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Who's gonna study ALIS this year?
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22-07-2011 1:31am#1Just wondering who's gonna be in my course(Hopefully) in september, and what languages you are doing!
Which two languages are you studying? 29 votes
Irish0% 0 votesGerman6% 2 votesFrench10% 3 votesSpanish34% 10 votesJapanese20% 6 votesChinese27% 8 votes0
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I was gonna do German and Japanese but I wouldn't be able to learn a whole new alphabet in one semester.. especially the japanese one :P D
Whha?
You'll learn both the Hiregana and Katakana in no time. Although I think in third level you need to learn them more quickly than casual classes, it isn't actually that hard to learn both of them off. Kanji however will be the big challenge
Edit: Was originally going to apply for this course but thinking will just try for the International Business w/ Japanese course. Only worried though as more competition this time around with less places offered on the course
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Japanese isn't so bad. It looks very daunting but there's actually a lot of things easier than English - like, no plural, future tense/present tense are basically the same etc. Of course, on the other hand there are hundreds of kanji to learn >_> The other alphabets - Hiragana and Katakana - are fairly easy once you get the hang of them though
Eeeee, I can't wait to get back to college 0 -
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Japanese isn't so bad. It looks very daunting but there's actually a lot of things easier than English - like, no plural, future tense/present tense are basically the same etc. Of course, on the other hand there are hundreds of kanji to learn >_> The other alphabets - Hiragana and Katakana - are fairly easy once you get the hang of them though
This is true. Speaking Japanese is probably easier than most European languages. As Konata said, no plurals and tenses remain the same and you can also leave out alot of a structure of a sentence when speaking to someone when it's 'obvious'.
E.g If someone were to ask you your age in Japanese and the question was obviously directed towards you, you can simply reply " ni-jū yonsai desu " (24 years old) than " Watashi wa ni-jū yonsai desu " (I am 24 years old). That's a simple example but hopefully gets the jist of it
Flipside is though, the writing is very hard and one of the more difficult writing systems in the world. Since the course is based around Translation practice as well (at least for everyone in year 2 at least). This is where the language would get difficult for some on the course. Also, it's not hundreds of Kanji to learn, but thousands. The mostly used Kanji on a daily basis ( I guess similar to English words) is somewhere around the 2,000 to 3,000 mark.
Reaaallly still undecided whether to go for this course or the Business one (not studying this year but next year). Id like to do this one but I'm a mature student and would have to get my German up alot within a year before starting (not even sure if id be comfortable learning Intermediate German within a year while juggling alot of other things). Out of language courses though it seems one of the better ones to study in. 0 -
Michael Cravez wrote: »This is true. Speaking Japanese is probably easier than most European languages. As Konata said, no plurals and tenses remain the same and you can also leave out alot of a structure of a sentence when speaking to someone when it's 'obvious'.
E.g If someone were to ask you your age in Japanese and the question was obviously directed towards you, you can simply reply " ni-jū yonsai desu " (24 years old) than " Watashi wa ni-jū yonsai desu " (I am 24 years old). That's a simple example but hopefully gets the jist of it
Flipside is though, the writing is very hard and one of the more difficult writing systems in the world. Since the course is based around Translation practice as well (at least for everyone in year 2 at least). This is where the language would get difficult for some on the course. Also, it's not hundreds of Kanji to learn, but thousands. The mostly used Kanji on a daily basis ( I guess similar to English words) is somewhere around the 2,000 to 3,000 mark.
Reaaallly still undecided whether to go for this course or the Business one (not studying this year but next year). Id like to do this one but I'm a mature student and would have to get my German up alot within a year before starting (not even sure if id be comfortable learning Intermediate German within a year while juggling alot of other things). Out of language courses though it seems one of the better ones to study in.
Cardor - Larkfield does look the best cause it's all first year but I don't mind as long as I get anywhere on campus:)
I guess there are pros and cons of every language! I wouldn't let how difficult a language is to learn put me off studying it though. I think I still would enjoy Japanese more as I'm not that interested in any of the other European options.
You still have a long time to decide, how long has it been since you've done German? I think I forget all my French by now...0 -
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Cardor - Larkfield does look the best cause it's all first year but I don't mind as long as I get anywhere on campus:)
I guess there are pros and cons of every language! I wouldn't let how difficult a language is to learn put me off studying it though. I think I still would enjoy Japanese more as I'm not that interested in any of the other European options.
You still have a long time to decide, how long has it been since you've done German? I think I forget all my French by now...
About 6-7 years
. Last time I touched on German was when I was doing my Leaving Cert and I'm 24 now (would be 25 when starting the course). Although I did ask the German Tutor in DCU and also contacted Goethe Institut about getting to a respective level before starting the course and it does seem possible. It just happens that I would be also preparing myself for other courses in the meantime also such as Business courses to help my application and also continuing to do Japanese classes. It's just the thought of juggling everything together in a single year on top of work and other commitments is what's getting me thinking about what to do.
