<p>no...like i just started...like im not actually taking it, but i have been self studying for a few weeks now. I am taking it this summer though at university of chicago, and then after that i am continuing with a private tutor and should finish at least through honors japanese 4 by the end of my senior year. I hope to continue with a tutor and stuff so that i can start college right away taking japanese level 2 (intermediate).</p>
<p>i think i should consider where i should live for a short while in the future. i could plan to live in somalia or senegal for a while to learn arabic (don't want to live in iraq or palestine), so i wont need to try too hard in arabic since i'll learn anyway when i live in a arabic-speaking country.</p>
<p>then, i could focus on italian or ancient greek because i won't live there long enough to learn the language. it's brilliant!!!</p>
<p>i think spanish is not for me. it's all down to arabic, ancient greek and italian.</p>
<p>why would i learn arabic in the first place? to re-connect with asia and africa. i have to respect and venerate the old and ancient cultures of the east (that includes greece). napoleon once said "europe is a molehill. all past great empires and revolutions had been in the orient" or something to that effect.</p>
<p>in fact, i fear of "eurocentrisim" from learning an indo-european languages. people who are confined to one language family is pitiably confined to their own cultural mindset. besides, i'm resentful toward europe. the only main reason why i'm learning french is because of my major (art history) and is spoken widely in africa (although i approve of france's maintenance of strong connection with africa and their appreciation of african culture). i need to drink deep in the well of mysteries, of the antiquities of the east...</p>
<p>Do tutors really help? And how much more expensive are they to taking the class? I'm sorta nervous about doing one on ones with tutors anyway...I've got pride in my independent studies! So are planning to take the Japanese Language Proficency test?</p>
<p>ill take it eventually, like after college.
As for tutors, all i ever hear is amazing things. I hear you learn a ton, although i dont know how much better you get at speaking (since you will probably have nobody to speak to). I think they are also quite expensive, but well worth it.</p>
<p>Again, this is not from personal experience but from testimonies. I think how useful it is might have to do with how badly you desire to learn the language also. </p>
<p>Yes i do watch anime, but hardly any anymore. Ive seen maybe 6 or 7 different series of anime total (whole series, not just a few episodes) and then a handful of movies (akira,vampire hunter D's, a bunch of Miyazaki's, bebop the movie and a few more). That is not really what I am interested in though. I am more interested in the culture. The strange geographic layout, different lifestyle, and rich culture interests me the most. I just think Japan is really cool whether it be the countrysides of japan, or Gargantuan tokyo. And I am a huge city person, so i really want to go to tokyo. </p>
<p>I am definitely going to take lots of japanese in college, and will also be studying abroad in japan for a year.</p>
<p>i think his name is li xue lai.</p>
<p>Yeah, but I still don't get the user name... Check this out:
<a href="http://www.yellowbridge.com/language/wordsearch.php?searchMode=P&word=li&select2=whole&search=Search%5B/url%5D">http://www.yellowbridge.com/language/wordsearch.php?searchMode=P&word=li&select2=whole&search=Search</a></p>
<p>Lets try taking some guesses.
There are 10 pages with that first syllable "li." I think it might be derived from "liuxue____"as in liuxuesheng, (abroad student) but that's a big guess I'm not sure of that. Lai is probablly from. (来 or 徕) Not sure about the other stuff. </p>
<p>My favorite interpretation:</p>
<p>梨pear烕destroys崃(a mountain in sicuan)</p>
<p>That's like an amazingly powerful fruit! </p>
<p>Try going to that chinese dictionary I posted and create other variations of his name, like
"strength destroys mares"</p>
<p>lol lets not make fun of my name ^^</p>
<p>Anyway Im proficient in Chinese already so Im going to study Japanese. I can read most Kanji which should make it easier. </p>
<p>BTW my name is spelled out: 李雪莱 -.-"</p>
<p>yeah maybe its easy for someone chinese to learn kanji, but try people who dont...not so easy now.</p>
<p>I definately think I'm going to take 4 years of Japanese in my junior/senior years, I took 2 years of Spanish already and I'm taking a year of French next year -_- </p>
<p>I'll of learned some of three languages <.<</p>
<p>But I would go with the most fun one. That's why I'm going to take Japanese</p>
<p>i realized that taking ancient greek is pointless unless i'm going to be a classicist or a minister. </p>
<p>i'm also leaning toward spanish. i took that alnguage in hgh school and feels like a waste not to finish it.</p>
<p>but, there is a part me that wants to learn arabic so that africa, in its entirty can be accessible (french, english and arabic are the main languages of that continent). also, i can't forget the fact that i'm supposed to be a descendent of an afro-asiatic that crossed eurasia long ago.</p>
<p>as for italian...i'm not going to be a musician so i guess i wont learn it, unless i somehow become fluent in french enough (for the two languages are very closely related). </p>
<p>will there be a possibility that i will learn a northern european language in my life? absolutely not. but there is a possibility that i'll turn gauguin and head for the depths of the untainted tribal cultures of africa or central asia.</p>