The problem I am finding with learning Japanese is that so much of it has to be learnt by rote. For every lesson we have a vocabulary list we have to drill into our head and then we are tested at the start of every lesson is a short 5 minute test. Sounds easy enough, and in theory it should be. But more and more it's evident to me that my brain just doesn't like being force fed these abstract noises which are, most of the time, completely disconnected from their English meaning.
I'm reminded of bitter memories of Primary School where my parents, siblings and a succession of teachers tried to drill times tables and spellings into my head. I can now vividly remember how I felt then because it's how I feel now; stupid. In our Japanese lessons we started right back at the very beginning, literally having to relearn how to read and write. I knew this would be the case but what I hadn't realised was how frustrating it would be.
For instance the difficulty in learning things such as when counting abstract numbers like one, two, three, four, five it goes ichi, ni, san, yon, go but when counting things it goes hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu, yottsu, itsutsu, and it's different again for counting machines, or flat objects, or small animals, or shoes and socks, or persons ad infinitum.
Even worse is when I dutifully revise the vocabulary and the grammar expected of me, I get up and go to my 9am Saturday lesson and I can just about keep up and understand what is happening. Then sensei turns to me, and the one question she directs at me I don't understand one of the words, my mind empties and I just look and feel stupid. This is after I've consciously stepped up my effort to work before lessons. So it's not my effort or lesson preparation, I'm just bad at languages or, perhaps, just stupid.
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