I have fond memories of my time in secondary school, where I went through a whole host of new experiences: failing a test for the first time, trying competitive sports for the first time (where I fell in love with volleyball), and getting a job for the first time. One of these transformative experiences took place in my classroom in Secondary One, where my classmate innocently asked me: “Have you ever watched anime?”
That was my gateway into the Japanese language – it was so radically different from anything I’ve ever known or learned in my own cookie-cutter bilingual experience as a Singaporean, and therefore it made for a very thrilling subject to explore. From then on, I watched much more anime, read even more manga, and even made friends with likeminded people with whom I could engage in simple (albeit stunted) Japanese conversation.
As I grew older and developed a healthy appreciation for linguistics, I began to understand what exactly made Japanese so different from English or Mandarin. From its grammar to its syntax to its unique orthographic system, every turn and corner provided a new and exciting tidbit for me to discover. Even linguistic expressions for similar concepts vary greatly because of their distinctly different history and culture. My first genuine experience with the language came in 2019, where my family’s trip to Japan gave me a realistic view on everyday, conversational Japanese as compared to the textbook words or phrases I learned. I went on to take an introductory course on Japanese in university, where I eagerly devoured all the learning material and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Learning a new language is like going on a vacation at no cost. So much of a society and its culture is represented through its local language, dialect, or slang terms. It’s a rich, vicarious experience that any other medium would be hard-pressed to replicate perfectly. However, much like coming home from a vacation, my native languages provide me with a certain sense of safety and comfort that no foreign language can ever provide, as the cornerstone of my linguistic and personal identity.
This picture was taken in Japan on Dec 2019, before COVID-19 measures were implemented.
This piece was written by our #SGUnited intern, Symantha. Symantha is a Psychology major and will be in her third year this August.