Learning a second langauge at uni?

[theNoseBleedKid]

Need some advice, I'm in first year at university and I have to choose subjects. Now I'm doing what is called an arts course here (essentially anything that isn't a science or music) and I have 2 electives, a major and a minor (as well as a host of other subjects that are pseudo electives, as in the university effectively narrows your choice to two subjects).

Now my dillema is that my Major is Politics and my minor is well, I'm not sure. I've always liked Japanese but gave it up a few years ago in high school due to, frankly, terrible teaching. Now this wasn't because I didn't apply myself, I went from loving Japanese and working hard to failing, due to a teacher change. However, if I take up Japanese again that means I cannot do History, or Literature.

So basically anyone have any words of wisdom to offer? Is there much use in taking up a langauge (at a beginner level) at this time? Would it potentially help Diplomacy scholarships and sponsored jobs in the future (not necesserily where I want to end up but uni can arrange a job for me to try providing I get the marks)? Is it fun?

To summmarise

Learning Japense pros
- good lecturer
- great subject matter
- travel/study abroad opportunities
- Diploma of Langauges
- Women

Learning Japanese cons
- Potentially disasterous if I find myself unable to grasp it
- Missing out on things I have more recently completed, such as history or literature with just as fantastic lecturers and subject matter
- A lot more hard work and genuine dedication than other subjects, I would definitely have to apply myself 100%, while others there are certain areas I could gloos over fine, which agian could cause problems if it sucked majorly.

Thoughts?

[Geoff St. Germaine]

I went to school with people who went from speaking only English to being functionally bilingual in French well within 4 years. English and French are obviously more similar languages than English and Japanese though. I also found that actually going to a place where the language is primarily spoken and forcing yourself to have to use it is a good way to learn. Here it was easy as guys could go to Quebec, New Brunswick or one of the many smaller French speaking areas scattered around Canada, whereas for you I guess you'd have to go to Japan... though I could be wrong and there might be someplace closer for you.

[Bassic83]

If you're looking at a tie-in between poli-sci and real-world applications, I'd go with one of two other languages- Arabic or Chinese. Probably the latter, seeing as how China is currently the world's leading economic and political superpower. Arabic could be useful as well, if you wanted to work in the Middle East. Japan, while they used to be an economic top-tier player, is falling on tough times lately. But the Asian markets are just now opening up, and China has the most population and growth, hence the most upside for employment opportunities both at home and abroad.

[tplyons]

I took German in Junior School and the first two years of high school. I was forced to take two semesters of a foreign language in my freshman year of college.

I took German, it was a disaster. I had to unlearn all the bad habits I learned over the years.

In retrospect, I should've taken Latin.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Id go for it, i never got the chance as my course was always very intensive.

A friend of mine is in her 2nd year, and does chinease as a secondary subject, she loves it, and is getting a placement over in china for her 3rd year


re- tplyons, i wish i could have had the chance to taken Latin!

[Vorago]

Dutch


On a more serious note, I'd go with Chinese instead of Japanese. But if you aren't interested in Chinese, the chances of succeeding are pretty slim.

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Id go for it, i never got the chance as my course was always very intensive.

A friend of mine is in her 2nd year, and does chinease as a secondary subject, she loves it, and is getting a placement over in china for her 3rd year


re- tplyons, i wish i could have had the chance to taken Latin!

I wish I did. I opted out because I assumed German would be much easier with my 4 years prior. That assumption was DEAD wrong.

[MoD_Scotty]

I learned arabic while I was in the military. It took 63 weeks of 5 days a week, 6 hours a day, of nothing but arabic training. It was hard. I would have much rather learned Japanese. You already have some background in Japanese, so it would be easy for you to get back into it. If you immerse yourself in culture and history of Japan while you're learning it, you will have a better chance of success.

[Leinad]

I'm studying Japanese in Uni at the moment, along with German and Spanish, and absolutely love it. It's one of the most intensive languages I've ever learned, but it's a load of craic too, a really fun language. It really isn't an impossible language, you just have to really apply yourself and work hard. But you'll know that yourself from having studied it before. It just depends on how driven you are yourself. I'm off to spend 6 months in Japan now at the end of February teaching English, can't wait! So yeah, I'd definitely recommend Japanese, great craic!

[Deacon_Blues]

I cannot say which of those courses you should take. What do you think you will benefit more from in the future? No chance you could take both?

