Japanese teacher randomness

[Byakou]

So for those of you who take Japanese classes, have you noticed how the teachers sometimes like talking to themselves? Like they'll say stuff like dou kana, dou shio, nan dakke, etc and similar monologue. Also they just ask a lot of questions but don't expect answers. Like they say "Wakarimashita ka?"and then before we can answer, they answer themselves with "Hai, wakarimashita", like their having a little rambling with themselves or something. It's kinda hard to explain. Know what I'm talking about?

I would have thought this was an isolated occurrence, but all my teachers so far (4) have all done this to an extent or another. I guess it's just a Japanese thing or something. Lol

What weird stuff does your sensei do?

[larethian]

Originally Posted by Byakou

So for those of you who take Japanese classes, have you noticed how the teachers sometimes like talking to themselves? Like they'll say stuff like dou kana, dou shio, nan dakke, etc and similar monologue. Also they just ask a lot of questions but don't expect answers. Like they say "Wakarimashita ka?"and then before we can answer, they answer themselves with "Hai, wakarimashita", like their having a little rambling with themselves or something. It's kinda hard to explain. Know what I'm talking about?

I would have thought this was an isolated occurrence, but all my teachers so far (4) have all done this to an extent or another. I guess it's just a Japanese thing or something. Lol

What weird stuff does your sensei do?

Most of the former are merely "wondering out loud". The 'wakarimashita' is a little lulz. I suspect she may just be confirming her own understanding and not really talking to you guys. I had about 2 years of academic classes + 1 year of preparatory class before and been with 4 Senseis. Wondering out loud, occasionally yes. But talking to themselves in a conversational sense, not really.

[Marcus H.]

Hmm, that's interesting.
I thought that thinking aloud was just in anime or Japanese fiction in particular.

[HasuMasu]

Wow, that's kinda awesome.

[Aesthetic Shampoo]

This guy taught Japanese at my school. No lie.

[Kylaran]

No matter what foreign language class you take, there will be moments where the teacher says something, and the reaction from the students will be an almost unanimous "What?!" During those moments, a lot of teachers (not just Japanese, I've seen this with German and French teachers), will just go "Yes?" and try to get the class moving on without wasting time.

I don't really think it has anything to do with Japanese language or culture. It's more of a teaching thing IMO.

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by Kylaran

I don't really think it has anything to do with Japanese language or culture. It's more of a teaching thing IMO.

Right. I think my Japanese teachers may have done this occasionally, but it was usually to get us to repeat or to know what a response might sound like. As I advanced in my Japanese classes, if I remember right it decreased in frequency.

[Alchemist007]

I don't think it's even a teaching thing necessarily. I do that type of stuff too (talking to myself). It just might be distinctive to hear because it's a Japanese person doing it.

[Kylaran]

Sorry, let me elaborate on what I specifically meant as very teacher-like.

So for those of you who take Japanese classes, have you noticed how the teachers sometimes like talking to themselves? Like they'll say stuff like dou kana, dou shio, nan dakke, etc and similar monologue.

Perhaps a good equivalent of this in English would be responding with "Yeah..." or "I wonder..." in which the ending trails off. It can actually be someone talking out loud to themselves, but it can also be used in a conversation as well. Sometimes I wonder if simply having people nearby when you're thinking to yourself makes you more likely to say something out loud.

It might also be important to notice that, even if you don't think you talk out loud to yourself, there may be moments where you do but you don't know it. So I'm not sure if this is a trait of Japanese speakers or something more universal.

Also they just ask a lot of questions but don't expect answers. Like they say "Wakarimashita ka?"and then before we can answer, they answer themselves with "Hai, wakarimashita", like their having a little rambling with themselves or something. It's kinda hard to explain. Know what I'm talking about?

This is what I meant as being very teacher-like, and is done across classrooms in general.

[Alchemist007]

I've only had one teacher for a couple years but she didn't ask things and answer them herself. There's certainly that trailing off thing though.

[HasuMasu]

Not once have I seen a teacher, or anyone else, do that.

Except me.

[Vexx]

Some of my japanese friends, relatives do talk out loud to themselves in a minor way (especially women) ... I've always assumed it was just a bit of cultural difference.

[Shinji01]

Yep, the Japanese do talk to themselves a lot.

I am totally bilingual in English and Japanese, but I only talk out aloud in Japanese.
Funny, cuz i never noticed it until I saw this thread.

Of course not all Japanese people mumble to themselves, but when they do, they do it a lot.

I think its easier to mumble to yourself in Japanese than English because Japanese is such a conceptual language and you do not need to address who or what you are talking about.

Apart from that, its definitely more of a little old lady kinda thing, or you just watch too much anime. lol
For me its the latter