Matt vs Japan's Guide to Starting Output

Summary

The speaker shares their journey and insights on learning Japanese, emphasizing the importance of both input and output in language acquisition. Initially believing that ample input would lead to natural and perfect output, they later realized the necessity of deliberate practice to improve speaking skills. They suggest starting with a strong focus on input, especially for beginners, then transitioning to output practice after establishing a solid foundation. The speaker recommends adopting a 'parent'— a native speaker to model speech after— and engaging in activities like shadowing, pitch accent training, and recording oneself speaking to identify and correct flaws. They stress the value of consistent practice, self-assessment, and eventually, seeking feedback from native speakers to refine language skills further.

Takeaways

• 📚 Start with a strong emphasis on input, especially in the early stages of language learning, but be aware of the need to transition to output practice after a solid foundation is built.
• 🎯 To actualize your language potential, actively work on improving your output through practice, as natural proficiency won't be achieved without it.
• 📈 After a couple of years of learning, shift your focus to include speaking practice to improve fluency and comfort in using the language.
• 👪 Adopt a 'parent' in the target language — a native speaker from whom you take a significant amount of input, and mimic their speech patterns.
• 🎧 Use shadowing techniques with audiobooks to practice speaking in real-time, focusing on matching the speaker's intonation and rhythm.
• 📉 Identify and work on the specific problems in your speech by recording yourself, listening back, and making corrections.
• 📈 Practice shadowing daily for at least 20 minutes to build muscle memory and improve your speaking abilities.
• 📉 For Japanese, learning and practicing pitch accent is crucial, and should be done alongside general language study.
• 🎥 Record yourself speaking on spontaneous topics and review the recordings to identify areas for improvement.
• 🤔 Engage in self-reflection after output practice to notice weaknesses and actively seek ways to address them through further input.
• 🚀 Regularly seek feedback from native speakers once you have a strong foundation to fine-tune your language skills and address unconscious mistakes.
• 🌟 Be patient with your progress and recognize that achieving native-like proficiency is a long-term goal that requires consistent effort and practice.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial belief about language learning through input?

The speaker initially believed that getting enough input would naturally lead to fluent output, and even to the point of speaking like a native speaker without much speaking practice.

What did the speaker realize about the importance of output practice in language learning?

The speaker realized that while input is crucial, after a certain foundation is built, one needs to start practicing output to improve speaking skills and actualize their language potential.

What is the concept of 'adopting a parent' in language learning?

'Adopting a parent' refers to choosing a native speaker of the target language to model one's speech after. This involves listening to a lot of input from that person and trying to mimic their speech patterns and idiosyncrasies.

Why is shadowing an effective technique for language output practice?

Shadowing is effective because it involves listening to a language and repeating it back in real-time, which helps to match the inflection and pronunciation. It also allows for immediate feedback by comparing the output with the input.

How does the speaker suggest incorporating shadowing into a language learning routine?

The speaker suggests starting with 20 minutes of shadowing per day, preferably in the morning, and gradually increasing the duration as one becomes more comfortable with the technique.

What role does recording oneself speaking a language play in language learning?

Recording oneself speaking allows learners to review their performance and identify areas for improvement, such as pronunciation errors or awkward phrasing. This self-assessment helps learners to become more aware of their weaknesses and target them during further study.

Why is it important to practice speaking spontaneously rather than from a prepared script?

Practicing spontaneous speaking helps learners to develop the ability to think and express themselves in real-time, which is a more accurate reflection of natural conversational skills. It also highlights areas where the learner may struggle with immediate language retrieval.

How does the speaker recommend transitioning from solo practice to speaking with native speakers?

The speaker recommends starting with solo practice for about six months to build a strong foundation. After that, learners should gradually start engaging in conversations with native speakers, focusing on identifying and filling gaps in their language skills.

What is the significance of having a strong input foundation before engaging in extensive output practice?

A strong input foundation provides a robust internal model of what the language should sound like, which helps learners to recognize their mistakes and understand the correct way to express themselves. Without this foundation, learners may develop bad habits that are difficult to correct.

Why is it beneficial to watch back recordings of one's own language output?

Watching recordings allows learners to critically assess their own performance, notice mistakes, and become more aware of their language abilities. It also serves as a motivational tool, highlighting areas for improvement and encouraging learners to continue practicing.

How does the speaker view the balance between input, output, and real-life conversations in language learning?

