Comments on: Episode 3 – Getting Conversational http://thejapaneselearner.com/podcast-episodes/2008/09/13/episode-3/ The podcast about learning Japanese. Sat, 12 May 2012 11:49:18 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Enrico http://thejapaneselearner.com/podcast-episodes/2008/09/13/episode-3/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Enrico Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:52:47 +0000 http://thejapaneselearner.com/?p=11#comment-11 I love singing karaoke in Japanese myself but I didn't mention it. It isn't so much conversational as a catalyst for conversation and possibly a good way to get used to Japanese pronunciation. The only issue is that Japanese intonation is based on pitch. So when listening to Japanese words in a song, you don't necessarily get to hear the proper intonation for using it in a conversation. But I don't doubt that karaoke can be an effective icebreaker and a great way of getting started with spoken Japanese. I love singing karaoke in Japanese myself but I didn’t mention it. It isn’t so much conversational as a catalyst for conversation and possibly a good way to get used to Japanese pronunciation.

The only issue is that Japanese intonation is based on pitch. So when listening to Japanese words in a song, you don’t necessarily get to hear the proper intonation for using it in a conversation. But I don’t doubt that karaoke can be an effective icebreaker and a great way of getting started with spoken Japanese.

]]> By: Anand Mohan http://thejapaneselearner.com/podcast-episodes/2008/09/13/episode-3/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Anand Mohan Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:52:50 +0000 http://thejapaneselearner.com/?p=11#comment-10 Hi there, thank you for the interesting tips on making conversations. I am particularly thankful for the information on Mixxer, which I was previously unaware of. I do, however think you missed out on a good way to practice speaking, even if it is not conversational per se. What I am referring to is the use of music, and specifically karaoke in learning Japanese. Again, the way language is used in songs is much different that the way it is spoken in conversation, but I still think it is an excellent bridge from reading and studying written Japanese to actually speaking it. Of course, songs are no substitute for conversation...I suppose the best scenario is going to karaoke with some japanese people. If you sing in front of a bunch of salarymen, you might just get a free beer out of it. Lord knows I have. Hi there, thank you for the interesting tips on making conversations. I am particularly thankful for the information on Mixxer, which I was previously unaware of. I do, however think you missed out on a good way to practice speaking, even if it is not conversational per se. What I am referring to is the use of music, and specifically karaoke in learning Japanese. Again, the way language is used in songs is much different that the way it is spoken in conversation, but I still think it is an excellent bridge from reading and studying written Japanese to actually speaking it. Of course, songs are no substitute for conversation…I suppose the best scenario is going to karaoke with some japanese people.

If you sing in front of a bunch of salarymen, you might just get a free beer out of it. Lord knows I have.

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