SGP'S Coming Closer To Nihongo (Japanese) Log

[SGP]

This is log is about coming closer to Japanese which is a language that I already know at a very basic level, so I am not starting it from scratch.

Now some might wonder why I am making a dedicated Nihongo log when there already is the older one about several languages that even includes the one of Japan, too. My motivation for beginning this particular log is that as the time went on, something that I already knew became even more clear to me. This is about the fact that not everyone of those who are interested in Japanese would always even read the updates in the other (multi-language) log. This is understandable of course, because they wouldn't even be able to know whether the current post is about a language they are especially interested in, or if it is about, for example, French or Dutch.

Currently I am still learning Hiragana and Katakana, there only are a few characters that I can recognize without thinking too much.

Recently I was listening to the very same audio clip several times while also reading its transcript. This was a listening exercise which I repeated on a few occasions. It is about practicing to understand spoken Japanese. Yes, I do know that Romaji (Japanese written with the Latin alphabet) has its limits. Still, I am using it as a kind of a bridge. If I wouldn't have used it in the past, I wouldn't even know basic level Japanese today.

[SGP]

In Swahili (which is an agglutinative/Word Building Blocks language like Japanese), a verb can consist of several parts, for example:

unaniona which means "you (singular) see me".

u: you (singular)
na: tense marker for the present tense
ni: object pronoun "me"
ona: verb stem of "to see"

Now I wonder how many possible parts Japanese verbs can have.

[SGP]

Recently I was listening to the very same audio clip several times while also reading its transcript. This was a listening exercise which I repeated on a few occasions. It is about practicing to understand spoken Japanese.

Quoting my own sayings? Sure, why not? .
When I did this listening exercise (like maybe three times, then three times again after some hours, and so on), I noticed a spaced repetition effect and an increase in understanding that wouldn't be possible if I listened to the same audio clip ten times in one single session.

[devilyoudont]

In Swahili (which is an agglutinative/Word Building Blocks language like Japanese), a verb can consist of several parts, for example:

unaniona which means "you (singular) see me".

u: you (singular)
na: tense marker for the present tense
ni: object pronoun "me"
ona: verb stem of "to see"

Now I wonder how many possible parts Japanese verbs can have.

Something that I've noticed is that sometimes people who speak other agglutinative languages have an expectation that Japanese verbs will have "slots"

Japanese verbs don't have slots...

You can more or less think of it this way, Japanese verbs have several base forms, and then there are also several connective forms. Which connective form is being used will depend on what is connected. Then, there are a long list of things that can be attached to the connective form. Those items attach in a hierarchy (causative always attaches before passive, etc etc). But there's not really any minimum or maximum to how many things can attach other than "would someone ever actually express this."

So you might see an infinite string of negations on something as a joke...

食べなくなくなくなくなくなくなく……………………ない
tabenakunakunakunakunakunakunaku...................nai
I don't don't dont dont...eat

But no one actually talks this way.

[SGP]

Something that I've noticed is that sometimes people who speak other agglutinative languages have an expectation that Japanese verbs will have "slots"

Japanese verbs don't have slots...

If by slots you mean something like the Kiswahili-esque "I-present tense-him-to see", then I, even if you spoke about "people" anyway, already was aware that Japanese is different when it comes to verbs .

You can more or less think of it this way, Japanese verbs have several base forms, and then there are also several connective forms. Which connective form is being used will depend on what is connected. Then, there are a long list of things that can be attached to the connective form. Those items attach in a hierarchy (causative always attaches before passive, etc etc). But there's not really any minimum or maximum to how many things can attach other than "would someone ever actually express this."

Appreciating that "a few short hints only" approach, because it still is me who should solve that "riddle" on his own.

---

Thinking of coming closer to Japanese as "step by step" only. Still wondering why this particular language, although not considering it difficult, still is, relatively speaking, and thinking of the learning list only, the most difficult for me.

[SGP]

Thinking of coming closer to Japanese as "step by step" only. Still wondering why this particular language, although not considering it difficult, still is, relatively speaking, and thinking of the learning list only, the most difficult for me.

Currently I am still learning Hiragana and Katakana, there only are a few characters that I can recognize without thinking too much.

Pausing learning them entirely for now, because my current JP focus is on advancing with my (very basic) spoken Nihongo only for now.

Japanese used to be the most difficult language on my list to me, although not labelling it as Genuinely Difficult to Learn even at that time. But now, I only call it the list's language that I was able to advance with the least, nothing more.

Took a short but refreshening look at some words and phrases, and I also have been writing them down, only including the translation in a few cases.

[SGP]

This log has been merged with my multi-language learning log.
This means that if there will be some futures updates,
the place I would post them would be there, not here.

The same applies to any possible replies of others to this thread.
However, in the case of a reply to this (now inactive) log, I do intend to post a link in this thread which points to the multi-language log's new content.