Tag Archives: 日本

Japanese Pitch Accent: It’s more important that you realize [beginner/intermediate]

There are many learning resources for Japanese that glaze over the language’s pitch accent, which differs greatly from English where emphasis (not using pitch) on a single syllable is used instead. For example, one of the first textbooks I studied from mentioned that the accent differs from region to region (this is true), so there… Read More »

Set your focus for effective foreign language learning

When taking a formal foreign language class, your main goal is simple – pass the class, and maybe even aim for a A. With self-study you have much more freedom to focus your energies into one or more areas. Sure, everybody wants to ‘become fluent’, but true fluency comes from a variety of interrelated skills.… Read More »

A new blog is born: *Self Taught Japanese* 「日本語学習ブログ登場」

The year is almost over, but I just couldn’t quite wait the few remaining weeks to 2014. Writing a blog about learning Japanese is something I have mulled over in my head for some time, but it’s recently reached a critical mass where I have so many ideas that I just have to get started.… Read More »