January 8

Japanese is a hard language to learn. First of all, there’s the whole new writing system to memorize and then there’s the many-tiered respect structure, with each situation requiring its own words and syntax. The textbook I am learning from attempts to alleviate this difficulty with short conversations that are oddly particular and specific; although the brief lesson on how to order one and a half kilos of fried sturgeon from someone deserving more respect than an equal but less respect than a parent or teacher taught me how to order one and half kilos of fried sturgeon from someone deserving more respect than an equal but less respect than a parent or teacher, it doesn’t apply to much else. – Shaan