Hi, and welcome to Language Curry, where the ingredients are things like words and phrases. (No? Okay..Haha)
This blog/website is likely going to contain a variety of topics all of which are aimed at language learners (specifically the ones learning on their own, but that's an awfully broad concept since even when taking language classes, you'll probably need to do some supplementing). What I would like, is to offer advice, answer questions, and share tools and resources with those learning a second language (or third or fourth, but I think that if you've got a second one down already, my advice might be blindingly obvious. But all are welcome!)
In June 2008, I decided I wanted to get serious about learning Japanese. I had dabbled somewhat in Hiragana[1] copied from a textbook some time while in middle school. But, mostly just felt guilty about myself for never getting anywhere with it. In August 2008 I found All Japanese All The Time and began applying techniques like using an SRS (Spaced Repetition System)[2] and James Heisig's Remembering the Kanji[3]. As I continued on to learning to read aloud sentences using an SRS I began searching for more information about language learning. I've found numerous related blogs, books, and articles about learning languages. Some helpful, others not so much. It's the helpful kind that I wish to share with you.
It's been slightly over two years since I started with Japanese, and I'm still en cours. I hope to share my experiences, thoughts, and findings with you so that you can learn from my mistakes and acquire a language like Japanese in a fraction of the time it's taking me.
This blog is incomplete without your input. Any comments, Emails, questions, etc. are all welcome. I greatly look forward to hearing and answer any questions that I can. Feel free to use the comment boxes at the end of each post, or you can contact me via Twitter @curryisyummy.
Thanks for reading.
[1] Hiragana is one of two phonetic writing systems used to write Japanese with.
[2] An SRS (Spaced Repetition System) is software that helps you study efficiently by showing you what you need to work on the most while scheduling material you know well in the future for later review.
[3] Kanji are Chinese characters used in Japanese that represent ideas/meanings.