The speaker views input as the foundation, output as the means to practice and refine skills, and real-life conversations as a way to apply and solidify learning. They emphasize the importance of sequencing these activities correctly to build effective communication skills.

Outlines

00:00

😀 The Importance of Balancing Input and Output in Language Learning

The speaker discusses their experience with language learning, emphasizing the common misconception that sheer input alone leads to fluent language output. They explain that while input is crucial, especially for beginners, there comes a point where active practice is necessary to improve one's speaking abilities. The speaker highlights the need to transition from a focus on input to a balance of both input and output to actualize one's language potential.

05:01

🎓 Selecting a 'Parent' for Language Modeling

The paragraph introduces the concept of choosing a 'parent', a native speaker whose speech you aim to mimic. This approach is likened to how children often speak like their parents. The speaker suggests that selecting a parent can be based on various factors, including gender, age, and personality match. They also discuss the benefits of using radio show hosts or YouTubers as models, given their engaging speaking style and the availability of their content.

10:03

🎧 Shadowing as a Technique for Language Improvement

The speaker delves into the practice of shadowing, which involves listening to a language input and immediately repeating it to improve speaking skills. They recommend starting with audiobooks due to their clear enunciation and consistent pace. The goal is to eventually match the voice's inflection and rhythm. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of daily practice and using new material to prevent memorization and ensure active listening and repetition.

15:04

📚 Integrating Pitch Accent Training into Language Learning

The paragraph focuses on the importance of pitch accent, especially in languages like Japanese. The speaker advises learning the pitch accent system and training oneself to recognize and reproduce it accurately. They suggest using tools like Yomi Chan to check the pitch accent of words while reading texts aloud. This practice is meant to build the habit of correct pronunciation and eventually internalize the rules without conscious effort.

20:04

🎥 Utilizing Video Recordings for Self-Assessment and Improvement

The speaker recommends recording oneself speaking on a spontaneous topic and then reviewing the video to identify areas for improvement. This method provides a raw assessment of one's speaking abilities and helps to pinpoint specific issues like pronunciation, sentence structure, and pitch accent. The speaker encourages maintaining a daily routine of deliberate practice, which includes shadowing, pitch accent reading, and video recording for self-assessment.

25:04

🤝 Transitioning to Conversational Practice and Seeking Feedback

After establishing a strong foundation through individual practice, the speaker suggests gradually engaging in conversations with native speakers. They highlight the importance of real conversations for learning the social aspects of communication and solidifying language skills. The speaker also emphasizes the value of feedback from native speakers to identify and correct issues that one might not be aware of. They propose a structured approach to language output, starting with self-assessment and gradually moving to more interactive and applied settings.

Keywords

💡Input

Input refers to the process of receiving or consuming language data, such as listening to a language, reading it, or being exposed to it in various forms. In the video's context, it is the foundation upon which one builds their language skills before attempting to produce (output) the language themselves. The speaker emphasizes the importance of input but also points out that too much focus on it can delay the development of output skills.

💡Output

Output is the act of producing language, such as speaking or writing in a learned language. The video discusses the importance of shifting from a focus on input to actively practicing output to improve fluency and achieve a higher level of language proficiency. The speaker shares personal experiences and strategies for enhancing output capabilities.

💡Shadowing

Shadowing is a language learning technique where a learner listens to a piece of audio and repeats it aloud, trying to match the speaker's pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation. It is used in the video as a method to improve the learner's speaking skills by mimicking native speakers and developing muscle memory for speech patterns.

💡Parent

In the context of the video, a 'parent' is a term used to describe a specific native speaker or a source of language input that a learner chooses to model their speaking style after. The speaker suggests adopting a parent to focus on and learn from, which can help in developing a more natural and consistent speaking style.

💡Pitch Accent

Pitch accent refers to the pattern of high and low pitches in the pronunciation of a language's words and sentences. In the video, the speaker discusses the importance of learning and practicing pitch accent, especially in languages like Japanese, to sound more native-like and to improve the overall quality of language output.

💡Fluency

Fluency in language learning is the ability to speak or write a language smoothly, quickly, and accurately. The video emphasizes the goal of achieving fluency through a combination of extensive input and deliberate output practice, with a focus on identifying and correcting personal weaknesses in language production.

💡Immersion

Immersion is a language learning approach where learners surround themselves with the language they are trying to learn, often by engaging with native speakers or media in the target language. The video suggests that while immersion is crucial, it should be complemented with deliberate output practice to effectively improve speaking skills.

