How phonics confused me

     After six months of learning Japanese, I decided to learn to read and write Japanese. So of course, I had to start with hiragana. Hiragana is the phonetic way to write. As I studied, I learned many new words. However, it was clear to me; the pronounciation of some words was different from the everyday Japanese that I was used to. This only confused me. I quickly realized writing and speaking are two different fields of study. My Japanese ability at the time was making me money. I needed to talk to Japanese people face to face. I soon abandoned writing Japanese. It was more practical for me to listen to native speakers and learn pattern sentences. Everything I learned, and then used ; I first heard it! I hope this helps your understanding of the underlying principles of "Sound Stream." I'll continue this essay next time.

Until next time...
Michael