Japanese Goal Statement

My ultimate goal regarding Japanese language acquisition is to be able to speak to Japanese businessmen, government officials, and academics on a wide range of topics including politics, economics, sciences, and history.

To reach this level of Japanese, I need a solid foundation of pronunciation, reading, writing, and listening.

Through Japanese 101, I hope to gain this solid foundation so I can continue to learn Japanese at Princeton and beyond.

I am particularly keen on being able to mimic the Tokyo accent in Japanese. I will focus my efforts on the shadowing exercises and speaking in class.

I am also interested in being able to build a large vocabulary. I will focus my efforts in class on memorizing key words that relate to topics in politics, economics, sciences, and history.

I am hoping to be able to listen and understand at a greater level than my speaking, writing, or reading. I plan to make sure I understood every word and phrase used during drill/class time by my teachers and classmates.

Goals:
Be able to mimic the intonation of a male Japanese speaker.
Be able to speak with a rhythm that is fluid across sentences as opposed to individual mora units.
Be able to distinguish the aspirated and non-aspirated consonant sounds
Be able to distinguish the long and short vowels.

Methodology:
Shadowing exercises with Japanese movies, TV shows, and dramas.
Repeating sentences that my Japanese instructors say during class.
Attend Japanese Tables