I have been learning Japanese on an off for a decade. Earlier it was only textbook knowledge but recently, while working as a bilingual, I’ve been using it practically on a daily basis at work with native people. But i feel exhausted having to think in and switch between two languages, even if one of them is my native language.
I realised that this could be because I’m having to constantly use my working memory to focus while communicating in the non-native language. If used daily in practical situations, how long does it usually take to become part of long-term memory so that it’s not so tiring to use?
4 comments
It’s the same as any other new language: Constantly keep using it until it becomes second-nature. It could take a long time, depending on how much you’re using it in your daily life, but eventually it’ll be as easy as snapping your fingers.
I don’t know but I was listening to this song today and I was really happy when I heard them sing “mo ichi do” and I was like I know what that means! It’s “one more time” that was the only thing I understood in the song.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=YommuhgToGA&feature=share
In my experience, if you are fully immersed, the first 6 months or so see a rapid decrease in the amount of mental power required. Then it plateaus, but within a few years it becomes pretty similar to your native language. If you are not fully immersed, I expect it takes longer. (Also, obviously it depends heavily on effort, natural ability, and what language(s) you already know.)
Japanese is a category IV language. It will take 8 years to reach the level that a learner of Spanish, Norwegian, etc. would reach in 2 years.