40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best way to start learning Japanese., October 3, 2009
This review is from: Michel Thomas Method™ Japanese For Beginners, 8-CD Program (Michel Thomas Series) (Audio CD)
HAVE YOU BEEN WONDERING AROUND AMAZON FOR MONTHS, MAYBE BOUGHT A TEXT OR TWO, STILL HAVENT LEARNT ANYTHING - AND MAYBE DONT EVEN THING AN AUDIO CAUSE IS FOR YOU? Good. Cause it means i wasnt the only one. Stop looking. Get this. Move on and start speaking Japanese.
My review in short:
Im really impressed at how much i learnt and how i retained it. (I though audio programs were a joke)
Im not saying you learn a whole heap, and you will all be masters of Japanese, but i think you will surprise your self with this program.
It teaches you how to speak, in full sentences, like a native (although very basic), and you end up with a very good understanding of how the language works.
It puts you in a good place to continue your studies. As well as a huge advantage over other students considered to be at your same level (based on vocab, which this program doesnt focus on).
Even though you are only talking to your CD player, its really good for speaking practice.
It should be your FIRST step in Japanese, but if you have already started it doesnt matter!
After this course you will have a good feel for the language and the direction you should take to continue studying Japanese (which is impossible to know otherwise).
My full review:
Firstly: You do not need ANY experience in Japanese, or any language other than spoken English to use this program. It doesnt expect you to know how to learn a language (yes there is actually an ordered process). So unlike other ways of learning it wont go into detailed grammar which just bewilders beginners - and then they give up.
To summarize what this course does in three words:
It teaches verbs!
This might sound odd to someone who hasnt learnt another language or who hasnt begun Japanese, but this is the most important part of languages, Japanese especially - infact verbs can be entire sentences [where as in English someone might ask you to go for a swim with them, and you say "yeah, ok" , in Japanese you would say "yes, swim" or simply "swim". BTW, swim is a verb...]
Further more, can you remember your old school teacher saying "all full sentences need to have a verb"? This is because the verb is really all a sentence is, the rest is just vocabulary. This is the basis behind the Michel Thomas Method. It also does basic conjunction, which is the modification of a verb based on tense or other factors. Like swim, swimming, swam. Lucky verbs (and the rest of the Japanese spoken language)are much easier than in English. Along with the verbs is sentence construction, where to put nouns, adjectives etc...
Luckly, again, Japanese is very structured and logical so with the clear instructions in this course basic grammar is very easily picked up. (After doing this course you will start to think English is a ridiculous language and you must learn more Japanese ASAP so you never have to speak English again! - joke - kinda...).
How does it do it? Well the format is a native English speak explains the language, step by step, with examples. Then you and 2 students on the CD say respond to what the English speaker has asked of you (basically to translate her phrase into Japanese). Then a native Japanese speaker says what you have just said, but only fluently.
The native English speaker is literally English, she has a slight English accent, but very weak - a good neutral voice with clear diction, im not English and their accents usually bug me.
.The 2 students on the CD, 1 student sounds like a little proficient [like its the 2nd time round in the course] the other sounds more like you will be the first time,but you will probably find your self in between, which is a good place to be.
The native Japanese speaker repeating what you say is the best idea, and makes this course so good because you can speak along with her and try to remove your accent and keep the pase.
Michel Thomas vs Pimsleur:
Ok this is a big one. I think Pimsleur is the best selling audio language program for most languages teaching with an English background. And its a good program so thats fair enough. The difference between Pimsleur and Michel Thomas is thus:
Pimsleur - Parrot drilling of phrases and vocab
Michel Thomas - Problem solving drilling of full sentences
Note that this is a HUGE difference! Although since both are only the first step into to learning a language, which one you choose doesnt make too much of a difference. Both will give the responder a good feel for the language by the end.
Ultimately, i think the Michel Thomas method is better. Which is why im wring this review (of praise). I tried both products (at my library) before buying the full Michel Thomas Foundation course (and later "Advanced" course). And although i didnt go all the way through the Pimsleur, you will find other what i have said about its method reflected by other reviews on the net.
As i said, either programs is a great start - because thats all these programs are, a start.
Im trying to to repeat what the other review has already said but its hard cause he was correct, and thorough.
