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I bought this book just to learn the basics of the Japanese language. I own a travel package that I use to travel the world and my next trip is going to be Japan. The CD is great and the book is easy to follow. I know some basic Japanese with just casual readings of the book.
The only downside is that there are no writing lessons to help learn Katakana. but I also learned a lot about the Japanese Culture in this book. It starts off with the basics and steadily progresses to more chananging lessons. I was a bit bummed about that, but what the book had in it really helped me learn the difficult Japanese language. Reccomended for beginners.
The same dry style of teaching a launguage that has been around since before the 8 track.You listen to a word in English and then repeat it in Japanese. If you just wat to leard to count to 10 and say hello and good bye then this is what you want.Anything more indepth look elsewhere.
If you're looking for a good book to learn basic Japanese grammar rules, this is it. It teaches basic rules, structure, phrases,and even a few cultural facts. It comes with a CD to help out, which is very handy for picking up on pronounciations.
As any reference, it does not take the place of Pimsleur, Berlitz or other, more formalized programs whereby the student actually speaks in Nihongo. Sensei has also included some helpful tables of the different verb forms, and the inside cover tables with the particles and copulas are a major plus. (Speaking it is the only way to really learn the language). But you can think of Sato-sensei's text as a good primer and a convenient reference - especially for distinguishing between the formal and more colloquial forms of Kanto-region Japanese. Consider it a starter's guide to the language and a companion to the more formalized courses. Should work for students at university level as well.
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