💡SRS (Spaced Repetition System)

SRS, or Spaced Repetition System, is a learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time to enhance memory retention. In the video, the speaker recommends using SRS in the morning for language learning, particularly for reviewing vocabulary.

💡Motivation

Motivation is the internal drive that encourages individuals to take action or achieve a goal. The video discusses how the process of recording oneself speaking a foreign language and then reviewing the recording can be both a source of disappointment and motivation, pushing learners to improve their language skills.

💡Blind Spots

Blind spots in the context of the video refer to areas of language proficiency that a learner may not be aware of or may not recognize as weaknesses. The speaker suggests that identifying these blind spots through output practice is essential for targeted improvement and overall language development.

💡Feedback

Feedback is the process of receiving comments or evaluations on one's performance, which can be used for improvement. In the video, the speaker highlights the value of feedback from native speakers in identifying areas for improvement that the learner may not be aware of, especially once they have reached a high level of language proficiency.

Highlights

The importance of input in language learning, but also the necessity to balance it with output practice for fluency.

The concept of 'adopting a parent' - choosing a native speaker to model your language learning after.

The benefits of using radio show hosts or YouTubers as language models due to their clear speech and engaging content.

The recommendation to match gender and age with the chosen 'parent' to better emulate speech patterns.

The practice of shadowing as a method to improve real-time language replication and accent mimicry.

Starting shadowing practice with audiobooks for clarity and consistent pace.

The significance of daily practice and gradually increasing the complexity of shadowing material.

The psychological impact of recording oneself speaking a foreign language and reviewing it for self-assessment.

The strategy of focusing on spontaneous speech during video recording to capture raw language ability.

The use of video self-assessment to identify and correct specific language errors.

The motivational aspect of self-assessment and setting clear goals for language improvement.

The gradual transition from solo practice to actual conversations with native speakers.

The value of native feedback in refining language skills and addressing unnoticed errors.

The concept of 'pitch accent' and its importance in languages like Japanese, along with strategies for learning it.

The recommendation to read texts out loud with correct pitch accent to reinforce muscle memory.

The idea that extensive input is necessary for rapid progress during output practice due to the potential it actualizes.

The overall structure of language learning stages, from input-heavy in the beginning to a balance of input and output for advanced learners.

