How can watching Japanese Dramas help with retaining your language skills?
When I came home from Japan, I didn't want to lose my language skills from lack of opportunity to practise. Something occurred to me after waking up one morning - there was no one greeting me good morning in Japanese anymore. A friendly "O-hayou!" (He~llo!) or "Yoku neremashitaka?" (Was it a good sleep?). Or any other number of ritualistic morning phrases like inviting you to sit down and eat breakfast.
When you live in a foreign country for an extended period of time you get used to hearing the native language spoken as the conversation on the streets. It was such a strange feeling the first time I went to ask a stranger in the street a question when I got home - and marveling over the fact that I didn't need to worry about them not understanding me. Here, you rarely ask a stranger in the street and hear Japanese back. I mean, that would be random. Once you are home, you have left that world. If you want to keep in touch with that world filled with foreign words (whatever the language, wherever you went) and unique, endearing (and not-so endearing) customs, here are a few options to try and keep it alive. From the point of returning home on, it seems the job of keeping in touch with what you have left behind is up to you. You will need to create it yourself.
You could talk on the telephone, with someone who is still living there.
You can write e-mails and letters, and sound out the syllables as you go - although there is the problem of eventually you will reach the end of the paper, or the ink.
You can lament about it in your head, while listening to Classical music or music in that language (actually normally a quite interesting and engaging way of learning a language).
Or you can do something else, small, it doesn't have to be big. As long as you can keep the world alive in short bursts.
One way I love - is watching film.
Watching films and dramas in a foreign language is appealing not only for the indy cred. alternative cinematography to mainstream American, English and Australian options that we can find on our (now ever increasing it seems) TV channels.
The role of subtitles can be useful as a learning tool for learning new words, or to cover and check when you feel lost listening. Just beware of letting it become a crutch - you may become lulled into a false sense of confidence or comfortability, and find yourself just reading the plot while hearing the sounds but not (crucially) listening to the words. It's not impossible to concentrate on translating the words while enjoying the plot. Try it, give it a go. You might surprise yourself with your own level.
Download them in great lists onto your ipod, and watch them late into the hours of the morning, and sleep with the words calling to each other in your ears. O.k. so that's probably not the best advice for a balanced lifestyle - but hey, get your hands on some film and try to watch (and Listen) to it every day. Right before you go to sleep is best - then your subconscious level of cranial activity will carry on whirring away in Japanese while you sleep - like the sped up metabolism right after excersizing. So, if you're 'studying' the language and then put your brain on autopilot, for sleep, all this learning activity will carry on for a little while without you having any other input to distract it.
When I was an exchange student, they said the time when you start dreaming in a foreign language is a sign of a really good stage in your understanding levels. Not just random words either - don't feel too proud too early if you hear "carrot" or "good morning" over and over in your dream.
From watching foreign dramas or serials - characters names will become familiar, at any rate. Single words will leap out and embed themselves in your brain. You will find yourself saying things aloud - a whole word, in another language, whose meaning is buried deeper than the sound itself, repeated and repeated onto your grey cells.
Without further ado, here is this weeks Drama:
GOKUSEN
Synopsis
Idealistic new teacher Yamaguchi Kumiko seems to be out of her depth when greeted by her new class - the worst delinquents and dead-ends of the school, all in one classroom! However this bright-eyed new teacher, prone to breaking into soliloquies of idealism and optimism, appears to have an interesting background that keeps her from running away from this unexpected challenge...
For a more detailed (warning: spoilers) synopsis, check out
MySoju.com - a drama website also with listed episodes for watching.
Gokusen Season One - the original class
Directed and acted in lighter themes than the manga, followers of Morimoto Kozueko's 1999 eponymously titled manga may be disappointed by the lightness in which this TV adaption is directed and acted. However, despite this, it is an easy-watching comedy with a full cast of interesting characters interacting in an evolving way as the season progresses. And the action scenes Do improve as the season goes on..
Created in 2002, this manga-based drama went on to be extended into three seasons of successive casts, retaining the title character, and also, in 2009, a feature-film.
To trial the first episode, go to this youtube link and judge for yourself.
With English Subtitles
A word of warning - as with most worthwhile things - don't give up too early.
For those interested in the original and more serious manga series,
mangafox is a good platform to start your research.
For an insight into how Gokusen looks in the classic hand-drawn style of anime, check out this teaser trailer of the series available on
Youtube.
A final comment:
Use of language in Japan is often situation specific.
For a board meeting - remember Which characters said the words you are using.
"Good Morning" from a teacher character to another teacher character is likely to be much more polite than two school friends - despite the subtitles both saying "hello" (^-^)
Happy watching - mata ne! ([catch you] Later yeah)
