in our society, because they do not know English. That would allow people an opportunity to become part of knowledge sharing while learning. We cannot run away from the fact that, technology is taking over, other languages already have space in it, as a result they are taking over. Why cant we allow our languages and culture to be heard, reviewed by speakers from other languages, and maybe given an opportunity to see the light? As Africans, we have rich knowledge, that people can learn from, but because people who have this knowledge have become obsolete in our society, because they cannot speak English or any powerful language.

ICT is the most powerful tool, and very much dominated by English at that. One of the projects I have come to know here in South Africa is situated in a rural area. The project provides the area with computers, wireless internet connection and training. The computers are placed in schools because they are the only places with electricity. The project is run by two higher education institutions and is funded by some ICT organizations. Researchers from these institutions have been conducting research in this project, as a way of assessing ways of improving it, assessing how people adopt the use of computers etc. One of the things that captured my mind as I came across the findings was that, people highlighted the issue of language as a barrier in the smooth adoption of computer use. The respondent said, "we like using computers, but we struggle with the language, we do not understand English". That made me realize that, language can be a real barrier, if communities cannot relate to the machines they are supposed to use for the rest of their lives, they will not develop to their full extent. Language practitioners need to work with technology experts to localize ICT into African language so that communities (especially rural ones) can leapfrog into the information society, which is growing each minute. That is up to us!

My name is Thandeka Mapi, I am a Language and Communications practitioner. I am not a poet, however I would like to believe that when moved by emotions I can write something that can move other people as well. I like sharing my thoughts, and for me there is no better way than to write them down and let others indulge. Poetry is beautiful in that, as one reads or writes it, they create their own meaning, and unravel their own stories.

Learn English - Learn English Using the Internet

Lots of people want to learn English these days. If you think about it, there are few other languages in the world that are so widely spoken and so important to know. Mandarin, Arabic, and Spanish are certainly useful to know. However, English may be the most commonly spoken language for international business and travel. In any case, it is a language that is important to learn if you want to get ahead in many areas of life. Immigrants that come to the United States have to learn English in order to get jobs and make a good living. Tourists need English to find their way around. Businessmen need English to communicate with international clients and partners. No matter how you look at it, English plays a big role in today's world.

So, how does one learn English? Well, there are a number of ways to approach this. The traditional method is to go to an institute or special school where English is taught. You pay a fee in order to attend regular classes and study with a professional teacher. This works great most of the time, but there are a few drawbacks. Many people do not have the time or the money to invest in an intensive course at another location. The constant trips to class can make it a time consuming ordeal.

It can also be difficult to learn without special attention from a teacher. The large groups of students that attend most classrooms can make it hard to get the attention you need to learn English. If this seems like it might be a problem for you or someone you know, then there is a great alternative out there for you. More and more people are using the internet to teach and learn languages. A wide variety of online courses are now available for learners of all languages and skill levels. You can get access to a private teacher with a whiteboard and a webcam. This puts you right in the virtual classroom, without the hassle of a trip to an institute.

You can study in the comfort of your own home or office. Imagine how fast you will learn with individualized or group courses via the internet. There are tons of professionals out there who can help you learn English fast. It is an advanced world, and language learning is no exception. Look for an online course that suits your needs. Learning to speak English may be easier than you think.

Marc Anderson is the manager of an online English language tutoring company called TalktoCanada.com that helps a variety of clients from around the world improve their spoken English online. All of the English lessons are online and conducted with a headset and web cam in real time with a qualified Canadian English language trainer. If you would like to learn English online, visit TalktoCanada.com today.

Difficulties of Learning Another Language

There's no doubt that learning another language is challenging. Especially if you don't live in the country where the language is in daily use and you are not exposed to it on a daily basis. It's a fact that if you were suddenly transported to a country where you had no knowledge of the language you would soon start to pick up basic phrases and words. Within a few weeks your knowledge of the language would have grown, to survive you would have to grasp the basics fast.

The difficulties you are faced with in trying to learn a language when you are not in the country that speaks it is simply lack of exposure. The good news however, is that it has never been easier to expose yourself on a daily basis to another language. In our globalized world you can use satellite TV to tune into foreign stations, or listen on the radio.

The great advantage of language learning courses is that you can expose yourself to the language daily. You can for example listen to conversations from the courses on your iPod while doing jobs around the house or while driving to work. There's plenty of time through the day when you can expose yourself to the language through the course material. Lack of exposure is your greatest challenge. Attending a class once a week is not enough. You need to be exposed to the language on a daily basis and you can do this through daily use of the language course you choose to use. Once you take on the challenge of learning another language then treat it like a mission and ensure you expose yourself to it every day.

Having studied Spanish and Italian for 5 years, I have developed a deep love of languages. I run a weblog in which I provide help and advice for language learners. My enjoyment comes from helping and watching others achieve their goals. I love the idea of playing a small part in other peoples' success.