Anyway, I've never regretted learning any language. So far I speak Swedish, Finnish and English rather fluently und ein bisschen German. At work, I'll be taking some more German classes this spring. Here in northern Europe it's always considered very important to learn other languages, obviously because the languages spoken here aren't spoken anywhere else in the world.

I'd still like to learn some Spanish, some French and some Italian.

[Baryonyx]

I'd love to learn Japanese. That would be grand.

[Marcus]

I would highly recommend giving Japanese a shot. I am finishing up my major in Asian American Studies with a concentration in Japanese this Spring. It has been one of the most fulfilling things I have ever studied. I have had the opportunity to not only meet a lot of wonderful people, but stayed in Japan with a friend and his family for a month this past Summer.

I will tell you though, Japanese requires time. I still do not feel comfortable speaking Japanese, and reading requires a lot of patience. Some people pick it up faster than others, but from my experience (no background knowledge in the language at all, just an interest in the music), it will be a big time investment.

Since you're a freshman, I would really recommend it. You have 4 years (or more) to mess around and try so many things out. I plan on taking beginner German my last semester. I'm trying to be quadra-lingual, or however you would say it

[theNoseBleedKid]

Well it's only 3 years here, but point is taken.

I'm not very interested in Chinese, the primary motivator of picking up Japanese is that I know I have enjoyed it in the past, so hopefully I'd continue to enjoy it.

There are a lot of meetings/clubs where the students coming from Japan get together and have Japanese/English talks casually on conversationally, so that would work.

I'm leaning towards doing Japanese more all the time.

[caligula]

If you enjoyed Japanese in the past, stick to it.
I feel it's 100 times harder to learn a language if you don't like that particular language.
And you said you got those meetings/clubs for practise, can't get any better. IMO

I wish I did. I opted out because I assumed German would be much easier with my 4 years prior. That assumption was DEAD wrong.

+1000 on that.
I'm doing Latin at the moment and it was not until the first 3-4 months of Latin that I realised how complicated my mothertongue (German) can be.
If I was to learn German as a second language...oh-my-god!!
I became aware of the complexity and that it's such a highly inflected language.
I prefer learning English... much more fun.

Languages are always good, even if it's just on a basic level.

[theNoseBleedKid]

Wow, my family isn't German but my sister through studying is bi lingual in German. Guess shes just a freak then?

[SomeGuy]

Originally Posted by MoD_Scotty

I learned arabic while I was in the military. It took 63 weeks of 5 days a week, 6 hours a day, of nothing but arabic training. It was hard. I would have much rather learned Japanese. You already have some background in Japanese, so it would be easy for you to get back into it. If you immerse yourself in culture and history of Japan while you're learning it, you will have a better chance of success.

Heheh, I'm at DLI right now, finish up on the 14th of Feb. and I cannot wait to graduate!

[geoffkhan]

Originally Posted by Vorago

On a more serious note, I'd go with Chinese instead of Japanese.

I second that motion. Of course, I could be biased since I'm learning Chinese.

[Deacon_Blues]

Doesn't bilingual mean you are raised with two languages (your parents speak different languages) and thus speak both fluently? It is rather common in Finland that people belonging to the Swedish speaking minority in Finland (like myself) couple with Finnish speaking people and their children mostly get bilingual since both parents speak their own language to them.

[N8116B]

Given you local have you considered Mandarin? Advantage is that it is used just about everywhere throughout Asia and is becoming the dominant non-English business language. grammar is a piece of cake in Mandarin but learning the words from a non-Asian language perspective is really a PIA. At least pinying will make it easy to speak. But learning to read Chinese is tough. I know about 50 characters and that barely makes me functionally illiterate.

[caligula]

Originally Posted by theNoseBleedKid

Wow, my family isn't German but my sister through studying is bi lingual in German. Guess shes just a freak then?

Well, I'd say your sister is just a smart lady.
The ladies are better when it comes to languages anyway.
(might wanna send me a few German lines and I'll tell her if it's good..just kidding)

But being bilingual, Deacon_blues said it, means you're raised learning two different languages. Mum Spanish, Dad British or something like that.
I have a friend here in Germany, he's from Britain and has been living here for 12 or 13 years, and although his German is damn good (almost no accent) he still makes all the typical mistakes in terms of case-system and inflections...even a lot of German native speakers do that.....using the dativ were the genetiv is required, using the wrong prepositions etc.

I used to do that myself, but I got a lot better...that's what Latin is good for.