Page 12 - Basic Japanese

long a standard text for learning Japanese. Although Samuel

Martin passed away in 2010 and was unable to review and
approve the new changes, Basic Japanese maintains all the
exciting linguistic insights of Essential Japanese, while

incorporating linguistic changes that have taken place over
the past several decades in terms of structure, vocabulary,

and socio-cultural norms that are essential for
communication in Japan today. Furthermore, all Japanese

sentences (except those embedded in the English
paragraphs) are presented in both kana/kanji and

Romanization, and all sections except the Structure Notes
and Exercise are recorded in the accompanying audio CD to
help users learn the language as a whole. Illustrations,

culture notes, and usage tips are provided in sidebars
wherever they may help learners to put themselves in the

communicative contexts. Here are some tips for getting the
most out of Basic Japanese:

The sentences in Basic Sentences are clearly laid out so
that Japanese sentences can be seen from their English

translations. Some items in each sentence are underlined,
showing that they bear grammar/usage points that will be
discussed in Structure Notes.

It is advisable that you not write down the answers in

Exercises so you can use this section repeatedly for
reviewing and reinforcing your understanding. Answers are
provided in a smaller font after the questions.

Many vocabulary words are presented outside of the

Basic Vocabulary section, and you are advised to learn
words from all the sections in each lesson. For example,
Structure Note 3.1 lists relative time expressions such as

ashita ‘tomorrow,’ kinō ‘yesterday,’ raishū ‘next week,’ and

kotoshi ‘this year.’ Furthermore, all Japanese sentences