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The Mr. Miyagi Method to Mastering Japanese — 8 Comments

  1. Man, that was a really good idea!
    I love that movie, and I think that method of learning (anything) is really interesting and it is also powerful.
    Your ideas, using the movie base, were really good.
    Let’s get motivated by the inspiration of Mr. Miyagi, and keep studying, hehe.

    • Thanks for the compliment! The idea to listen to a lot of the language and shadow it aren’t mine of course, or at least aren’t originally mine. But I fully agree with that last point and have Japanese in the background right now.

  2. I thought this was a cool story… then I realized… your name is also Daniel… so it’s most likely much more than just a story isn’t it? :D

  3. Do you think this would really work? As in having no anki, no looking up anything in the dictionary ever, no classes, just starting from 0% understanding and making your way to fluency? I know it works with babies, and I’ve been able to learn words from context, but it doesn’t seem all that practical. There are so many challenging words and grammar points it doesn’t seem like it’s a practical way of learning a language. What do you think?

    • I think this would work. Specifically, shadowing will help anyone become a fluent, natural-sounding speaker (and also a better listener). Listening to many shows will in turn help them become a better listener (and also a better speaker).

      With Japanese especially, I think the above needs to be coupled with a lot of reading, where (with the help of a dictionary and a tutor) all the vocabulary and grammar of a dictionary can be picked up and learned. That’s why I included that line about Mr. Miyagi leaving Daniel-san a dictionary and then helping him find books just a little above his level.

      That said, you mentioned Anki and I am a big fan of it. It makes learning new words and grammar much more efficient (particularly with some good pre-made decks like the ones here at JALUP).

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