I like studying languages. Thinking and talking about the topic actually gets me excited. What doesn’t get me excited though is the frustration that goes with trying to use the language…to be understood and to understand… and failing, all after spending crazy amounts of hours of studying.

The question I ask myself often is, “What is the best way to study a language in order to reach fluency?” (taking into consideration that its not a natural gift, but simply something that I am passionate about) There’s not doubt that I’ve made  progress in my Korean studies since I began a year ago, but  I know there is a better way. When I see foreigners who have been in Korea as long as I have and speak naturally or comfortably, I have to ask that question.

Last week, I found a good answer or at least a better answer than the method I currently use. I found the website, Korean {as it is}. James Devereux, the blogger referenced this man, Khatzumoto as an inspiration to his study methods.  I visited Khatzumoto’s site  and immediately became more inspired. Buried in the blog postings is a method, one that certainly makes sense and one that I decided I would adopt as of last week (10/8/09). It’s not Rosetta Stone, or Pimsleur, and it’s not a textbook, it’s this.

Khatzumoto is an inspiring and funny writer and it’s clear that he strongly believes in himself and others, and he makes a good case to persuade those who have the motivation to learn. The main argument is that he, an native English speaking guy from Utah,  reached near Japanese fluency, in 18 months. Amazing? He doesn’t really think so. He put insane amounts of effort into learning, but what how he did it was the same way others had done it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 9:48 am and is filed under Korea, Korean Language. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.