Japanese as a language?

Okay, registration for my school is rolling around on the 25th and I have some decisions to make. I took latin throughout high school, but my college doesn't offer language as part of it's foreign language requirement. So I pretty much have carte blanche as to what language to take. I was eyeing elementary Japanese I and II. From those who may have had a similar experience, I'd love some advice or wisdom. Is it that hard of a language? I know it could be useful for me in possible job fields (as well as gaming). Are there any things that I should be wary of before I do this.

I'd greatly appreciate any comments or suggestions about this

1. Japanese is a hard language. Harder then Latin, so I have heard.

2. Spanish or French would me a much easier alternative. Spanish is invaluable language to know in this day and age, and if you are well versed in Latin the language will be a breeze for you.

if u do it all i have to say is good luck

Japanese is not tough, English is. I'd rate the chances of learning either as a 2nd language that way, and give much more respect to some non-English speaking person that masters all the insane and confusing things about English.

Japanese is all about Homo-phones, deliberately structured, and takes sustained effort. Get a few simple principles down, and you are on you're way.

Plus, you don't get any of that silent letter, confusing spelling bullshit that English does, nor do you have the Pitch changes in the Chinese Language or Tibetan Language.

130+ Million have done it in Japan right now, why can't you with sustained effort?

Good Luck. :)

Japanese is NOT a hard language, and there are tone/pitch considerations in Japanese but are not always as noticeable(or as important as) chinese.

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Originally posted by mattvanstone
Japanese is not tough, English is. I'd rate the chances of learning either as a 2nd language that way, and give much more respect to some non-English speaking person that masters all the insane and confusing things about English.

Japanese is all about Homo-phones, deliberately structured, and takes sustained effort. Get a few simple principles down, and you are on you're way.

Plus, you don't get any of that silent letter, confusing spelling bullshit that English does, nor do you have the Pitch changes in the Chinese Language or Tibetan Language.

130+ Million have done it in Japan right now, why can't you with sustained effort?

Good Luck. :)

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MVS stole the words right outta my mouth.

Quote:

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Originally posted by mattvanstone
Japanese is not tough, English is. I'd rate the chances of learning either as a 2nd language that way, and give much more respect to some non-English speaking person that masters all the insane and confusing things about English.

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English is my second language, and I find my first language (Spanish) to be far more difficult. But then again, I did learn English around age six, and they do say it is easier to learn another language at a young age.


Any way, if you are planning to learn Japanese, I recommend you read this:

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~thoureau/japanese.html

It's a very funny and bitter look at learning the language.

Well, I would say that Japanese isn't a hard language in design, and once you have certain basics down, you can do quite a bit with what you already have. But, at the same time, I also wouldn't call it an easy language. If you're just looking to talk to people in Japanese, you can learn a decent amount from classes like that. But, if you want to actually be able to READ the language, and know what you are reading and how to say what you've read without relying on a crutch (dictionary or otherwise), you're going to have to put in some serious work and time.

Regus, that link was the funniest thing I've read in a long time. I actually laughed out loud several times.

"Not only that, but Kanji can combined to form new words. For example, if you combine the Kanji for "small", and "woman", you get the word "carbeurator".

Thanks for the input guys, it's very much appreciated...I think I'm gonna take the plunge and do it. Even if it doesn't work out, I only have to take it for a year.