This introduction to the sounds of Japanese is designed for English-speaking students with no prior knowledge of the language, and includes an audio CD which demonstrates the sounds and pronunciation described. An invaluable resource for students of Japanese wishing to improve their pronunciation, as well as those studying Japanese linguistics.
This is a concise guide to learning beginner Japanese and includes an accompanying audio CD This pocket book is intended for people who want to learn the basics of the Japanese language quickly. Whenever you have a few minutes--waiting in a hotel lobby, riding on a train, or whatever--open this book and you can learn phrases you'll use again and again during your stay in Japan. The book is divided into twenty-one chapters, each covering a specific topic. Each chapter includes the following three sections: Words & Expressions: This section introduces words and expressions needed in specific situations. Vocabulary is presented systematically for quick and easy understanding. Expressions in Context: This shows how to use in context the words and expressions given in the preceding section. Gives you confidence in using new words in original sentences. Additional Words & Expressions: This section enables you to create many new sentences using the patterns just learned. There's no need to memorize all the words or phrases presented here: concentrate on just those you want to use. To use this book, start by reading the first three chapters of the book. These introduce many of the most commonly used words and phrases and familiarize you with the basic sentence structures. After Chapter 3, go straight to any chapter that interests you. If you want to know what to say on the phone, read Chapter 14: if you have to take a train, a few minutes with Chapter 6 should enable you to reach your destination quickly and conveniently. Although this book contains over three hundred carefully selected words and expressions, there is very little grammar included and there is no need for hours of rote memorization. All that is required is a few minutes of your time.
Six-time Grammy(R) award-winner Daniel Ho presents a unique approach to colorful harmonies. With Colorful Sounds: Creative Harmony Made Simple, songwriters can discover infinite ways to harmonize melodies beyond the obvious ear chords, composers can create moods and underscore scenes with a more extensive sonic palette, and players can execute unique voicings of extended chords with ease. Includes an audio CD demonstrating examples from the book.
An introduction to Japanese through authentic, commonly-used sentences. This best-selling Japanese textbook is a user-friendly guide for beginners designed for use in a classroom or self-study. It adopts a very different approach from other Japanese language books—teaching you the underlying sentence structures and patterns of Japanese along with essential vocabulary and phrases so you can attain basic fluency quickly. The emphasis is on acquiring a working knowledge of simple, everyday Japanese sentences. This new edition has been thoroughly updated and expanded to reflect the way Japanese is spoken in Japan today. Manga illustrations have been added to each dialogue along with the latest jargon for the internet, social media, cellphones, and IT, and a bidirectional dictionary is included at the back. Each self-contained lesson presents a simple four-step method: Step 1: Basic Sentences: Each lesson begins with a few simple sentences. Essential vocabulary and phrases are learned within the context of these sentences. Audio recordings by native speakers are in the free CD-ROM in the book. Step 2: Communication Notes: A detailed discussion of each sentence follows to assist you in understanding the underlying structure and how to form new sentences based on the same pattern. Step 3: Everyday Conversations: Authentic dialogues with manga illustrations and native-speaker recordings show you how people communicate naturally in Japan today through simple, everyday interactions. Step 4: Exercises: Several sets of easy exercises help reinforce your understanding of the key points presented in the lesson and review what you have learned so you can move on to the next lesson.
Japanese is a wonderful language, very different from European languages. It is also the gateway to the rich culture of the exciting and complex island nation of Japan. Some people get intimidated by the prospect of speaking Japanese—worried that it’s just too complex and different—but these fears are unfounded. While you can devote a lifetime to the study of this or any language, picking up the basics of Japanese doesn’t require any more than an interest and a willingness to try something new. Japanese For Dummies has everything you need to get off the ground with speaking the language. Author and Professor of Japanese Eriko Sato starts you off with the essentials of grammar and pronunciation, giving you a working sense of the language, before showing you Japanese in action. You’ll then explore vocabulary and expressions through dialogues taking place in situations such as: Introductions and greetings Eating and drink ing Shopping Exploring the town Talking on the telephone Asking directions Getting around Staying at a hotel You’ll also discover social customs, formalities, and manners, from how and when to bow to how to unwrap a present. Whether you simply want to introduce yourself to the Japanese language, say a few words to a neighbor or coworker, or you’re planning a major trip or study abroad in Japan, Japanese For Dummies will enable you to get the basics fast and work towards your own goal at your own pace. You’ll also find out about: How to use karaoke to help you learn Japanese Movies that will introduce you to Japanese culture and language Learning Japanese the “gourmet” way When ignoring “no, thank you” shows good manners Proper table manners Proper body language How to sound fluent And much more! With helpful vocabulary summaries, a mini-dictionary at the end, and an audio CD full of conversations and pronunciations, Japanese For Dummies assumes no prior knowledge of Japanese on your part—providing the perfect guide for a quick-but-thorough, lighthearted-but-not-lightweight introduction to the language.
The only book of its kind in English, Japanese for Healthcare Professionals, is a proficiency-based conversation textbook offering a complete Japanese language course that teaches Japanese grammar along with the vocabulary of medical care. With nearly three million Japanese tourists visiting the United States last year, and another five hundred thousand expatriates residing in the US and other English-speaking countries, it is inevitable that many Japanese speakers find themselves in need of healthcare but unable to communicate. Important highlights of this book are: Accompanying MP3 Audio Disc. No prior knowledge of Japanese necessary. For all professionals seeking to communicate in healthcare situations. Includes an English-Japanese dictionary of medical terms, a glossary of common complaints, and a sample bilingual medical questionnaire. Japanese for Healthcare Professionals offers a complete language course for classroom study or independent learners that teaches Japanese grammar along with the Japanese medical vocabulary. The chapters cover every step of a patient's interaction with care providers, from appointments and admissions to the physical examination, symptoms and illnesses, diagnosis, treatment, instructions to the patient, discharge, and follow-up. Chapters are devoted to the major branches of medicine as well as dentistry and to the corresponding bodily systems. There are also chapters on anatomy, infection and disease, and visits to the pharmacy. Each chapter follows a natural progression designed to help the learner comprehend the new material and acquire the language as effortlessly as possible. Each includes: basic Japanese vocabulary, a situational dialogue, Japanese grammar points and key Japanese language and culture notes, exercises and practice drills, and a quiz to sharpen comprehension. The culture and language notes seek to help the provider understand better a Japanese patient's cultural framework and patterns of belief, as well as the "un-translatable" meaning conveyed by certain idioms. The accompanying MP3 audio disc tries ties in core parts of each chapter, allowing learners to practice their spoken language skills outside a classroom setting. The book also includes thirty illustrations to help with vocabulary acquisition, a pronunciation guide, an English-Japanese dictionary of medical terms, a glossary of Japanese expressions for common complaints, a sample bilingual medical questionnaire, and answers to the quizzes. Emphasizing the learner's practical use of the Japanese language for healthcare settings and the importance of culture in understanding, Japanese for Healthcare Professionals reflects the national standards in foreign-language education set by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign languages (ACTFL).
This is the first book to provide comprehensive coverage of the modern Japanese sound system. It also serves as a useful reference on the structure of Japanese, since it presupposes only a basic background in linguistics. Among the topics discussed are the articulatory setting, phonemicization, vowel devoicing, syllables and moras, accent, the velar nasal, sequential voicing, other morphophonemic alternations, and verb morphology. The treatment draws on work by both Japanese and Western scholars. The book emphasizes phenomena that are likely to interest readers with a variety of theoretical perspectives.