Transcripts

hey guys so today I'm gonna be talking

about how to start outputting now before

I jump in I just wanted to talk a little

bit about my experience without putting

for a little bit so basically I was a

big fan of the age at web site

throughout Mike's you know journey

learning Japanese and what my impression

was from reading the a jet web site was

that if you got enough input then you

would become able to output naturally

and that is true but I kind of extend

that out too if you get enough input

you'll become completely perfect in your

output so if you just get enough input

then you'll become able to output

basically like a native speaker

I mean I'm exaggerating a little bit I

did have some sort of understanding that

in order to get good at speaking you'd

have to practice speaking but I think

personally looking back I put too much

emphasis on input for too long now if

you've only been learning for a couple

years then I do recommend putting a huge

amount emphasis on input perhaps you

know not outputting at all especially in

the first couple years but after a

certain point you have enough foundation

and you'll probably want to start

actually doing work to help you improve

your output because although you can

still get pretty fluent with almost no

output practice and that was my

experience if you really want to get

comfortable speaking Japanese and you

really want to kind of actualize your

potential when it comes to your output

then you're gonna have to put a lot of

work into that and what I mean when I

say actualize your potential is that for

example in my experience I would try to

speak Japanese I record myself and

listen to it back and I would notice all

these problems with my Japanese and

these were problems that were very

obvious to me very apparent like oh I

didn't pronounce that word correctly

right there or like oh I said that word

to the wrong pitch accent or oh why

didn't I say use this expression instead

of that expression whatever and so you

know when you have so many flaws in your

output that you're aware of it really

just feels like you're not actualizing

your potential because it's like oh I

can see what's wrong here I could easily

fix it whereas for example if you do

actualize your potential you still might

have a lot of problems with your output

but those are gonna be beyond your

perception right you're gonna listen to

yourself back and you're not gonna be

able to find very much that's wrong with

your output you're gonna have to go to

natives and get feedback in order to

find that out and so basically if you

want to get to that point it takes a lot

of practice if you don't put a lot of

practice into your output then you're

gonna have the experience of you know

always cringing out your output noticing

countless problems with it yet you know

not being able to fix it because you

haven't actually you know built up any

kind of muscle memory in your mouth and

kind of mental muscle memory in order to

help you be able to speak effortlessly

and fluently and things like that and so

with that all said I didn't do what I'm

about to tell you but I wish that I did

and I've been incorporating more and

more of what I'm talking about in the

last few months and I've found myself

making huge progress in my output pretty

rapidly and of course

the more input you have gotten up till

this point the quicker your progress is

gonna be when you output because you

have so much potential to actualize but

I still think from much earlier than

what I did it's probably gonna need a

start at least doing things that prepare

you for output and so that's why in the

MIAA overview I put adoptive parent and

start shadowing at stage 3 and so you're

not actually creating your own output

yet at stage 3 but those are things that

you do to prepare and I'm going to talk

about without more in a second and then

in stage 4 continue those things but

then you actually start practicing

speaking and there are some things that

I'm going to talk about to help you with

that as well so first of all when you're

in stage 3 first what you want to do is

adopt a parent and so as far as I know

this was cought Simotas

idea I'm using the term but he used the

idea comes from the fact that people

tend to talk like their parents right

because in your most you know formative

period as an infant you hear your

parents speak more than anyone else and

that kind of becomes the model that you

base your output up on and a lot of

times if you you know know someone well

and then you meet their parents you

noticed like oh that's so funny your dad

talks exactly like Eeyore you talked

exactly like your dad and so the idea is

that you kind of replicate that process

intentionally by selecting a native

speaker of the target language and

trying to get a large amount of your

input just from that one person

specifically and then you actually can

put some conscious effort into you know

noticing with all the idiosyncrasies of

that person are and trying to mimic

those so basically first you want to

find a parent now it doesn't actually

have to be one parent it can be multiple

people you can listen to a few

people and then try to kind of combine

them I know that Casa moto had two

parents right now I have a few people

that I use as parents basically and I

used to think that it would be best to

choose basically like a radio show a

host because you know if you do a radio

show like first of all a lot of radio

show hosts are kind of comedians or at

least they're funny so you gotta learn

how to be funny from the person they're

also obviously gonna be good at talking

and you're gonna have lots of input

available from them whether they're just

speaking sometimes a monologue and

sometimes dialogues with other people

and so that's one thing you have to

consider right is not just hey do you

want to speak like this person but also

am I gonna be able to get enough samples

of this person speaking and so that's

still a pretty good option I think if

you choose like a comedian who has a

radio show then you can go on YouTube

you might be able to find you know like

hundreds of episodes of this person just

pretty much speaking either

yeah just monologuing or either you know

talking to other celebrities or whatever

and that can be a really good sample but

recently I've been thinking that

youtubers are probably even more ideal

than that because it's a lot closer to

kind of normal speech like if you can

