Someone told me I could learn Japanese (verbally, nothing written) from anime with subtitles. Is that possible? And would it be terribly hard? So, assuming that is true, couldn't I get a basic grasp on any language through subtitled tv and such?
2007-02-04 16:51:49 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
No, you can't use anime to learn Japanese. There are a few reasons:
1. You won't know any vocabulary, so it's impossible to determine which Japanese words match which English words
2. The Japanese spoken in anime is often extremely rude, and characters may talk in certain strange ways that are not even really Japanese. These characters often have their own words or strange ways of saying real words just to be funny, but it's extremely confusing for someone studying the language to figure out.
3. Many translations are not very accurate, so the subtitles can be misleading.
2007-02-04 16:59:37 · answer #1 · answered by Rabbityama 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No, it is not possible to learn meaningful Japanese in this way. You would be able to learn a few words and phrases such as "Ohayou gozaimasu", "arigatou", etc. However, anime often uses crude language that would not suit you well. Also, the word order in Japanese is reverse that of English, so in the case of a long Japanese sentence, it is possible to have the subtitles show the first half of the sentence in English while the Japanese spoken at the time shows up in the second half of the sentence in English!
Example:
"Na! Minakatta? Ima saki hashitte kita"
Hey! Didn't you see that long-tailed
"shippo no nagai kuroneko."
black cat that just ran by?
If you really want to learn Japanese, you should buy a good book that introduces you to the grammar of the language or even better, you should actually take Japanese classes.
From my own personal experience in learning Japanese, I realized that trying to analyze and compare the language with English not only did not work, but actually served to slow down my acquisition of the language. Taking classes, listening to Japanese Pop music, watching Japanese TV, and speaking Japanese with native speakers is the only way to truly learn the language.
2007-02-05 11:55:36 · answer #2 · answered by Jazz In 10-Forward 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have heard stories of someone who was in south America and didn't' speak Spanish.
They watched the Spanish version of sesame street and picked it up!!!
The younger you are, the better.
I started "absorbing" German while living in Germany when I was 19.
People would talk to me- I knew what they said- but could not answer back- it was a very bizarre feeling.
2007-02-05 00:57:14 · answer #3 · answered by There you are∫ 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
True... you will learn words and phrases..... but nothing that could actually make sense in a real conversation.
watashi baka da.
2007-02-05 00:55:18 · answer #4 · answered by CARL D 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
um I hate to burst your bubble, but no you can't.^^;;
2007-02-05 00:54:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