Some stats from Lawsie’s return Generic readings and psycho predictions

Studying a second language at school

February 1st, 2011 at 12:45pm

An email to MTR 1377’s Steve Price and Andrew Bolt

Hello Steve and Andrew,

Regarding your discussion on today’s show about learning a second language at school, I have to agree with you based on my own experience.

From Kindergarten through until Year 6 at my primary school in Canberra I was taught Japanese (both culture and language) and by the end of it I was no closer to speaking Japanese fluently than I was when I started, despite the ACT government flying in Japanese women to act as assistant teachers every year.

By the end of it, I was able to count to ten in Japanese, as well as pronounce a few letters of one of their alphabets, say half a dozen words and sing a song which the Japanese teacher made up.

In Year 7, when I had the choice of studying Japanese or French (we were allowed to drop languages in favour of other subjects from year 8 onwards), I stuck with Japanese as there seemed to be no point in changing. I passed the first test of the year as it was a revision of the last seven years of work, and then failed every other assessment item of the year except for one test where the teacher mistakenly gave me the answer sheet and didn’t recognise her handwriting when she marked it.

The whole experience was a giant waste of time which would have been better utilised studying history, a subject which seemed to be glossed over very quickly and with minimal detail.

Best wishes.

Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

Entry Filed under: Talkback Emails

Print This Post Print This Post

3 Comments

  • 1. padders  |  February 1st, 2011 at 6:41 pm

    Samuel,
    にほんごをべんきょうしてみたら、どんなにおもしろくてたのしかすぐわかるとおもいます!
    Nihongo o benkyou shite mitara, donna ni omoshirokute tanoshii ka sugu wakaru to omoimasu.

    There, I’ve given you the hiragana and romaji. Enough hints. You’re on your own now!
    -P.

  • 2. Samuel  |  February 1st, 2011 at 10:47 pm

    The auto translator really doesn’t help me with this one. “Why do not I study Nihongo, I think no matter how interesting to see that you forward to!”

    It looks like your message will forever be lost in translation.

  • 3. padders  |  February 2nd, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    You give up too easily! Using auto or online translators is a bit like filling up with unbranded petrol – spluttering can ensue and the end result is not as, er, refined as you would like.

    “If you try studying Japanese I think you’ll soon appreciate just how interesting and enjoyable it is.”


Calendar

February 2011
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  

Most Recent Posts

Login/Logout


Blix Theme by Sebastian Schmieg and modified for Samuel's Blog by Samuel Gordon-Stewart.
Printing CSS with the help of Martin Pot's guide to Web Page Printability With CSS.
Icons by Kevin Potts.
Powered by WordPress.
Log in