Japanese for Busy People I (Japanese for Busy People)(Revised Edition) (Vol 1) [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio CD)

~ AJALT (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The bestselling series Japanese for Busy People has guided hundreds of thousands of students to a fluent, natural, and precise use of the Japanese language.

Placing emphasis on language as spoken between educated adults, the integrated approach of the course increases speed of comprehension and makes newly learned material readily usable.

The series continues to expand and now includes a kana version of the text for those who prefer Japanese script, and a new teacher's manual for nonnative educators. Audio supplements are compatible with both the kana and romanized versions.

Created by a team of experienced educators, Japanese for Busy People is the ideal language course for travelers, business people, and anyone hoping to master basic Japanese quickly and expertly.
A complete language course from basic conversation to the intermediate level
Japanese-English & English-Japanese glossaries
A full range of audio supplements

About the Author

The Association for Japanese-Language Teaching (AJALT) was recognized as a nonprofit organization by the Ministry of Education in 1977. It was established to meet the practical needs of people who are not necessarily specialists on Japan but who wish to communicate effectively in Japanese.

Product Details

• Audio CD: 232 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International; 2nd edition (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770019092
• ISBN-13: 978-4770019097
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #766,468 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Need help? Read this., September 8, 2004

By	Miguel Lescano Cornejo (Guayaquil, Ecuador) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ALREADY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS:

If you're buying the book I and are thinking wheter or not to buy this CDs, buy it! They might look expensive, but you're not going to learn how to pronounce correctly unless you hear them. Even if you can read all the hiragana sounds, that doesn't mean you can render the printed kana in the textbook correctly. I have had a lot of surprises comparing the kana writing with actual japanese speech. For example, "gakusei" is actually pronounced more like "gaksee". A lot of times, when you expect a final "u", that "u" is almost erased from real spoken language. And the biggest surprise to me, was to discover that all "g" sounds (ga, gi, gu, ge, go) become more nasal, very close to "n", when they are in the middle of a word. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time trying to imagine the correct pronunciation and accent without the CDs! Some people complain that the speech is too fast, but I don't think so... perhaps when giving telephone numbers. Just concentrate and let the Force flow...

By the way, although the printed textbook says that only the opening dialogues, key sentences and short dialogues are recorded in the CDs, actually all the vocabulary words are there, too, and spoken slower than the same words in the dialogues, so you can better grasp all the sounds. About the presentation, I thought the CDs would be placed in a flimsy plastic thing inside the box, but in fact they were inside a sturdy 4-CD jewel case (like that of Pink Floyd's The Wall), occuping, of course, only 2 of the 4 maximum spaces. You can carry this case with you along with your discman or put it with you other CDs.


FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT SURE ABOUT WHAT THIS IS:

Yes, these CDs are only a complement to the textbook and not an independent course on their own. For a good audio-only Japanese course, try Pimsleur's.

These CDs are part of the famous JFBP series, which is almost the official instrument for studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Tests (administered by the Monbusho every year).

If you don't have the corresponding textbook and are considering these CDs, buy the textbook. Book I has two versions: The romanized version (this is, representing japanese sounds with English letters) and the kana version (representing japanese sounds with a small set of simple syllabic symbols, very different from chinese characters, which represent ideas and thus are far more complex.) I have the kana version of the Book I, and using these CDs along with the book gives you a double input of information. Very effective. The romanized version must be far easier, but it can mislead you to pronounce words as if they were English. To be able to read the kana version, first learn the kana anywhere else. Perhaps the kana workbook from the JFBP series (along with the tapes), or perhaps a downloadable PC program like Declan's will do the job.

When you've finished all three books (and CDs), you could be able to pass JLPT Level 3! (4 is the lowest, 1 is the highest) If you want to make it to Level 1, go to Japan and read and talk a lot.

FOR ALL OF YOU:

Japanese people talk very fast, and this fact is reflected in these recordings. However, the reading parts and the vocabulary parts are slowed down a lot so you can get your feet on the ground. Just concentrate and you'll identify all the sounds! It's not much faster than Spanish, you know?

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide for spoken Japanese (with book), April 3, 2002

By	AR41885 (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

One of the many hurdles facing a learner of Japanese is correct and understandable pronunciation as well as adequate listening comprehension of this beautiful, but sometimes frighteningly fast-paced language. Unlike mastering "superiority and deference levels" or learning enough Kanji (symbols) to be literate, however, speaking and understanding Japanese is surprisingly not that daunting a task -- with these CDs, of course!

The CD accompanyment to Japanese for Busy People I features a unintentionally comical English-speaking guide who announces the number of the lesson, etc. in a hilariously monotone fashion as well as a flurry of jumpy, colorful native Japanese speakers. As you would expect of actual Japanese people navigating the chaotically busy streets of Tokyo, these speakers emote, emphasize, and speak very, very fast! Although the velocity of their speech may discourage you at first (as it did me), after a few lessons and repeated listenings you will get a hang of the flow of this language. Upon finishing this excellent CD accompanyment to Japanese for Busy People I, you may not be a Japanese-English dictionary or know the ins and outs of all Japanese grammar, but you will have a priceless grasp on the flow and structure of Japanese speech. For this essential aural and oral facet of Japanese alone, these CDs are well worth their price. Just make sure you have the textbook to follow along with.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent way to begin learning Japanese, April 2, 2001

By	"dresden5" (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese for Busy People I: Tapes (Pt.1) (Audio Cassette)

I used this book while in Japan and taking a college course in Japanese. My Japanese improved considerably. I had previously taken a course in Japanese which used a different text, which I did not find very helpful. This book has recently come out in a Kana version, which I would recommend over this one which uses romajii. I would recommend James Heisig's book Remembering the Hiragana to learn the Hiragana.