おはようございます、みなさん！
Here are my goals for the year in terms of learning Japanese.
いち Speed - I hope to be able to speak at a speed that is only slightly slower than that of a native speaker. Right now, because of my reading speed and my clumsy foreign tongue, it is difficult to keep up over long periods of time. Speed would signify a success in learning the language overall.
に Intonation - My intonations are not natural enough, because I put too much thought in it. I want to be able to have the right intonations without the need for extra effort.
さん Pronounciation - My "n" sound and "sei" sound are very awkward, and I hope to correct this.
よん Grammar - This is something of utmost concern to me. I am set on knowing how to use every particle properly and how to creatively latch together longer sentences beyond the simple subject/verb/object system. Without this ability, I might be able to understand decently well, but I will never be able to speak it in more than broken short stumpy sentences.
ご Confidence - Although this is not directly related to learning Japanese, I am always very reluctant to approach a native speaker in a language that I am not completely comfortable with ( aka anything other than English, unfortunately). This is not a good attitude for learning, and I must grow a thick skin and be able to boldly make mistakes in front of strangers.
In name of achieving the five goals above, I will aim to complete the following:
いち Watch children's Japanese cartoons at least 1 hour each week. This is because it is a powerful tool to learn a language the same way native speakers would as a child. They speak slower, clearer, and I will be able to understand much more than if I watched anything aimed at an older audience. If possible, I will also borrow Japanese children's books to read to myself before bed. This will help with reviewing the words and grammar I have learned
に Listen to a Japanese song once every two days. If I immerse myself in the culture and hear it more often, I hope that the grammar and speed will come more naturally to me, especially if the particular song is good and ends up getting stuck in my head.
さん Go to a せんせい office hour, at least once every other week, for at least 30 minutes in order to keep track of my progress and figure out any other places that I might need to work on.
ご This might be a stretch, but I have signed up for a few language exchange programs, where they match you up with someone you can teach your language and learn a language from. If I end up with a partner, then I can practice speaking online with someone on a daily basis, therefore overcoming the confidence barrier I have built around myself.
ろくGo to a language table once every other week for at least 30 minutes! My schedule clashes awfully with the Japanese language table, but I do need to eat anyways and I might as well do it while practicing the language.
Ideally, the future me looking back on this post will be able to laugh at how silly they might sound because I have successfully surpassed that point without even noticing. That's how languages are, impossible to fathom when newly approaching them, but then suddenly familiar as your boyfriend jeans without your realization.