find a youtuber who makes videos where

they kind of just talk into the camera

you know with no script or anything I

think that could be better because first

of all you get to really see their face

and their facial expression and you know

their their body movements and that's

actually pretty important I've been

realizing and you know it's kind of nice

that there's just these little five to

ten minute maybe 15 minute segments

where you can just say I'm gonna watch

one video you know and it's very

concentrated it'll just be like them

talking for 15 minutes straight whereas

even with the radio shows you know it's

like they have commercials or they might

like take breaks for songs and and they

might have like little corners and

things and kind of gimmicks and stuff

and so I've been using youtubers

recently and I really found that that

works really well for me and basically

some things to think about when you're

choosing a parent is like obviously you

want them to be the same gender as you

because men and women speak very

differently in Japanese and so if you're

a guy and you want to sound like a guy

then you should choose a guy to be your

parent you also want to choose someone

that's at least within the same age as

you I'd say within a 10 year range

either way because depending on what how

old you are that also changes how you

speak and your style of speech and your

inflection and things like that at least

in Japanese

and then also just kind of someone who

matches your personality a little bit or

at least what you resonate with right

someone who you could see like feel kind

of like oh yeah I'd want to talk like

that and I received the question before

like should you choose someone who kind

of seems similar to your personality in

your native language and to that I'd say

not necessarily because you know

everyone kind of expresses themselves

differently in each language and you

might have a sort of different

personality at least on the surface in

Japanese or your you know your l2 then

your native language so instead of what

is similar to you I would just think

more in terms of what would you like to

speak like you know well what do you

resonate with in Japanese or your target

language and so you want to choose some

parents if you choose a youtuber or

whatever like get as much content from

them as you can there's ways that you

can just download entire YouTube

channels so like I downloaded the entire

YouTube channels of all the people that

I want to use as parents and I would say

try to listen to them like half the time

for your immersion that make listening

to your parent half of all your emergen

and then the other half you know just

the kind of stuff you're doing before

either just because you enjoy it or

because it's helping you broaden out

what you can understand so yeah so try

to listen to your parent as much as you

can active and passive especially

passive because you know you're trying

to pick up all their habits consciously

and unconsciously and so basically by

the time you're doing this you should be

at the point where whoever you chose as

your parent you can understand virtually

everything they say pretty easily

because I mean if you're still having

trouble with understanding at least with

the kind of stuff that you're using as a

parent then you're probably not even

ready to be thinking about this yet so

first just are listening to your parent

all the time try to notice their

idiosyncrasies and things like that like

oh he uses this word a lot or oh when

he's thinking he says and a lot but he

doesn't say like on all of that much or

like whatever things like that and so

that's what the parent the other thing

you want to do is shadow and so you know

basically what that is is you are gonna

listening to input in the language and

then in real time you're gonna be

repeating it back out and you're trying

to match the inflection as much as

possible and so I'm gonna make another

video later when I go more in detail

into how to shadow on how I shadow

because even like a physical level it

can be pretty difficult to get a set up

where you can clearly hear your voice

and the voice you're listening to

because that's kind of the idea with

shadowing right is like you're hearing a

language that you're trying to

and then you're mimicking it in

real-time and if there's any

discrepancies between the two you can

naturally notice those and then you'll

be able to correct that right but it

turns out to be pretty difficult to find

a setup that really allows you to do

this because if you make the input loud

enough that you can hear it clearly then

it kind of drones out your own voice but

if you turn it down enough that you can

hear your own voice well no you can't

hear that the input well enough to

really mimic it so I have some ideas

with regards to that I'm gonna talk

about but what I would do is at first

don't actually start with your parents

start with audio books because audio

books are in a way the easiest thing to

shadow because you know the voice actors

that read the audio books enunciate very

clearly and there's kind of a nice even

pace it's not too fast and it's not too

slow and it's very consistent right if

you're trying to use an anime then there

might be long chunks of time where

there's almost no dialogue or there

might be two people going back and forth

and that's kind of awkward to try to

mimic right with an audio book it's

mostly just a monologue I mean there's

conversations as well you know but a lot

of time it's just a continuous monologue

and I think that makes it more ideal for

practicing shadowing and at first you're

not gonna be able to keep up at all you

know you're only gonna get a few words

per sentence but as you get better

keeping up becomes easier and easier and

then once you find that keeping up isn't

a problem well now you can actually

start paying attention to how close is

my voice to the voice I'm listening to

and so that might take you a while but

what I recommend doing is 20 minutes

every day and I'm gonna talk about this

more in a little bit but I kind of have

a routine a kind of like output training

routine and I would recommend kind of

starting as well so once you get more

advanced or in stage at 3:00 right

you're gonna be relying on the s or s

less than you were before and so you can

spend less time on the SRS and then more

time doing these kind of activities and

so I always recommend doing the SRS in

