Mastering Japanese-Lesson 1

Dear Japanese Language Student, thank you for your decision to read this. Whether you are a beginner or have already spent a considerable amount of time and effort studying Japanese, I am sure you will find the theories, ideas and information presented here to be quite useful.

In this first lesson, I want to share with you the foundational principle that undergirds everything to follow in this exciting adventure you are about to embark on of achieving fluency in a foreign language.

Back in the day when I was a beginner Japanese language student, I remember asking myself the pinpointed question, "what can I do to achieve real fluency in this language?" At the time, my Japanese was limited to superficial brief exchanges of asking the price of things at stores or when asked my opinion on something, all I could respond with was a “良いと思います”（I think it's good.） or a "悪いと思います” (I think it's bad) -type of answer and was totally incapable of expressing myself further than that. I had reached a point where I was very frustrated and kept asking myself why, why, why? Why can't I still follow the basic story line when watching TV? Why can't I still read basic magazine articles fluently? Why do I still stumble in trying to express my basic feelings? "Why do Japanese still deride me by answering me back in English when I attempt to speak to them in Japanese?" I kept wracking my brains for an answer. I kept pounding at myself (Does this expression actually exist in English? Oh well, anyway, I think you get the gist of what I'm trying to express here.) Like a mad scientist, in frustration, I even went to G-d in prayer and then one day, the answer came to me. And after that day, I've pretty much been at peace ever since and by adhering to the principle which was revealed to me, my progress towards attaining fluency has surpassed all of my original expectations and on a daily basis I enjoy reading Japanese books, magazines and newspapers, enjoy Japanese films and television, and of course enjoy regular conservations with the native locals.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened" -Jesus the Christ as recorded in the Book of Matthew 7:7

The principle which was revealed to me is pretty much basic science and common sense. I have dubbed it the "Absorption Principle" and it means that you cannot give away what you don't have. That's it! Simple! Eh? The same principle applies in the physical world as well. For example, let's say that I ask you to give me 10,000 yen but you only have 5000 yen. Then, you cannot give me 10,000 yen because you only have 5000 yen. Or let's say a water tank has been commanded to pump out 100 gallons of water but it only contains 50 gallons, then it cannot fulfill the command for obvious reasons. (At this point, you're probably thinking; come on man, stop insulting my intelligence with this ridiculously obvious concept. However, please just bear with me and keep in mind that a lot of what we should to do succeed and prosper in life is embarrassingly simple. For example, "Spend less than you make." or "Expend more energy than your caloric intake to lose weight" etcetera.)

So within the linguistic realm, if you are unable to effectively express yourself during a certain situation or in response to a certain question, it doesn't mean you're stupid or that you have no talent for languages, it just simply means you have not SUFFICIENTLY AUDIBLY ABSORBED enough of the language to be able to fluently express yourself. This can be compared to a computer. It can only output what has FIRST been inputted. Remember, FIRST input and then output. However, unlike a computer which can output perfectly after just one input of a certain program, here I must stress that as human beings, we must undergo SUFFICIENT(multiple) AUDIBLE ABSORPTION before we can reach the stage where we will be able to output effectively.

At this juncture, you're probably asking yourself, "Specifically, what comprises a sufficient amount of audible absorption?"

Good question and in order to answer it, let's take a look at the following mini-dialogue:

At the bookstore:
女性：あのう、料理の本はどこですか。
店員：あちらの棚の下から２段目の右半分が料理関係の本になっております。
女性：あそこですね。分かりました。
Girl：Ｕｍｍ，where are the cookbooks?
Clerk: Cooking books are on the right-hand side of the second shelf from the bottom of that shelf over there.
Girl: Oh, over there, got it.

Now, I would say that in order for the mechanics (vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar patterns and intonation) of the above dialogue to become second nature to you, listening to a native recording of it 100 times should suffice. Scientifically, maybe only 50 times would prove to be sufficient but why risk it? I can guarantee that if you only listen to the above dialogue 20 or 30 times, you will forget everything within two to three weeks. To me the number 100 is in a sense a magic number. It's bold, fat and audacious! I love it baby! It gets my juices flowing. If somebody came up to you and said, "Yeah, man, I've read the Bible 10 times." You would think to yourself, "Pretty impressive." If somebody came up to you and said, "I've read the Bible 50 times." You'd be thinking to yourself, "WOW! That's pretty good! " But if somebody came up to you with the attestation that they had read the Bible 100 times, your eyes would pop out of your head (I actually have heard that some Jewish scholars have actually memorized the whole OLD TESTAMENT! WOW!) This kind of reminds of what Bruce Lee said regarding a lot of the Bruce Lee imitators that had suddenly arisen after the success of his first film in Hong Kong. He said, "A lot of these imitators think that just by mimicking some of my moves, facial expressions and so forth, they can easily duplicate my success. What they don't realize is that I've spent THOUSANDS OF hours, polishing and perfecting my punches and kicks." For anybody who has ever studied any martial art, the importance of repetition is a non-issue. You can't just go to a kung fu school, train and learn a few techniques, then the next day expect to be able to use those techniques with any useful degree of efficiency. Language practice is the same. By the way, the Japanese expression used to express this concept is "体で覚える”（KARADA-DE OBOERU) literally translated means "Remember with your body (not just your head). Adhering to this principle, I have reached my present level which I confidently assert is way above and beyond the level 1 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.

Right now, you may be thinking, "Wow that sounds great. But unlike Bruce Lee, I don't have the luxury of THOUSANDS of hours to just sit around studying Japanese." Don't worry! In the next Chapter, I am going to specifically lay out a program that in terms of time investment will only cost you about 15 to 20 minutes in the morning and 15 to 20 minutes at night over a period of about two to three years. Weekends are off. Think about it. Those two to three years are going to pass anyway, why not invest a little time on a daily basis to develop on awesome foundation that will benefit you for the rest of your life, I, myself, because of my language skill, knocked over 12 other candidates to obtain my current position as Proofreader/Translator at one of Japan's most prestigious power companies. But for me, the real enjoyment is being able to enjoy Japan to its fullest outside of work.
So in closing, just keep in mind that your level (or anybody's level for that matter) is simply an accurate reflection of the amount of language you have absorbed up until now. If you're not satisfied, a focused absorption plan tailored to your level and your needs is all you will need to reach the next step of enhanced fluency.

Stay tuned!