This flipped my perspective on Language Learning

Hey KoreKara Squad, 

There is no such thing as a straight line when it comes to learning a language. It’s a dynamic process. I know that throughout my language-learning journey, I will come across and learn words that someone else may rarely, if ever, see. Everyone picks up different things along their journey and by the end, or by the time they reach “fluency” they have a similar understanding of the language, but they are not entirely the same.

💡 Tip of the week

I heard the term “semantic geography” the other day and thought it was a practical and refreshing description of the language acquisition process.

Semantic geography refers to the idea that your understanding of language is constructed incrementally based on involuntary acquisition. These bits of language that are acquired slowly weave themselves together based on their relations with one another. The result is an organic and personal conceptualization of your target language.

You can’t help learning and associating the words “green” and “grass,” it's just a natural part of acquisition. These words just happen to associate with one another.

This ultimately means that every learner ends up with slightly different “semantic geography.” Maybe the words “music” and “skateboarding” have different connotations and connections if you happen to be a skateboarding musician.

Don’t get deterred if you see a list of “basic” words you “should” know by now. Everyone’s acquisition process is different – different inputs, different interests, different people.

There is no straight path to “fluency” so don’t worry about getting lost along the way. Even though we might like to think running through some regimen will lead to fluency, there is no predefined path.

Embrace the distinct twists and turns of your language learning journey.

📺 Immersion of the week 

If you’re into video games and playthroughs, THIS is your guy. 牛沢’s got an insane amount of content that includes massive playthroughs of some super popular games like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and the Neir series. He regularly uploads too, so if video games interest you, you’re sure to find something for you on his channel.

Bonus Tip: Use 実況プレイ to search for other playthroughs and let’s plays that you might be interested in

✍️ Kanji of the week

This word relates nicely to how our mental models of language are interconnected. The kanji 繋 means tie, fasten, chain, tether, or connect. Every new vocabulary word we come across relates to another bit of language knowledge we have previously acquired. The new bits fasten themselves to our base knowledge and become the building blocks for what we will acquire in the future.

🗣️ Weekly Update

I’m working on launching the KoreKara Community. We’re going to have monthly or bi-monthly group calls and also create courses and guides for the members.

If you’re interested in testing reply to this e-mail. (If you already sent me an e-mail I will send you an invite soon,)

Also I’m working on creating a video for the KoreKara main channel. It’s going to be titled (How I would learn Japanese if I had to start over). Excited to share this with you guys soon!

Eric