the morning because then you know it's

gonna going to happen and that's when

you are the most fresh and so I

recommend kind of also shadowing in the

morning and so like what I do is I would

wake up and then meditate and then I was

shadow for 20 minutes and then I would

do reps and so that's what I recommend

is just do it for 20 minutes you know

it's not that much but it builds up over

time right because that's an hour every

three

days and so before you know it you'll

find that you've shadowed whole

audiobooks right and so try to get to

that point like I said a second ago

where you can repeat out what you're

listening to in a real time without that

much struggle and I also just note that

when you're doing the shadowing you

don't want to be using any sort of

script you don't want to be looking at

subtitles or anything it's all your ears

you're old you're just listening and

then you're repeating back in a

real-time and it's okay if you miss

stuff you just want to keep going and I

would try to use something new every

time I wouldn't try to counter the same

thing over and over because then you

start to remember it right and you start

to just kind of memorize it through

osmosis and then you're not really

listening and repeating what you're

hearing you're just saying what you

remembered was said right but that

defeats the whole purpose the purpose is

that you're listening with your ears and

you're repeating what you're hearing and

so I would never shadow the same thing

multiple times I would always just keep

using new material and just keep going

and don't worry about how much you miss

and if you actually practice every day

just for twenty minutes but you actually

you know practice very seriously in your

and you're concentrated you will improve

very quickly at least that's my

experience and it's actually very

satisfying to feel this improvement

because you know you think back you're

like well just a few weeks ago I was

missing a word every other sentence now

I can do almost the whole thing you know

no problem and so that sense of

improvement will be very motivating and

so I would recommend doing that for at

least try to get like 50 hours of

shadowing under your belt while you're

in stage 3 so you're basically you're

listening to your parents a lot and

you're shadowing these audiobooks and

that's basically what you're doing to

prepare yourself for output for stage 3

so what that's gonna do is it's gonna

help your you get your tongue moving the

shadowing well and then basically

through exposing yourself to your

parents are basically subconsciously

biasing the the types of things are

gonna say and you're giving yourself

something to mimic so that your style of

speech can be more consistent like

you're not saying something that it

would be used in a novel than something

that's used in the news you know it's

like you can kind of model and say I'm

just gonna try to talk how this guy

talks and then your style speech will be

consistent and also it gives you

something smaller to aim for right

because when you're just trying to like

sound Japanese or or whatever your

language is that's a pretty broad target

right and so it's hard to know when

you're nailing it when you're not but if

you have a parent that say like I'm

trying to talk like this guy that's a

much smaller target and when you have a

smaller target it's easier to

know what you're aiming for and it's

easier to tell whether you're succeeding

at what you're aiming for or not and

even if you don't succeed you know they

say like shoot for the moon and even if

you miss you'll you'll hit the stars or

maybe those opposite it was true for the

stars even and even even if you don't

get there you'll probably still land on

the moon it's it's like that it's like

even if you can't sound exactly like

your parent you're much more likely to

sound Japanese or like a native speaker

of whatever your language is and so I

would do that for Stage three think of

that as a long-term thing like I said

try to get 50 hours of the shadowing and

then what you might also want to add in

is like this is for if you care about

pitch accent and a pitch accent is

important to you then what you also want

to be doing before you start outputting

is learning about pitch accent learning

the system of pitch accent this is for

Japanese obviously you know memorizing

the pitch accent of a lot of different

words and then really training yourself

to be able to hear the pitch accent and

so if pitch accent is important to you

then you want to be doing that alongside

all this other work and then you you

know when you're shadowing you want to

try to make an effort to make sure that

you're repeating things back with the

right pitch accent you want to be

training yourself to listen for that and

if pitch accent is important to you then

what I would add in addition to the

daily shadowing is a period where

basically you just read texts out loud

but you're making sure that you have the

right pitch accent so what you can do is

you can download a book in text form and

then read it like in a computer browser

with something like Yomi Chan so that

you can instantly check the pitch accent

of words you don't know and basically

the reason for this is that first of all

it's gonna help you build these habits

right because you want to build habits

of always saying things in the right way

but at first in order to build those

habits you're going to have to be

thinking about you know the pitch accent

rules and stuff you're gonna have to

remember like oh yeah this verb is that

and when it's in this form it's gonna

sound like this and so basically if

you're trying to practice actually

speaking and practicing the pitch accent

habits then that's going to be difficult

because now you have to do two things

you have to be thinking about the pitch

accent and you have to be deciding what

you're gonna say and forming sentences

and things like that but when you're

reading you can dump that second half

right you don't have to come up with

your own sentences or anything the

sentences are already there all you have

to worry about is the pitch accent so

you'll you know consciously recall the

pitch accent consciously recall the

rules and make sure

you read it the same way every time and

what will happen is that your brain will

get better and better at doing this and

you'll make a lot of shortcuts and I'll

get to the point where you don't even

really need to think about it anymore

