well hello there.

[humbleservant]

hi all,
I am new, and thought it'd be polite to introduce myself.
Well, I'm Scottish, and in a few weeks I move to Japan to be an Assistant Language Teacher (of English)... and I am really struggling to learn any Japanese!
I've got the audio CDs, the podcasts, and a nice bunch of words and phrases kindly sent me by my soon-to be employer (Interac). However, I have no-one to practice with! I've never even had a conversation of any kind in Japanese!
So, you'll most likely see me on the language board taking all and any opportunity to try and learn some basic phrases and such.
Any advice you've got about good learning techniques, or what I can expect as a Brit moving to Japan will be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Yours,
humbleservant

 

[Anohito]

Welcome to Jref.

In your various material on learning Japanese you may (or may not) encounter mention of the Japanese pitch system. The issue of whether or not the beginning learner should attempt to learn the pitch system is a matter of some controversey. I get the impression that the main proponents of learning the pitch system are linguists and phonetics experts (1). However, the more practically-oriented writers I have read (e.g., Jack Seward) tend to state that the pitch system is not very important, and that unlike the Chinese pitch system, it is not necessary in Japanese, and that paying careful attention to long and short vowels is far more important to the beginning learner of Japanese.

This is off-topic, really, but the title you chose for the thread sent my mind in a direction that you probably had not intended. The words "Well hello there" are the opening words to the song generally knows as "Funny How Time Slips Away" (2), written by Willie Nelson. The version with which I am most familiar is the one released by Joe Hinton in 1964.

(1)
http://www.blueseapress.com/acc/accentmyths.html

(2)
AIN'T IT FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY ? - Lyrics - International Lyrics Playground

 

[Philip]

Welcome enjoy!

 

[Absolute Zero]

Hello and welcome, new person. Welcome to the site and enjoy your stay at Jref.