Customer Reviews

13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Like many foreigners, Giles Murray has parlayed his experience with the Japanese language into big bucks - ok, well at least just a book. But before you run off adhering to everything prescribed in this book, PLEASE read this review. It is well worth your time.

There seem to be some good ideas in this book. One that I particularly found helpful (one that I had already intuitively realized) was the hint covered in Chapter 6, "The Synonym Generator". Basically, Mr. Murray recommends that one possess a vast array of words to describe a certain feeling or concept. That way, if one gets a mental block and is not able to remember one expression, they can dip into their bag of tricks and express themselves in another way. Another chapter where Mr. Murray discusses how to "describe your way" out of a jam when you can't think of a word in Japanese is EXCELLENT advice. This is more or less a survival Japanese tactic, but comes in handy for advanced students as well. Rather than sitting in a conversation with a dead look on your face, it's best to dumb it down, if for nothing else, to keep the conversation moving.

What I caution you to NOT follow, however, is Mr. Murray's advice regarding gairaigo, or loan words. There are thousands and thousands of directly borrowed and some slightly altered English words used in the Japanese language. While every student should become aware of their existence and correct usage, you should ABSOLUTELY NOT use them with the frequency that Mr. Murray suggests. You will do so at your own linguistic peril. For, you see, American (and British, Australian, etc.) students who rely on these words tend to not learn the Japanese equivalents. They also tend to use a disproportionate amount of them in their speech. I heard a figure one time saying that a MAXIMUM of 13% of a Japanese person's daily conversation is composed of loan words. This is a maximum, mind you.

So, not only do you limit your proficiency by depending on loan words, but you also send a signal to the listener that you don't really know the traditional Japanese versions. Furthermore, Japanese tend to linguistically discriminate against foreigners by using these loanwords with them because they don't believe they know the Japanese equivalent. I recall one time being at a station and the manager yelling to me to "chenji (change)" my ticket instead of telling me to "kaeru (change)" the ticket. This is linguistic discrimination - there's no other word for it - and following Mr. Murray's advice will cause Japanese to speak to you with a vocabulary unnaturally heavy in these words.

Don't get me wrong. There are times when they are useful, but DO NOT use them to the extent he recommends. For example, use the word "kyanseru (cancel) suru" for cancel, but DO NOT use the word "happii (happy)" for "shiawase (happy)". The message would get across with the former, but you'll also be displaying your ignorance of TRUE (yip, I said it, Mr. Murray) Japanese (ie kango and wago).

Mr. Murray, who happens to be a copywriter (and copywriters are NOTORIOUS for overimporting English into Japanese), may use these words to a grotesque and unnatural degree, but you shouldn't. Consider yourself warned.

"13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese" is an interesting, well put-together book that makes a nice supplement when learning Japanese. The use of Manga is appreciated, and the tone of the book is casual conversation. The target skill level is intermediate or so. Absolute beginners will find little value.

The "secrets" are all fairly useful, but they are not quick solutions or shortcuts. Each secret requires effort and study. Some of the solutions are simple, like "Read Manga in Japanese," whereas others are more complicated like the idea of using synonyms when you can not remember the exact word. (Such as: "I feel like a train ran over my head" rather than "I feel hung over.")

All in all, this book makes is a good addition to formal Japanese language learning. Just don't expect to buy it and have everything suddenly "click."

I have been studying Japanese for over seven years and have read countless textbooks and study guides, but I have never found such a unique blending of humor, practical tips, and useful study pointers as what's found in this wonderful book. "Thirteen Secrets" reinforces my belief that learning Japanese is fun, while being a totally unique language learning experience. Applicable to all study levels, this gem is a must for all folks interested in Japanese.

Dont get me wrong, students of japanese are definately going to be the ones able to gain the most out of this book because it is specifically focused on learning the japanese language, and the many examples, quizes, and certain study tips are unique to Japan. But many of Murray's tips are useful for studying any language. Specifically im referring to the two chapters explaining stratagies for coping with not knowing the right word, or just plain not being able to remember it. As he notes, these are problems native speakers have too!!! they just know how to deal with it better.... While his examples are really great for japanese, the concept should be taught more often in other languages... GET OVER BEING AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES... and JUST TALK!!!!

The style of this book is relaxed enough that it can simply be read for entertainments sake because of the games, and stories within. I really like how Murray doesnt take himself too seriously in his writing, which makes the information just that much more accessible, and therefore useable. The advice on katakana words is priceless... i completely agree, thats its a mistake to conciously avoid hundreds to thousands of vocabulary items we already know, because we THINK its not REAL japanese... who made us the language police (unless you're in France, then its understandable). The reality is that if actual real live Japanese people can understand it... thats good enough.

He even made me think twice about a couple of my own study habits... personally, im not a fan of anime, manga, etc... if you like it, thats fine, its just not for me personally...but i will admit that Murray makes a great argument for reading manga as a study aid... actually made better in the chapter about sleezy romance novels.. but the point still applies... that it doesnt matter if we really like it... but that we can learn some useable japanese from the process. Great Book... definately worth a look if you're a student of any language, and a must own for beginning students of japanese.