you'll kind of internalize pronouncing

things in the right way and that will

take a very long time it's a very long

process and I'm still in the midst of

this process but I see it starting to

happen where you know on things where

I've made sure that I've said it the

right way multiple times I'm much more

likely to say it the right way

spontaneously when I'm just you know

having a conversation and not thinking

about the pitch accent and so that's

another thing that you can add is shadow

for 20 minutes and then for 20 minutes

just read and make sure that you are

getting nailing all the pitch exit and

that will be very slow because you know

you'll be having to look up the pitch

accent of like multiple words per

sentence but it's not that bad if you

have Yomi Chen so you know I would set

the timer do that for 20 minutes to

shadow for 20 minutes do this for 20

minutes and also you know whenever

you're listening Japanese try to get

better and better at hearing the pitch

accent noticing the pitch accent

patterns and things like that but I'll

talk more about pitch accent a lot more

in the future and so basically now

you're laying some really strong

groundwork so then by the time you get

to stage 4 in MI you're really ready to

output basically I would keep doing all

of the stuff that you've been doing but

then add to your routine filming a 5 to

10 minute video of you just talking to

the camera like speaking Japanese to the

camera on a spontaneous topic and then

watch that video back and this I think

is the best way to start doing output at

least spoken up but if you want to talk

about written output that's a little bit

different I would recommend you know

just instant messaging Japanese people

are starting really slow making sure

that you're only saying things you know

is correct and and there's that process

but kind of separate from that process

is the process of actually learning how

to speak and so you know what I would do

is you know you want to build up this

morning routine right of deliberate

practice you're doing to help yourself

be able to speak Japanese and so you can

wake up you can shout out for 20 minutes

you can do that pitch accent

kind of dictation or like the pitch

accent you know reading out loud for 20

minutes and then you can just film a

video of yourself speaking for 5 to 10

minutes and then watch it back and then

total that should take about 20 minutes

but it's very important that you watch

the video back because you're going to

notice a lot of problems with your

output you're gonna notice like

oh I didn't pronounce that word at all

like I felt like I did when I was

speaking but yeah my pronunciation

sucked on that word or like oh that was

a weird way to say it I should have said

it this other way or oh yeah I couldn't

think of a good way to say that let me

go look it up now the better way to say

that or like oh I said that word at the

wrong pitch axon or whatever and you're

gonna notice these things and then just

by noticing them that's gonna make you

notice when it's done the right way in

your input later and that's really

important because like for example if

you want it to say something but you

couldn't think of a good way to say it

then next time you are listening to your

parent or watching a movie in the

language and then you hear a Japanese

person say the thing you wanted to say

in a very Japanese way you're like oh

that's how I should say it and the next

time you'll probably remember that that

correct way to say and then it won't be

a problem and so basically you get good

at output from first finding out what

your holes are and then going to

immersion to fill those holes so if

you're just immersing without ever doing

any output practice or anything to

discover your weak spots you'll still

get better slowly but you know basically

always have these sort of blind spots

right that just won't won't ever kind of

work themselves out in order to work

themselves out you have to basically

first of all find out what those blind

spots are and then pay attention to your

input in a more directed fashion in

order to find out the correct way to

fill those blind spots and then you can

improve and so basically I think that

for the first probably six months just

every single day film a five to ten

minute video of you speaking and then

watch it back and in terms of what

you're gonna talk about in these videos

just make sure that it's spontaneous

don't actually think of anything ahead

of time don't start planning sentences

ahead of time you've been think about

what you want to talk about broadly but

it's important then it's totally

spontaneous because then you're getting

a really good sample of your raw ability

you know for example if you thought

ahead of time in the shower for like 20

minutes what you were gonna say in the

video then you're gonna sound way better

in the video because you already have

thought of you know ways you're going to

phrase certain ideas or constructions or

a good structure to your thoughts and of

course the products gonna be better but

that's kind of a different thing that

you're practicing you know you're not

really practicing speaking off-the-cuff

when you're doing that you're practicing

you know giving a performance and so you

really want to practice being on the

cuff and that will also put you very in

touch

with how much you suck because the

reality is you're going to be devastated

with how awful you sound and the reason

why this is is because first of all he

takes a lot of practice to get good at

output that's what I said at the

beginning of this video but second of

all because you have such a strong

foundation and input right like through

stages one and two of MA you were just

getting input you weren't outputting

then you were doing all this other

practice to make yourself more attentive

to things during stage 3 so basically

you have a pretty robust internal model

of what the language is supposed to

sound like and that model is going to

allow you to recognize how far off you

are from you know what a native speaker

was unlike whereas if you just took a

random you know Japanese learner off the

street hate to talk but if you took

a random Japanese learner off the street

who was mostly just studying for the

jlpt and he was using Yankee textbooks

and had very little immersion you know

if they recorded a video of themselves

speaking listen to it back I mean they

might still think that they sucked but

