That was my theory when I came up with the exercise. When I encounter vocabulary and grammar that I don’t recognize, I will still be able to pick out the words that describe other words and their interactions with each other, and thus force my lazy brain to start running comparisons against previous patterns. Stephen Krashen said that language is acquired when messages are understood, and I say that messages are understood when patterns are recognized. Just the realization that finding patterns to recognize is your brain’s goal increases your ability to find them.
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As long as you’re aware of that, then I have no qualms
Hmm I’m not sure it affects how I learn particularly. I wish I could be more informative, but I really don’t remember much of how I got to wherever I am now.
Guesses of my maybe strategies?
I’m a really inconsistent person, so I haven’t managed to do much of anything that requires consistent effort. (Although I’ve gotten better at that lately)
I think I started with textbooks and a class? (Although I often skipped class) And then I kinda just obsessively looked everything up until I reached some level of understanding. I’d put a lot of things in SRS and then sometimes do my reviews.
I eventually started watching youtube videos, but I don’t remember when or how I started to understand them. I think I learn some vocab from them from time to time. I like Japanese subs cause I’m lazy, but sometimes they don’t have subs. I also listen to a lot of Japanese music. I think karaoke helped a bit with my reading speed?
There’s also been a gradual progression in my reading ability. Usually I’d sorta reach a new level after struggling through something. First I would struggle to read よつばと, then it was NHK News Easy, then random articles, then it was an Aoitori Bunko book, then it was a light novel, and now it’s kinda anything goes. I’ve always been good at “reading in-between the lines” per se since elementary school, so it’s pretty easy for me to get at least the gist of what’s going on. Now I’m pretending to study for exams and can read the textbooks required for that without too much trouble (as seen in the thread I have linked in my profile, with the exception of specialized history vocab). Stuff like 陰翳礼讃 is also very beyond me
It could maybe be said that my primary strategy is to have fun? I inherently like patterns and grammar, so I started with that. Learned a lot of grammar and some basic vocab. And ever since then I’ve just kinda been trying to learn whatever I need to do what I want to do/learn/experience going in small steps. I don’t think how I’ve been doing it is prolly anywhere close to the most efficient way. I’ve been doing it for a little over four years now and my kanji knowledge is still kinda sub-par (especially with readings). But it’s definitely a very easy-going way to go about it
Also I’m sorry for being rude to you a bit earlier.
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Maybe my actual favorite strategy is looking up your insecurities and worries in foreign languages
Nothing makes learning more emotionally involved than being a young teen researching whether hobby xyz is thought of as weird by stranger A
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No apology needed. It’s always frustrating when you have to explain that another person’s methodologies aren’t a good fit for you because it invariably means you have to explain your situation, and you might not be prepared to do that with a stranger, and it’s an exhausting conversation to have. I have an autistic friend and she has whipped me into public speech readiness for speaking on and to ASD and neurodivergent people. I have been made painfully aware of how self-perception in the community differs greatly from public perception.
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Nahh I mean learning strategies work as well for me as they do to others (afaik?), and yours would probably work fine for me as well. It was more just the confidence that was sorta frustrating cause of my own personal bias against that sorta talk. (Which is kinda just sth I need to be aware of and control for, not particularly something you need to be concerned over, although it’s good you’re such a good person that you’d think of doing so)
For there to be issues with me being able to do it you’d have to be like imposing a strict routine with reminders at every hour or sth
Ironically you might be more well-informed than I am? My subtype of autism (known as PDA) is known for being unusual in its presentation, so I’m not considered as much a “part of the community” in a sense. Because I don’t tend to relate as much to a lot of the common struggles/feelings of other autistic individuals, I feel very out of place despite being diagnosed. So I know barely anything about the self-perception of the autistic community beyond annoyance at Autism Speaks being a bad charity
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I don’t know of that type tbh, but I suspect it means you don’t have a lot of the issues typically associated with neurodivergence like inability to pick up on nonverbal cues, sensory fascination, aversion to breaking routine, or compulsive behavior, but you may have emotional triggers. I have my own issues with that, so I can relate. I’m not actually narcissistic or think that highly of myself BTW; it’s just an affectation.
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Essentially that! The differences from a “typical” profile are basically like: Social “masking” is something I do instinctively and without particular difficulty. (Whereas in a lot of online autism discussions masking is seen as an evil you need to rid yourself of) I have good understanding of social cues and rules (like small talk or facial expressions) at a surface level (although my speech and mannerisms tend to seem abnormal long-term) and enjoy performing them. I don’t have any sensory difficulties or particular stimming behaviors. I have an adverse reaction to set routines and find them difficult to follow.
Similarities are that I tend to lack understanding of social and hierarchal roles. Tend to “shut down” in a sense under stress, usually involving an attempt to regain control (such as changing locations, making excuses). I have obsessive interests, but only in people. (Japanese is more of a hobby) Alexithymia
Have you ever thought of getting an evaluation? You never know
Ooh I see. I guess we all have our own roles we play
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Social masking is a nuanced topic. Obviously if you never do it, you will always give away “tells” that alert people that something isn’t typical about you, and that in itself can be a constant source of anxiety and stress. On the other hand, frequent masking can be toxic and rob you any outlet for overstimulation, which can lead to physical symptoms of illness.
Just curious how things have been for you and if you’ve found anything that especially helped you in picking up pitch accent? One of the newer techniques I’ve come up with for English native speakers is to practice speaking out the mora timings with an arpeggio. The arpeggio is going to help you “tune” your Japanese listening and speech by minimizing the duration and volume emphasis that accompany stress accent and focus mostly on pitch. For instance, you can do “Hello Konnichiwa”, which has a total of 7 beats. He ->llo ->Ko ->n <-ni <-chi <-wa The first 4 “notes” rise, and then the last 3 fall back to the starting point. Don’t just recite it, but do it in a sing-song voice.
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