Japanese: The Spoken Language, Part 3 - Supplement: Japanese Typescript [Paperback]

Professor Eleanor Harz Jorden (Author), Associate Professor Mari Noda (Contributor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 58 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; Supplement edition (September 10, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300042825
• ISBN-13: 978-0300042825
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #621,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive Japanese text book, November 6, 2000

By 

Dustin Brantley (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese: The Spoken Language, Part 3 - Supplement: Japanese Typescript (Paperback)

Jorden comes from a unique background as she was tought at Yale by one of America's most distinguished linguists who himself discovered some aspects of the Japanese language that even the Japanese didn't know and are only now acknowledging.

I am not much of a linguist myself but I can tell you that I and everyone in my class learned from this book what no other series can give you: a thorough understanging of the Japanese language.

I have been studying for many years now and have not found a better source yet. Just read each lesson, use the video or cassete tapes to drill on understanding and rapid reponse. The very inexpensive teachers suppliment contains all the drills and conversations in native japanese (for the guy that didn't know this)

Also, the written language is a seperate book but you don't have to use it. Of course from day one in class we began learning the kana as well and then the kanji but to learn the kanji from lesson 1? That would be too difficult because the book is in order of most usefull words, not most easy to write words. The offical system is more like kana and eaiser to see how the conjugations work where as the Hepburn system has too many unnecessary rules you have to learn to make it work. In Jorden's book, you quickly get used to the offical system and I wouldn't have it any other way. It also has helpful pitch markings to remind you how to nautrally shape the sentences until it becomes rote.

I cannot say enough good things about this series, it doesn't take you all the way to being fluent of course but by the time you get though the 3rd book, I gaurantee you will be able to understand what people are saying to you and be able to respond right away in real world situations.

Bottom line, these books work and is part of a whole system of videos, audio tapes, drills, writing, reading, and listening practice that will make you an expert on Japanese that puts all other books to shame.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ideal for those who can't stand romaji, but like JSL, November 27, 2009

By 

K. A. Smith (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Japanese: The Spoken Language, Part 3 - Supplement: Japanese Typescript (Paperback)

The JSL series is arguably one of the best series for learning Japanese (despite the text-heavy pages and lack of design). Unfortunately, the books are all in romaji, and not even Hepburn romaji, but a different variety that the author has her reasons for. For those of us who believe that romaji is not Japanese (it isn't, and is rather a crutch to learning the language) this can be frustrating and tedious. In this book, however, all the Core Conversations, Extra Vocabulary, and Drills are provided, typeset in kana and kanji, so it is the best solution you can get to that problem. For the most part, this book works great.

You may run across a few little annoyances though. The "book" is something more like a thick pamphlet. It is bound with two staples in the spine and the covers are no thicker than the interior pages, all just paper, so it can't take a lot of punishment. Additionally, there have been a new edition or two of JSL since this typeset pamphlet was produced, and the pamphlet has not been updated (at least, the one I bought hadn't been) to match some minor changes in CCs--but neither have the audio files, so actually, it's the JSL books that come out seeming inaccurate. I have also caught a few typos, but they are fairly minor. And, sometimes in the Supplementary Vocabulary section, there will be a word in the pamphlet that isn't in the JSL book, or vice-versa.

If you want a Japanese version of the CCs and Drills to study from, this book is the solution. I never practice out of the JSL book. I always use the typeset. Doing so makes me read real Japanese text more fluently, and I learn my kanji better. I highly recommend this book.

2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Analytical, comprehendable and it gives you results!, May 3, 2000

By 

"obiwarak" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese: The Spoken Language, Part 3 - Supplement: Japanese Typescript (Paperback)

This series is simply put some of the best language learing material you'll ever find. If you can stand the fact that it uses Romaji instead of Kana, which is included in the supplements anyway, you'll learn alot, FAST! Buy Volumes 1-3, the tapes (26 or so) and get started.