Iv heard German outside the Leaving Cert is a completely different kettle of fish as well when it comes to learning.
Oh of course! Wasn't implying that no one should take Japanese, I think quite the opposite!. I was just saying that it's much easier to speak than most other languages but has the downside of the writing system. Which is kinda why Iv been doing classes and continue to do so before starting University.
If anyone currently doing the German can share their opinions & experiences on the classes in DCU it would be a great help 0 -
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Me too, I dropped out of my last course at Christmas so it's been like a very very looong summer break!
Same! I dropped out of another course before that aswell so third time lucky :PThat is a while, I imagine when you start learning it again it will come back to you, at least that's what I'm hoping with French.
No, I know you weren't trying to put me off it. I was just thinking it sounded like I didn't want to do Japanese because I wasn't bothered putting any work in! I wonder have many people done it for the Leaving or are taking classes before the course starts? I can say 'hello' and 'how are you' and not much after that:o
I've been taking Japanese classes since January. The reason I did this was because, as I previously mentioned, I'd already dropped out of 2 Science courses and I wanted to be as sure as I could be that I wanted to learn this language! So I took the classes to see if I'd like it (obviously I already have some experience with Japanese from all the anime and manga I watch/read) and really fell in love I'm doing Irish cause we have to do a 2nd language but Japanese is really what I'm there for. 0 -
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Hey guys,
I'm Ryan and going into 2nd year in ALIS studying Japanese and French and was class rep last year, so I know everything about the course pretty much! I'm going to work down through the thread and if I miss anybody I'm very sorry!Planning on doing Irish and Japanese
Very excited to start! Think I've finally found a course I'll be able to stick with :P
Grat's Konata! The best of luck!I was gonna do German and Japanese but I wouldn't be able to learn a whole new alphabet in one semester.. especially the japanese one :P So German and Spanish it is.. There's quite a lot of people doing it this year..
Don't worry, PLENTY of folk do German and Japanese, if you have a passion for Japanese then you will pick it up no bother!
Takes less than 2 weeks to learn hiragana and katakana, the kanji is the daunting one, but you learn these throughout the course, and if you're good at sticking to a routine then they will be no problem!I hope the points don't rise too high.. last year they were 340.. so if there was a rise of 10 points that would be ok.. but I hope it won't be higher.. :P
The points will undoubtedly come up this year.I'd like to do Japanese.. but only japanese.. with no other language.. but I wouldn't be allowed to do that.. so I'm pretty good at german.. and I don't mind starting spanish from the beginning..
Can't happen, you're only allowed to do one Ab Initio/Beginner language and one Advanced language (has to have been done for the leaving cert), doing two beginner level languages is not allowed, although taking two advanced level languages is (Japanese is *only* offered at beginner level)plein de force wrote: »i have it down somewhere on the CAO, not my first choice but it looks great
It is!I accepted this course a few weeks ago. I'm definitely doing French. I'd like to do Spanish but I think I'll probably choose Japanese.
I havn't spoken any French in over a year...should at least look over a few verbs before we start...I know I won't though!
Japanese is a great language to study, and the lecturer is SOUND!
Revise as much French as you can in the next while and try listening to alot of it, the lectures ( Dr. Loftus ) will be speaking crazy fast from the getgo!
Kind of intimidating at first but you definitely get used to it and will notice your listening improve *dramatically*!I think I read in another thread that there's only around 10 people in a Japanese class or something, maybe it was more...a smaller class for that would be good.
Nah, there's about 25 in my Japanese class, IBLJ people included, but we're all in the one classroom!Japanese isn't so bad. It looks very daunting but there's actually a lot of things easier than English - like, no plural, future tense/present tense are basically the same etc. Of course, on the other hand there are hundreds of kanji to learn >_> The other alphabets - Hiragana and Katakana - are fairly easy once you get the hang of them though
Eeeee, I can't wait to get back to college
Gotta admit, it's pretty damn hard, REALLY hard, but if you've got a passion for it you will succeed, and if you do what Simon (your lecturer) tells you! You should also join Japanese society where you'll be able to practice what you learn and find a tandem language partner!Michael Cravez wrote: »This is true. Speaking Japanese is probably easier than most European languages. As Konata said, no plurals and tenses remain the same and you can also leave out alot of a structure of a sentence when speaking to someone when it's 'obvious'.
E.g If someone were to ask you your age in Japanese and the question was obviously directed towards you, you can simply reply " ni-jū yonsai desu " (24 years old) than " Watashi wa ni-jū yonsai desu " (I am 24 years old). That's a simple example but hopefully gets the jist of it
Flipside is though, the writing is very hard and one of the more difficult writing systems in the world. Since the course is based around Translation practice as well (at least for everyone in year 2 at least). This is where the language would get difficult for some on the course. Also, it's not hundreds of Kanji to learn, but thousands. The mostly used Kanji on a daily basis ( I guess similar to English words) is somewhere around the 2,000 to 3,000 mark.
