July 2022 MBR The Language Studies Shelf

[Midwest Book Review]

The Language Studies Shelf

Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Version, revised fourth edition
Association for Japanese-Language Teaching
Kodansha
www.kodansha.us
9781568366203 $29.95 pbk / $17.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Busy-People-Book-download/dp/1568366205

Synopsis: The 4th Revised Edition of Japanese for Busy People is the most popular Japanese language textbook series in the world.

Since it was first published in 1984, the focus of the Japanese for Busy People series has always been to teach Japanese for effective communication.

As suggested in the title, this is a concise course for busy students who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as efficiently as possible in a limited amount of time.

The new Japanese for Busy People: Revised 4th Edition is made up of three volumes: Book I, Book II, and Book III. Book I is available in both romanized and kana versions, similar to the Revised 3rd Edition.

The Kana Version is exactly the same as the Romanized Version except for the scripts used throughout the book: hiragana and katakana.

The Kana Version is therefore recommended for those who have already learned kana (as these scripts are collectively called) or are learning them with Japanese for Busy People Kana Workbook or another such text. Studying Japanese in kana, rather than in romanized script, can lead to fluent pronunciation and facilitate a smooth transition to the study of kanji.

Critique: Now available in a revised fourth edition, and bundled with a free audio download, Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Version is an excellent, consumable textbook suitable for classroom use or self-study. Japanese for Busy People I is available in both romanized and kana versions; the kana version facilitates studying Japanese in its own written syllabary, rather than transcribed into an English alphabet, and makes an excellent intermediate step in preparation for studying the kanji writing system. (Kanji are not covered in Japanese for Busy People I: Kana version.) The chapters cover how to understand and express basic things, such as greetings, asking the time, interactions while shopping, simple descriptions, asking permission, and much more. The reader is invited to practice listening to and repeating the audio download, and write exercises in the book. Japanese for Busy People I is a "must-have" especially for tourists or business travelers interested in learning useful, basic Japanese quickly, as well as those with a broader interest in the language and culture searching for a good way to start learning the basics. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Version is also available in a Kindle edition ($17.99).

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