Final PE Reflection

Looking back at my PE goals, I think I've accomplished half of them. My original goals and the additional revised goal were:

1. Like a native speaker

2. Getting the long vowels and double consonants down.

3. Mastering the 'r' sound

4. Focusing on pitch and intonation

I think I managed to complete numbers 2 and 3. I'm still iffy about number 1 because I don't really have confidence when speaking in Japanese, so I tend stumble over my words, or I take too much time in deciding what to say and how to properly phrase it. But what I need to focus on even more is number 4. Intonation isn't as difficult for me, but I still really struggle with pitch.

Additionally, I originally planned on working towards these goals through watching anime, going to language table, and going to office hours. I did not do the latter two nearly as much as I should have. So next semester I plan on trying to find the courage to go to language table. I know I won't see many changes or improvement unless I practice as much as possible, so I definitely have to. Overall though, I feel like I've learned a lot, and I'm pretty satisfied with where I'm currently at, I can't wait for next semester!

私のふゆ休み

ふゆ休みにうちで　かえりました。うちでりょうしんとえいがをみて、おいしごはんをたべて、りょうりをしました。ファインディング・ドリーをみました。とてもおもしろかったです。友だちは日本でべんきょうするので、友だちと日本領事館にいきました。ニューヨークで日本のレストランにひるごはんをたべました。そして、かんこくまちも　いきました。かんこくまちでかんこくのスーパにいって、たかいざっしをかいました。ニューヨークが　好きじゃないので、私のうちで　友だちとかんこくのドラマをみて、ばんごはんをたべました。クリスマスにうでどけいをもらいました。1月１日とてもつまらなかったです。でも、1月２日私のたんじょうびでした。ははとレストランにばんごはんをたべました。そして、コンサートチケットをもらいました。ふゆ休みはとてもよかったです。

てがみ

サンクスギビング休み

サンクスギビング休みは たのしかったです。うちにかえいてべんきょうしてかいものしてうちにたくだんねました。サンクスギビング曜日に りょう人とおいしいひるごはんをたべてデパートにかいものにいきました。金曜日にテレビをみました。ギルモー・ガールズ をみました。とてもおもしろかったです。くじからいちじくじからいちじまでテレビを見ました。土曜日にかいものしました。日曜日にプリンストンへいきました。私のへやでべんきょうしました。

Revised PE Goals

After half a semester (wow that was fast!) I regret to share that I don't think I've been very successful with achieving my original PE goals. I think my biggest weakness is in pitch and intonation. I seem to struggle a lot with using the right pitch for words, as opposed to longer phrases. In order to improve on this, the best thing for me to do would probably be to go to office hours to work on my pronunciation. This wasn't originally one of my stated plans, but I think I should definitely add it. I also haven't been watching anime very much. I can't seem to rekindle my interest in it. If anyone has any suggestions for anime to watch, please share them with me!

じゃまた

にほんごのビディオー

PE Goals

こんぼんは！

My pronunciation goals:

1. 'Like a native speaker': My main goal for the year is to speak Japanese as naturally as possible. As a native Spanish speaker, some of the sounds between the two are somewhat similar, and I'd like to use this to my advantage. 

2. Getting the long vowels/double consonants down: I feel as though this will be the most difficult thing for me to pronounce properly. In class, it's easy to pick up on the differences between long vowels vs. single vowels and double consonants vs. single consonants, but I think that outside of class this will be difficult to do. We may overemphasize these in class when practicing, so I hope to make the transition from overemphasizing/over-stressing to sounding more natural outside of class. 

3. Mastering the 'r' sound: I find it difficult to pronounce this sound since it's kind of a mixture of the English 'r' and 'l' sounds. Of all the consonants, it's the one I have the least confidence in pronouncing, so I'd like change that! 

How do I plan on achieving these goals?

1. Go to Japanese language table at least once a month! I should probably have a goal of going more often, but I know that I'm always incredibly reluctant to going to language tables, so even going once a month will be a big step for me. 

2. Practice speaking with friends who are native Japanese speakers or who may have studied the language for a long time. It will definitely be easier for me to approach friends for conversational practice, so I should take advantage of them as an additional resource!

3. Watch an episode of anime at least twice a week. I noticed on someone's past blog that their goal was to shadow the characters while watching, and I think that's a great idea. Shadowing and trying to sound like the character will definitely help in speaking more naturally. 

4. Read manga! At this point, I know I won't understand most of what is written, but even familiarizing myself with the characters and starting to recognize some things will be nice. I think it will be especially nice to see the progress that I make throughout the year.