Hi there!
I’m looking to start shadowing/pronunciation practice to improve my spoken fluency (for reference I have N1, and can comfortably watch TV and read modern novels). I’ve been looking up Dogen’s study recommendations and those of Matt, and they seem to say different things.
Dogen:
1) Watch **the same** film (ideally 12人の優しい日本人）on repeat several times a day.
2) Record yourself saying part of the dialogue from that film (listen, then repeat **afterwards**)
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Matt:
Level 3
1) Find a parent (a set person to imitate), immerse daily (**different** **content** each time)
2) Shadow audiobooks (i.e. speak at the **same time**).
Level 4
1) Shadow parent (i.e. speak at the **same time**) (same speaker, **different** **content** each time)
2) Read out loud and check for pitch accent
3) Record yourself free talking and analyse.
Does anyone have any recommendations as to which is better? I’m kind of at that annoying stage where I’m fairly advanced in terms of my knowledge and understanding, but I’m really looking to get take my spoken Japanese up to the next level. I would say my two goals are:
1) Reducing my accent/pitch mistakes as much as possible (even though I accept it’ll never sound 100% native)
2) Speaking more fluently with less pauses and more natural phrasing.
I’m trying to come up with a daily routine and I’d be very grateful for some pointer! Many thanks 🙂
4 comments
Of these two, I personally think a combo of both would be good. Do the immersing with lots of content, but also do the spot checks with the recording if you want to really get an idea for how good you’re doing.
The best however, is likely what Dogen *actually* did, which is to get a Japanese wife and Japanese friends who always correct you when you mess up.
IMO Dogen has better pitch accent than Matt. That alone would make me lean towards Dogen.
Ideally, you would interact with native speakers as cultural proficiency is a deal breaker in Japanese. You can have perfect pitch accent but if your cadence and communication style is completely off it may cause a lot of misunderstandings. I think Dogen is just saying a thing he happened to do, he’s not passing it off as some sage advice you have to follow.
Why not both? Try them and see which one improves your accent and pronunciation more effectively.