Its amazing, i really noticed how fast i was learning. Im not sure how people usually use these audio programs, but i listened to most of the tracks twice, and as well as that part builds on the last so you are kind of saying the same things quite a few times. What i noticed is the reduction in time it took me to construct a sentence (the presenter on the CD says something in Enlgish and you have to say it in Japanese, which requires translation of words, sentence order and removing redundant English words and adding Japanese words).
Where to from here?
Well, what this program has done is saved you a lot of time and money on classes, and puts you at the same level of understanding as it would take about 20 x 2hr sessions, home study and $500 - $1000. The difference is you havent dont much vocab or used any technical terms, and you cant write in Japanese - but you will understand how the language works, as well or better.
So after this program you can either continue teaching your self or start going to classes/private tutoring. You will need to review what you have learnt in a more formal way, with textbooks and linguistic terminology. And ofcourse, you need to speak to Japanese people (...in Japanese). This is where classes always beat self study.
Next step after this course [well lets say after congratulating your self, not that this course is difficult, but its still an achievement] is to get a book like this:
Japanese Verbs at a Glance (Power Japanese Series) (Kodansha's Children's Classics)
Japanese Step by Step : An Innovative Approach to Speaking and Reading Japanese
Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication: A Self-Study Course and Reference
You could also start learning from the standard texbooks, Japanese for Busy People etc, but besides the addition vocab they give, you will basically already know everything in those basic textbooks. (note Japanese Step by Step is not a conventional textbook, and is perfect for the level you will be at after complete this audio program).
Oh, and if you havent learnt how to write yet (which isnt big deal), i suggest:
Let's Learn Hiragana: First Book of Basic Japanese Writing (Kodansha's Children's Classics)
Let's Learn Katakana: Second Book of Basic Japanese Writing
Work though books, go to some classes, then look at some more books like this:
Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You (Power Japanese Series) (Kodansha's Children's Classics)
The Handbook of Japanese Verbs
The Handbook of Japanese Adjectives and Adverbs (Kodansha's Children's Classics)
And then you will be really happy with what you have achieved. Well i am anyway...
And i really appreciate Michel Thomas Method Japanese Foundation as being my foundation for Japanese.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best of the Best, May 16, 2009
This review is from: Michel Thomas Method™ Japanese For Beginners, 8-CD Program (Michel Thomas Series) (Audio CD)
I am a huge fan of the Michel Thomas courses. Having studied the previous Spanish and French courses which were taught by Mr. Thomas before his death, I can tell you that it is possible to obtain a certain comfort level with the languages at the completion of the courses. Having said that, the previous courses did have some flaws. For one thing, the format could be frustrating if one had plans to listen to the courses more than one time. Basically, Mr. Thomas guided two pupils (one of which was invariably slow to learn) by having them try to put simple sentences together based on a noun or verb previously introduced. The pupils would try it, and Mr. Thomas would then repeat it before moving on to the next example. The audio quality was just average, and at times Mr. Thomas seemed to lose patience with his pupils. At times, it all could get quite tiresome. The courses also appeared to me to be hastily put together. Still, for the money, the recordings were light years above just about anything else out there.
This new Japanese course, in my opinion, is pretty much perfect as a first level introduction to a very challenging language. Ms. Gilhooly not only has picked up where Mr. Thomas left off, but I believe has gone him one better. First off, the format is slightly different. Ms. Gilhooly, in her very soothing, mildly English accent introduces the concept, the students build on it, and finally the correct phrase is repeated by a native Japanese speaker. The inclusion of this last element, which was missing in Mr. Thomas' recordings, makes all the difference and really sets this recording apart from the previous courses. I never get tired or bored of listening to these recordings.
This course will give you a firm foundation in the basic concepts of conversational Japanese, which is a huge advantage should you choose to take your studies to the next level. You won't know a large amount of vocabulary at the end of this course, but you will understand how a Japanese sentence is constructed and you will be thoroughly familiar with a decent number of commonly used nouns, verbs and phrases.
Moreover, this course will definitely motivate you to want to continue with your study of this fascinating language. You will not be disappointed with the purchase of this set, and basically, as it costs about the same as a tankful of gas for your vehicle, you won't find a better educational value.
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