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日本語だけで! Getting by in only Japanese!(a Yasuke Tip)

目次 (TABLE OF CONTENTS)

1. 説明 (Explanation)
2. ネイティブのように (like a “native”)

3.~もの (things)

4.~こと (intangible things: movement, feelings, situations)
5.それは何だっけ? _は日本語で何だっけな (What is that again?)

1.せつめい 説明 Explanation

If you were in an immersion environment you would have to “get by” by using what you know and asking questions. 

When we were small, all of us followed this same painful process. 

かんたんに make it simple

Step one is to “make it simple.” Often we want to say some complex thing that sounds like what we would say in English. Instead use a simple word you know in Japanese. Or just decide that at this stage you can’t say what you want yet – sometimes you just have to “let bad things happen” (let something go un-said). 

2. ネイティブのように Like a “native”

Language is about acquisition and imitation. Acting.
If you had no other language but Japanese (if you didn’t know English for example), how would you acquire Japanese?
You would have to point and ask what things are.
You would have to act out actions/feelings/etc and ask what they are called.

You would also try to follow the way native speakers speak as much as possible (natural speech rather than textbook style conversatons).

In natural speech Japanese often use a part of speech that doesn’t show up in most textbooks, that word is “っけ”

This video will show you how to use “っけ”

With natural speech and our “acting” theory in mind, consider the following:

3. もの


Pointing and ask what things are –

それはどう言うものですか? (What type of thing is that [thing]? or “what is that called?”)

この長いものはなんですか? (What are these long objects?)

4. こと (or の)


Acting it out –
こうやってすることは何と言うんですか? (What is this action called?)

それは何と言うんですか?(What is that called?)

Bonus Material

About Total Physical Response (by James Asher)

Asher made three hypotheses based on his observations: first, that language is learned primarily by listening; second, that language learning must engage the right hemisphere of the brain; and third, that learning language should not involve any stress.

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