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Talib · Joined:Sun 19 Apr 2009 8:22 am Posts:768 Location: Canada

I would say a few months is a very long time to learn a new script, given that I got the hang of the Arabic abjad in an afternoon (thanks to this awesome book http://www.amazon.com/Arabic-Alphabet-How-Read-Write/dp/0818404302) and fully mastered it within a couple of weeks. And after you learn kanji there are still two more scripts to learn, and then you have to learn how to use them all in tandem.

Sobekhotep · **Posted:** Sat 25 Apr 2009 12:58 am

Talib wrote:

I would say a few months is a very long time to learn a new script

Compared to other scripts, it is a long time. But most people who have learned Kanji (or Chinese cahracters) it took them at least a year and for some people many years.

Talib wrote:

And after you learn kanji there are still two more scripts to learn, and then you have to learn how to use them all in tandem.

Learning Kana is easy, it should take 2 weeks tops. Using them in tandem is also easy because there are specific rules for how to write words.

Neqitan · Joined:Fri 17 Apr 2009 9:59 pm Posts:397 Location: Canada

Hmmm... If you put it like that, the you basically never end learning Chinese characters. There are always lots that only exist in old, older, and veeery old texts but are still there...

Talib · Joined:Sun 19 Apr 2009 8:22 am Posts:768 Location: Canada

Sobekhotep wrote:

Compared to other scripts, it is a long time. But most people who have learned Kanji (or Chinese characters) it took them at least a year and for some people many years.

Well, ideally I'd avoid learning any language where just learning to read and write took years, unless I really had to learn it for some reason.

By the way there's a spelling mistake in your signature: it should read שיעצור.

Have you been studying Hebrew lately, like me?

Sobekhotep · **Posted:** Sat 25 Apr 2009 11:01 pm

Talib wrote:

there's a spelling mistake in your signature: it should read שיעצור.

You're right! I've fixed it now. Thanks!

Talib wrote:

Have you been studying Hebrew lately

Not really. I just know some words & phrases.

farrioth · Joined:Sun 19 Apr 2009 12:49 am Posts:4

ILuvEire wrote:

With Japanese, you have to drop anything you think you know about basic syntax. It's totally alien. That's my biggest issue.

Seconded. I really need to stop being frustrated with Japanese and get back into it some time.

Back on topic, it is certainly easier to learn a language closely related to one's own. If anyone finds a closely related language more difficult, I'm sure bad teaching can be blamed.

Sobekhotep · **Posted:** Mon 11 May 2009 5:57 pm

farrioth wrote:

ILuvEire wrote:

With Japanese, you have to drop anything you think you know about basic syntax. It's totally alien. That's my biggest issue.

Seconded.

I don't know why, but the Japanese grammar & syntax makes sense to me & I've never really struggled with it. It could be because I've studied a few other languages with similar grammar.

formiko · Joined:Sun 19 Apr 2009 8:31 am Posts:404 Location: Angola

Sobekhotep wrote:

I don't know why, but the Japanese grammar & syntax makes sense to me & I've never really struggled with it. It could be because I've studied a few other languages with similar grammar.

Yeah, I though Japanese grammar was pretty easy too. A person could get to advanced spoken japanese in a decent enough time. I recommend putting Kanji aside while you learn Japanese. You won't get as frustrated. Did you study Korean as well?

ILuvEire · **Posted:** Mon 11 May 2009 9:55 pm

Ugh, you guys are so lucky. I've gotten so frustrated that I've just given up!

Talib · Joined:Sun 19 Apr 2009 8:22 am Posts:768 Location: Canada

Sobekhotep wrote:

I don't know why, but the Japanese grammar & syntax makes sense to me & I've never really struggled with it. It could be because I've studied a few other languages with similar grammar.

I think it definitely is. I have never studied a SOV language, let along a language with topic-comment or agglutination. So while I think Japanese is a really cool language I find it too difficult to pursue. I've sort of got enough on my plate already with languages, you know?