Reaaallly still undecided whether to go for this course or the Business one (not studying this year but next year). Id like to do this one but I'm a mature student and would have to get my German up alot within a year before starting (not even sure if id be comfortable learning Intermediate German within a year while juggling alot of other things). Out of language courses though it seems one of the better ones to study in.
Definitely, DEFINITELY not easier than most European languages, Japanese is very nondescript while European (specifically Romantic and Germanic) languages are some of the most descript and direct languages in the world! It's not speaking it that's the problem, it's understanding it as you have to follow every last detail of a sentence or you won't be able to make sense of it! You'll see this when you start getting into the more advanced grammar points!
Also there's only 2000 daily-use kanji, you will have learned 1000 before you go to Japan on your exchange year, and will have upwards of 2000 by the time you leave.
^^^^^^Not to try and scare anyone but if you're going for ALIS seriously think about it. Are you more interested in language or culture? There is a lot of writing in English with certain modules in first year (the culture models, intercultural studies, study skills, language, culture and international communication etc.) and the classroom hours of intermediate languages are quite few (I got 3 hours a week for German) so make a BIG effort to keep up with language learning. Always be trying to improve or else you WILL fall behind.
Secondly although I didn't do Japanese, I had a lot of friends who did and ended up falling behind because they didn't keep up with the work. The kanji in particular was the one that was moaned about the most. Many people I know ended up failing most of their first year exams and a lot switched to different language modules. Others who are now doing their Erasmus year dropped the language and opted for their intermediate language. If you do Japanese it is compulsory to go to Japan for a year and, again, a lot of people ended up dreading it and weren't sure if they really wanted to go that far.
I'm not trying to put anyone off learning Japanese (a friend of mine was intensely interested in it, did the work and is now going to Japan in August), but the general impression I got from my classmates was that they thought it would be cool to learn Japanese. If you're considering doing it, SERIOUSLY consider whether or not you will be able to take on the workload.
EVERYONE READ THIS!
Has to be said, ALIS is no paradise, it's hard work and requires discipline, because you will have very low hours in class doesn't mean you can doss off, you will need to study quite a bit (especially if studying Japanese or Chinese). The standard of work presented is quite high, you might not have lots of it to do, but you *will* have to read up on these things, there's DEFINITELY no room for waffle in ALIS!
On the other hand, I love it, relaxed atmosphere (so long as you get your work done!), generally a course full of very sociable people! Low class hours are great, I can do lots of study during the day so it doesn't cut into my social life! It's a great course and I highly recommend it!
If anybody has any questions then post 'em on the thread instead of pm'ing me so everyone else can see, and please try only to ask a questions if it hasn't been answered here or here .
The best of luck to all of you in your future course!
Cheers,
Ryan.0 -
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Yup =D I had a 2 hour long Saturday class every week for the past 2 years (except in Summer) and did the Japanese exam in the LC Hopefully 2 years experience will help me keep up with the workloadGood choices! I'm still trying to root out my Leaving cert French books to go over stuff before I start, can't find them. Have you done Japanese classes already?
I suppose I better dig up my books too and try and remember how to say my name and age in french0 -
Yup =D I had a 2 hour long Saturday class every week for the past 2 years (except in Summer) and did the Japanese exam in the LC Hopefully 2 years experience will help me keep up with the workload
I suppose I better dig up my books too and try and remember how to say my name and age in french
Ah, ffs...am I actually going to be the only beginner in this beginners Japanese class? lol
My name and age is about all the French I remember.0 -
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Yay This means I won't be the loner at the back of the classAwesome.
Yay, Japanese buddies :P Have you studied it before? I did an evening course from January to June just to make sure I liked it - and I did! So I've got a little knowledge but not much, just a few basics and the hiragana/katakana.
I did Japanese for the Leaving Cert so I know a few basic things (like Hiragana, Katakana + a few kanji)
This might sound like an odd question but do you know a person named Hattie?0 -
Yay This means I won't be the loner at the back of the class
I did Japanese for the Leaving Cert so I know a few basic things (like Hiragana, Katakana + a few kanji)
This might sound like an odd question but do you know a person named Hattie?
Ah cool, I wish I had done it for LC but I wasn't interested in Japanese at the time ;_;
Eh... I do not. Should I? :P0 -
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Well you're still young (I'm guessing?) so you can still make up for lost time
I'm fairly young yea, 21 :P Dropped out of Biomedical Science in UCD half way through 2nd year - Japanese looks infintely more promisingProbably not It's just one of my friends told me that her friend is dropping out of her course to do ALIS because she hadn't known about it before so I'm trying to find out who it is (because I'm stalkery that way)
Ah! Not me anyway :P0 -
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Well hello there I'll probably be seeing a lot of you thenHi Nagikami, we're taking the same languages:)
I wonder what activities we will be doing on the Best Programme, it's Wed and Thurs during orientation week...hope it's not lots of sports stuff!
Well on the orientation schedule it says activities not sports so my guess is we'll be doing sport and other stuffWoo bring on the Japanese! And Irish. But mainly the Japanese!
Here you go 0 -
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