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Question to Student: Time it took you to feel "fluent" in Japanese?

Kanjiru

Post Date: 2012-01-17 07:08:47

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member since
2012 Jan 08

Questions: 1
Comments: 2

I was just wondering how long it took people to personally feel fluent in Japanese? I'm just starting out and was curious how much time people put in before they 'got it' so to speak.

Thanks.

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schwinkle

Post Date: 2012-01-20 10:21:16

member since
2003 Jun 27

Questions: 8
Comments: 10

It all depends...
I think that this is a really tough question to answer as developing fluency seems to be such a gradual process as one's vocabulary and understand of grammar develops over time through practice. There probably really isn't a standard point that fluency is achieved and this is likely quite different for everyone.

I'm still working on it almost daily (have been working on it more seriously for the past couple of years) and I'm far from being fluent. I think that I'm getting to the point though where I can basically communicate with my Japanese wife using a strange, hybrid form of "Janglish"! Because I don't live in Japan though, I think that it will take me many more years (perhaps even a decade of consistent, ongoing study or more) to achieve a higher level of fluency. If I lived in Japan and was forced to use Japanese everday, I'm sure that this timeframe would be greatly shortened.

schwinkle

Post Date: 2012-01-20 10:22:57

member since
2003 Jun 27

Questions: 8
Comments: 10

Don't ask George this one!
BTW, this is one of George's most hated questions! I think that he has presented his views on this somewhere on the site. It's almost funny to read his rant on this one...

Kanjiru

Post Date: 2012-01-20 10:29:06

member since
2012 Jan 08

Questions: 1
Comments: 2

Yeah, pretty much. The question was more based on when a person personally feels good with the language and considers themself "fluent" as that word means different things for different people. As for George raging with this question, maybe that's more towards the people who are asking because they seem to want a fixed time to magically be fluent, lol. My question and that type are two different things! We're always learning~

Thanks for your reply.

doozyj

Post Date: 2012-03-01 01:26:54

member since
2003 Dec 17

Questions: 7
Comments: 16

YesJapan Daily 5
See George's Video Daily 5. He goes over this. Much better to worry to much about it. As for speaking it, try and use what you learned so far.