An Introduction to Modern Japanese: Book 1 [Paperback]

Richard John Bowring (Author), Haruko Uryu Laurie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2004 | ISBN-10: 052154887X | ISBN-13: 978-0521548878

This is an intensive one-year introductory course in Japanese, also suitable for those who wish to work at a slower pace. Students who finish this course will have a firm grasp of how the language works and enough knowledge of the writing system to tackle everyday written material with no more than a dictionary. Particular attention is paid to questions of grammar which foreign learners often find so difficult, so Book One can also serve as a reference grammar. An Introduction to Modern Japanese uses both spoken and written forms from the outset. There are word lists for each lesson, and a comprehensive vocabulary for the whole course. Book One comprises fifty-two lessons which are accompanied by exercises and word lists in Book Two. The exercises ensure that the student has understood the grammar explained in the relevant lessons and give further practice in reading and recognizing characters.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This intensive introductory one year course is suitable for use in a more lengthy course as well. Fifty-two lessons are accompanied by a separate book of exercises and word lists for each lesson, and a comprehensive vocabulary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (March 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052154887X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521548878
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #711,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative! Readable and Useful, January 9, 2004

By 

"anthony_vh" (Austin, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Modern Japanese: Volume 1, Grammar Lessons (Hardcover)

This is quite possibly the best Japanese grammar/teaching text I have purchased. It is neither pedantic nor superficial. However, it is VERY dense (in the content sense). The introductory text "Yookoso!" by Tousaku, at its slower pace, is probably more appropriate for someone who knows absolutely no Japanese (IMPORTANT: for "Yookoso!", buy the soft-bound lesson book and audio CD's too). If you know some Japanese but are a bit rusty, or if you are seriously trying to teach yourself, Bowring and Laurie is a wonderful reference book (although I find it very readable too).

The book is organized into 52 lessons, each preceded by a passage in Japanese. Each passage in the reading is cleverly selected to demonstrate a particular grammatical construction. These constructions are then picked apart one-by-one in the lesson. I loudly applaud the authors for refusing to use ANY romanization except in the romanized translation of the passage for each lesson (which is isolated from the lesson itself) and except for the very early lessons where it is required for explanation of the syllabaries. This prevents students from handicapping themselves with a fake and truly useless writing system. It makes me very upset to see the profusion of Japanese texts peppering the shelves that concentrate only on speaking and lean on the crippling crutch of romanization. Try to read a subway map in Toyama or some other small city having learned nothing but romaji; let me know how you do. "Learning" Japanese without learning how to write is like "learning" physics without first learning basic calculus- you will never truly understand. There's no way around it: if you want to know Japanese, you must learn your kanji and kana just like everyone else.

This book is heavy. At close to 500 pages, there is a lot of material to cover (the recommended study time is 1-2 years). Again, the authors win my respect for their completeness. There is no way around this. No matter what that computer software or those car-audio tapes advertise, I'm sorry: you cannot learn Japanese in 90 days by studying "just X minutes a day."

The authors' tone is light and for the most part avoids linguistic terminology. American-English or other non-UK English speakers may notice some differences in diction, but this does not affect the learning experience at all. The material and the pace are very enjoyable.

My recommendation, if you are truly serious about learning Japanese is the following. Buy this book, the lesson book (Volume 2), a Kodansha EJ-JE furigana dictionary, and a kanji learner's dictionary. Make a Japanese friend and/or date a cute Japanese girl or guy (seriously- you'll be surprised how motivated you'll become). Concentrate on forcing yourself to speak and read Japanese. Read as much every-day material as you can: newspapers, advertisements, comics, whatever you can get your hands on. Most importantly, be persistent! And if you can afford it, travel to Japan and immerse yourself.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get the workbook., June 24, 2005

By 

Kendrick Adams (Va Beach) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Introduction to Modern Japanese: Volume 1, Grammar Lessons (Hardcover)

I just wanted to state the importance of getting An Introduction to Modern Japanese: Book Two (Vol 2) (the workbook) with Book One (the textbook). The workbook increases the student's learning ability tenfold. I've been writing out all the exercises, there are an average of five exercises for each of the 52 lessons, and found my retention of the kanji and sentence structure to be very high: much higher than without the exercises.

The textbook makes it easy to learn the different kanji, both name readings and standard readings, by presenting them all in the context. Instead of bombarding the student with different kanji and the numerous readings, a kanji will be introduced in the context of one reading at a time. Only in a later lesson will a new reading and context be given so the student can intuitively understand which is the appropriate one: instead of guessing.

The 52 lessons and exercises average about 20 new kanji and 60 new words including particles and new readings of previously learned kanji. Without the exercises this would seem like a lot, after doing the exercises, it isn't so hard, just time consuming.

These books were created to teach students to tackle a short story after 6 months and a newspaper after a year. So the student will not need to wait until the end before being able to find applications.

One more thing, get a kanji learner's dictionary such as Kodansha's. It helps a lot with the written exercises.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great learning tool., August 4, 2006

By 

Jon (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Modern Japanese: Book 1 (Paperback)

I first checked this book out at my university's library, and I was impressed from the get go.

While the explainations at time may be only somewhat vague, they are for the most part concise and straight to the point. The one feature I enjoy most was the building up of vocabulary and usage, and how one lesson carried fairly smoothly in to the next.

I've been using it for the past month on my own and I've noticed a marked improvement in my grammar skills. Of course, this book does nothing for verbal ability - but if practiced verbally, it sure does. My tutor has noticed a marked amount of improvement in my speaking ability, and I've noticed an improvement in my understanding as well.

As with any guide, this book is just that: a guide. Practicing what you learn is always the key to improvement. I highly suggest buying this book coupled with the second one. The vocabulary lists and excercises are invaluable for comprehension.