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New Start Japanese - recommendations?

  Tags: Japanese
 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes Post Reply
Sunja
Diglot
Senior Member
Germany
Joined 6087 days ago
2020 posts - 2295 votes 
1 sounds
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: French, Mandarin

 
 Message 1 of 7
04 October 2008 at 10:41am | IP Logged 
I've taken a long break from Japanese and I'm curious as to how I can get started again.

I spent years fumbling around in one program and I don't really want to go back to it. After seeing what all there is out there I now see my old program as insufficient. That's part of the reason why I took a break.

I'm inclined to go with Assimil but I don't know where I should start. I took a self-test with Gokaku Dekiru and passed the JPLT Level 4 practice test with flying colors if that's any indication. My grammar needs revision. I think this is where I left off in my learning. (This will take some study but it's already been covered.)

to omoimasu/to omotte imasu.
te/de (te-form indicating reason)
...kamoshirimasen. (maybe)
...tara (when) and (if)
...tekimashita. (Describing a change in state)
...teshimaimashita. (regret or completion)
...ba (if)
...to (when)
...nakereba narimasen. (have to)
...deshou / ...darou.

Assimil can be a strain on the pocket book and I don't want to buy the first book if I don't have to. Can somebody tell me what's covered in Book Two? On the other hand I'll be the first to admit that I need some practice, so maybe buying the first book won't be such a bad investment....Advice!?

I was just at Amazon.com. Does the book come with the 4 CDs? It's hard to tell what you're getting at Amazon. I don't see the CDs as being listed along with the book. Is the audio accompaniment to Assimil even necessary? I have plenty of audio material on hand.

I've got time to shop around, by the way. I'm going over Heisig's course again and I need time for that. :o)

If anybody has any other recommendations besides Assimil I'm all ears.

Edited by Sunja on 04 October 2008 at 10:48am
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Volte
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Switzerland
Joined 6441 days ago
4474 posts - 6726 votes 
Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian
Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese

 
 Message 2 of 7
04 October 2008 at 11:13am | IP Logged 
A free resource: Tae Kim's "A Japanese guide to Japanese grammar".

I'm not too keen on Assimil's Japanese course, but I haven't spent much time with it. The speakers are quite slow. Be careful with the Amazon orders: it's easy to get just the book without the CDs by mistake (I did that the first time I tried to get an Assimil course from Amazon).


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Sunja
Diglot
Senior Member
Germany
Joined 6087 days ago
2020 posts - 2295 votes 
1 sounds
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: French, Mandarin

 
 Message 3 of 7
04 October 2008 at 3:56pm | IP Logged 
Wow. That saves me a purchase right there. I definitely don't want slow speakers.

I downloaded the PDF version of your link and I'm looking over it as we speak. Looks great. Your insight is always appreciated Volte, thanks!
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OneEye
Diglot
Senior Member
Japan
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Speaks: English*, Mandarin
Studies: Japanese, Taiwanese, German, French

 
 Message 4 of 7
05 October 2008 at 12:20am | IP Logged 
I can't recommend this site enough. He learned Japanese from zero to near-native fluency in 18 months. The basic idea is outlined on this page but I'd also recommend reading most or all the links on the first page.
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Sunja
Diglot
Senior Member
Germany
Joined 6087 days ago
2020 posts - 2295 votes 
1 sounds
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: French, Mandarin

 
 Message 5 of 7
05 October 2008 at 1:59am | IP Logged 
OneEye wrote:
I can't recommend this site enough. He learned Japanese from zero to near-native fluency in 18 months. The basic idea is outlined on this page but I'd also recommend reading most or all the links on the first page.


Good recommendation, OneEye, and yes, Khatzumoto is really popular. I've tried his approach with Spanish. Two words why this doesn't work well for me: "working Mom".

Phase 1.
Using an SRS is debatable for me. I'm usually not near a computer when I want to study, or somebody else is using it. Flashcards I can shuffle standing in line at the grocery store and waiting in the parking lot of the school when I'm picking my kid up. No printing costs. I was using an old-fasioned index system for Spanish and Italian -- yes, I know :) But it was working. Now I have to find a way to get back. Maybe I can still squeeze in SRS. I'll give it a shot if I have the time to set it up. What's the best one?


Phase 4.
I was doing so well with my Spanish and Italian sentences and then I crashed. Life got in the way. I didn't make it past 300. I'll have to pick that up again.

About these "learn Japanese/any language" online lessons: don't you guys feel that they use too much English? Aren't they teaching too much "wow your friends by throwing in this expression"? I'd think one would need a more systematic, grammar-based approach. I don't know I've only tried one of them. I remember the English quips as opposed to the Japanese and get maybe two phrases out of it.

how about books?
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Sunja
Diglot
Senior Member
Germany
Joined 6087 days ago
2020 posts - 2295 votes 
1 sounds
Speaks: English*, German
Studies: French, Mandarin

 
 Message 6 of 7
05 October 2008 at 3:55am | IP Logged 
Volte wrote:
A free resource: Tae Kim's "A Japanese guide to Japanese grammar".


By the way Volte, I've been going over this and what I really like is that it doesn't try to explain Japanese grammar using English grammar structures. I think that is a big mistake with my old program! No wonder it's taken me so long to learn Japanese. Japanese doesn't make sense in English!
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Volte
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Switzerland
Joined 6441 days ago
4474 posts - 6726 votes 
Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian
Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese

 
 Message 7 of 7
05 October 2008 at 4:01am | IP Logged 
Sunja wrote:
Volte wrote:
A free resource: Tae Kim's "A Japanese guide to Japanese grammar".


By the way Volte, I've been going over this and what I really like is that it doesn't try to explain Japanese grammar using English grammar structures. I think that is a big mistake with my old program! No wonder it's taken me so long to learn Japanese. Japanese doesn't make sense in English!


Exactly. Japanese grammar is fairly logical and clean - not 100%, but no human language is. When you try to analyze it in terms of typical English structures or IE linguistics, though.... it makes absolutely no sense.

I'm yet to see an English-language textbook I can stand on Japanese, and I've bought/used/browsed a ridiculous number of them.



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