In selecting books on Japanese, it's all too easy to pick one out based solely on the potential it seemingly contains, the critical utility it will serve once you've gone through the arduous task of internalizing it --- only to discover a few weeks or months later that you haven't touched it, let alone used its lessons in any pragmatic way. Well, rest assured, this is one book you most certainly CAN use, and it is entertaining enough to supply many moments of cross-cultural laughter. Just memorize the jokes in the chapter on childrens' puns, for example, and ask them when the moment presents itself to any native Japanese. I guarantee you will have fun that outing. Memorize the forms of exaggeration, also, and pepper them in your speech now and again for more smiles and laughs. If you are in school, and you occassionally use these phrases, you will get compliments from your teachers and questioning stares from your peers: How did you learn THAT? There is a chapter on numbers that it likewise useful, asking you to count in excess of 100 billion, and integrate those into census statistics. So while you learn to count, you also learn how to say a few facts about Japan that most Japanese probably don't know! Murray largely steers clear of slang in this volume, ensuring that you won't be saying "Hip, Daddy-o" or some other outmoded colloquialism, which is always a risk with a 'new' Japanese text. Also, the book is varied enough that you can mine it for new uses as you learn; I've been opening it for the past eight months, and I still have a year to go before it all really falls into place. All in all, a wonderful supplement, and one of a handful of 'secret weapon' supplements that will jump-start your Japanese into the arena of actual, meaningful COMMUNICATION.

Thirteen secrets offers a breath of fresh air from the dusty tombes of Japanese study. A book that caters for those that want to learn the easy and best way, through enjoyment. Imagination and manga are the ingredients that should and do make up this interactive Japanese study tool. Offering lively and insightful contemporary challenges, the author opens up important knew avenues of learning. I found its insightful instruction, tied seamlessly into games, anecdotes and dramatic stories, just the refreshment I needed. Drab Japanese study materials can be put aside... put on your thinking cap and preprare for fluency. Gaining new linguistic skills through enjoyment, what more can I ask for.

I've lived in Japan most of my life. Having worked in education, I've read and know about language books, particularly those on practical Japanese language. What's good about this 13 Secrets book is that it teaches you how to express yourself in Japanese with individuality and character. I've read a lot of books which just try to make a boring language robot out of you. This book covers all sorts of areas of language, like jokes (straight and sarcastic) and the language of exaggeration, so you can make your point in conversations. It also teaches all sorts of practical techniques to help you get by even if you don't exactly the right word. If you set your thought patterns right, then you can say pretty much whatever you want to say. This was a revelation.

The other thing that's good about this book are all the illustrations - especially the 'IF' manga. If you need to get a fresh perspective on Japanese and want to have fun talking to Japanese people then this book is great. Give it to people who are bored with Japanese or about to give up their studies and watch their language-acquisition juices start pumping all over again!

A great shot in the linguistic arm!

This book provides a cute introduction to some topics in Japanese that aren't covered in the classroom. This book is quite amusing, and I did learn some information from it. Assume 1-2 semesters of college Japanese are necessary make use of the book. It makes no pretense of teaching basic grammar or vocabulary, instead focusing on tips on communicating as efficiently as possible in situations that prove difficult for foreigners. However, a few of the tips struck me as either impractical or obvious common sense. On the whole, it was a fun book.

The "secrets" are definately not secrets--they're the obvious with a fancy name to make you buy the book. And if you use all the secrets he tells you, you'd be going around talking like this: "I can't beleive this uber-cheap person that was all skin and bones and was loaded with cash with the extremely pale skin like rice who stole my bag that was located in my purse next to my calculator would mysteriously, secretly, and so cruelly run away!" Now honestly, he should at least mention that people in Japan don't use all these "secrets" at one time.

I could say that this book is for advanced students with a high amount of vocabulary, but what would you need those vocabulary lists for if you were? And why would he point out that you should use lots of adjectives? He also points out that you can use clauses--how obvious is that? If it was for advanced students, he would include kana instead of roumaji. This would be an insult to people of superior Japanese knowledge.

Now, with all that in mind, I could say that this book is for beginner students of Japanese, but I can't. Sure, he shows you examples of what Japanese and English clauses look like, but he never explains how to make the clauses yourself. It's as if the author is saying, "Hey, did you know that you can make clauses in Japanese? Ok, next chapter!" And then there are his little quizzes at the end of each lesson that are nonetheless useless. He uses things from the lesson he told (rather than taught) you about, and then makes you answer the questions he asks. The thing is, how can you answer them if he has never even remotely shown or presented the word before? Are you expected to look up every word he uses, then try and figure out what the word is? I wouldn't even do that.

Yes, he does give you short 2 manga stories to read [the translations of], but they're both just plain weird.

The only thing that even gave me the idea of giving this book one star is one section about prefixes and suffixes. This one was decent. He gives you a prefix/suffix, it's definition, and some examples. There is also an OK section about games you can play to increase or test you're knowledge about the Japanese language, but they're just like the quizzes--you're supposed to have an extensive vocabulary to play them.

This boook may be helpful to those who have had one or two years of college level japanese or are at an equivalent speaking level. If you are in the beginning of your studies and think that this book will help acquire fluency at a quicker pace then be warned. Most of the concepts were well beyond my own pitiful knowledge of the language which rests at about one semester equivalency. I think that the book may be helpful down the road, but at the incipient stages of learning only the first chapter or two can be used. This is definitely for more advanced speakers who can communicate fairly well and need that extra 'insiders' knowledge to boost them towards a native speakers level.