they wouldn't understand the true depths

of it right whereas you have such a

strong foundation an input you you

understand the depths of how much you

suck and that's a huge strength because

in order to fix a problem you have to be

aware of the problem right and you have

to know what it looks like to be fixed

so that you know whether you're going in

the right direction or not so basically

you're in a really good position when

you are outputting listening to your

output and being very disgusted but it's

important that you do go through that

process for two reasons first of all

like I said before it will help you

become aware of your weak spots and then

through that it will help you fill them

but it's also just very motivating like

for me when I started doing this thing

right just speak to myself in the camera

pretty regularly and then watch it back

I would get so disappointed to be like

holy I am nowhere near where I want

to be and then later on during the day

when you're thinking whom should I watch

something in Japanese or should I just

you know watch that interesting English

podcast that my friend was telling me

about you'll remember how bad you you

suck and then you'll give me a lot more

motive to be like no dude I want to get

better I want to actually you know be

able to to get to that level where I can

speak just how I want to and so it's

very motivating but it's also kind of

nice because you're still kind of safe

in the sense of you're not engaging

directly with other people whereas when

you go try to

have a conversation with a real person

and you get destroyed because you don't

understand them or you sound really

awkward they don't understand you or

just you have a miscommunication that

can just really knock you down and

sometimes that might be motivating but

other times it might be discouraging but

with this type of thing I think you have

most of the encouraging motivational

elements without the kind of

discouraging you know heart crushing

ones so I would do that for about six

months and then I would start trying to

have actual conversations with Japanese

people but maybe only a few times a week

at first because in a way having a

conversation isn't that bit of practice

like the real main point of it is that

you find out what your holes are and

then you fill those holes during your

active immersion when you're paying

attention right specifically and also

what my experience is is that talking to

people is it's kind of like what caught

Simona said it's like it really is kind

of like the game it's like you don't get

good in the game you get good at

practice and then the game is where you

show off but you do definitely need to

practice talking to people because

that's just different than talking to

yourself right but you can get really

confident talking to yourself and then

talk to people and then maybe when

you're getting really serious about

nailing your input like you feel like

you have a good foundation and input

like you know you can speak with proper

pronunciation and proper pitch accent

and you know that you can phrase your

thoughts in a way that you're

comfortable with and sound natural just

it still takes more effort for you to

speak or you feel like you want to be

faster then it's kind of just a matter

of drilling it down and be like okay I'm

gonna talk to Japanese people for an

hour every day and get to that point

where it's totally effortless but the

thing is is that if you go into that

ultra practice output mode before you

have the foundation then you're likely

to build bad habits right it's like if

you're not happy with your pronunciation

but you just start speaking four hours a

day then you're kind of just gonna be

nailing in that pronunciation whereas if

you're doing something like shadowing or

like recording a video and then washing

it back it's gonna the opposite effect

because you're getting feedback right

you're putting out some output and then

getting feedback and then thinking about

how to fix that then you're gonna get

better and better but when you're just

talking you don't get that much feedback

I mean you can record conversations and

listen to them back and then you get a

pretty good effect but that's normally

really boring to do because

conversations are long and so really I

think having real

with natives is kind of the place where

you learn the more social aspects of

communication which is really important

and you're basically just like nailing

in and solidifying all the foundation

that you already have and so I'd say

that overall learning how to output is

kind of these three stages of one the

preparation work where you're doing the

shadowing if you're trying to a nail

pitch accent then you want to be

practicing or reading things out loud at

the correct pitch accent to kind of get

that muscle memory that pitch accent

muscle memory really into place and then

also listening to your parent and then

adding in the actually filming short

videos watching it back and then really

paying extra attention to the parts of

the your immersion especially with your

parent right that you think you're

missing and then you just go into the

drill down mode over there and once

you're in the drill down mode you also

probably you might want to get regular

feedback from natives and ask what to

fix because like I said once you start

maxing out your potential getting to the

point where you have fixed all the

problems that you're aware of and that's

going to take a very long time and if

you have the true foundation that you

should have built in stage 1 and 2 then

you should be sounding extremely good by

the time you have maxed out your

potential but they'll probably still be

lots of things that you can't catch

yourself and that's when you need to go

to a native and have them point that out

and you can kind of start that process

but I think a lot of people will already

be pretty satisfied by the time they get

to that point because you know they'll

be able to speak easily fluently and in

a very not you know natural way you'll

be so close where the few percentages

that you're away from a native speaker

probably won't bother you and it also

just feel like the returns have

diminished so much at this point where

it's probably a better use of your time

to just do something else

then continue to try to perfect your

output but anyway those are my thoughts

as of now hopefully that was useful and

good luck guys