Looking at the past weeks of Japanese and my Pronunciation Exercises, I feel like I've come a long way. I started out with essentially no knowledge of Japanese as a language and very little knowledge of the Japanese culture. Now I can have short conversations with my classmates that don't sound like they come out of a textbook.
When we started the PE's, I could barely finish a segment that lasted 30 seconds. I tripped over words, couldn't make out the different sounds they were saying, and didn't understand even 1% of the vocabulary. Now I listen to Japanese songs and anime and occasionally I know the meaning of a phrase or word and I can mimic short sentences and easy conversations. In class it's also easier for me to understand what is being said and it is taking considerably less time to figure out the meaning of sentences.
Along the lines of pitch, I think I'm improving. Now that I can get the meanings out of sentences, I can begin to concentrate more on pitch (and rhythm too).
I've been going to the Japanese Language tables whenever I can. I think I've been at least 4 times if not 5. I haven't been going to Office hours but I really do need to go. Whenever I can, I've been using Japanese when planning my day or talking to myself. I also started keeping a rudimentary journal in Japanese.
Future Goals
-Improve speed
-Improve word pitch
-Improve Rhythm
-Build Vocabulary
Activities
-Go to Japanese Language Table every week
-Go to Office Hours at least once a week
-Keep up with my Japanese Journal and Blog. Try to use a few new words every day.
-Make post-it notes for items around me so I learn the Japanese words for them.
-Listen to at least an hour of Japanese every day.
-Shadow for at least 15 minutes a day.
