Japanese Life Communication Conversation (Upper and Lower)

Author: Zhu Chunyue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-05-08
Features: This book is a continuation of Japanese Conversation (compiled by Zhu Chunyue, Nakajima Kōtai, and others, FLTRP, 1990) by the Basic Japanese Teaching and Research Section of the Japanese Department, Beijing Foreign Studies University (formerly Beijing Foreign Studies College). It was co-authored by Zhu Chunyue, Associate Professor of the Japanese Department at Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Ayano Hara, Professor at Ochanomizu University in Japan. This book is designed for undergraduate second-year or third-year students of foreign language majors who have completed Japanese Conversation. It follows the Communicative Approach as its fundamental teaching philosophy. The book includes 84 functional-notional items and over 1,800 expressions related to various communication methods, covering all affective functional-notional items from the 1991 edition of the Teaching Syllabus for Basic Japanese by the State Education Commission. This book retains and further emphasizes the practical and colloquial features of Japanese Conversation, giving full attention to colloquial simplifications that are often absent in general textbooks. It naturally and comprehensively reflects phenomena such as inversions, omissions, reductions, and sound changes commonly found in daily spoken Japanese. Unlike previous oral textbooks, this book distinguishes itself with its clear communicative approach. It does not simply introduce language materials through scenarios but focuses on how different expressions are used based on the speaker's identity, status, seniority, gender, and other factors. To fully and thoroughly reflect the characteristics of spoken Japanese, all the scenarios in this book are set in Japan. This allows learners to understand various aspects of Japanese society while studying the language. The content and teaching requirements for each lesson are as follows:
1. Dialogue Texts
Each lesson focuses on one or several functional-notional items, featuring eight independent short dialogues. The characters in the dialogues represent various ages and identities, ranging from children to the elderly, from colleagues and superiors/subordinates to relatives, lovers, and strangers. Each character exhibits distinct linguistic features that align with their age, gender, and status. The content and language of the dialogues are lively and engaging, with each dialogue serving as a script for a "skit." This section requires learners to recite the dialogues fluently and can also be used for role-playing exercises in and outside the classroom.
2. Vocabulary List
The total vocabulary in this book is approximately 3,000 words, with entries listed at an intermediate to advanced level. Definitions are generally limited to common meanings and those appearing in the current lesson. Numerical codes indicate the pitch accent patterns.
3. Phonetic and Grammatical Notes
Due to the highly colloquial nature of this book, the meaning of the same sentence can change with different intonations. Therefore, intonation is also emphasized. To help learners master the living language, the book is accompanied by audio cassettes and includes explanations and notes on key phonetic and intonation patterns in the text annotations. Grammatical explanations focus on usage rather than providing literal translations. Readers are referred to the "Reference Translations of Texts" in the appendix.
4. Supplementary Examples
Expressions commonly used in daily life but not covered in the lesson are listed as supplementary examples for reference during practice (e.g., writing dialogues).
5. Exercises
Exercises are divided into two main parts: linguistic structures (including sentence patterns, vocabulary, etc.) and functional-notional items. The linguistic structure section primarily includes fill-in-the-blanks (e.g., adverbs, set phrases), language application, and some substitution exercises. Additionally, there are exercises where learners fill in appropriate kana or kanji in blank spaces at regular intervals to complete sentences or passages, designed to improve language proficiency. When doing substitution exercises, instructors should avoid mechanical practice of surface forms and instead guide learners to focus on the communicative functions of the language forms. The functional-notional exercises mainly include fill-in-the-blanks (choosing appropriate expressions related to the lesson's functional-notional items) and rewriting exercises (changing the dialogue style by altering relationships, gender, etc.), as well as dialogue and skit writing exercises. Among these, skit writing exercises are most characteristic of the Communicative Approach. In skit writing exercises, the objectives (e.g., surprise, dissatisfaction), relationships between characters, time and location of the dialogue are first specified, and learners role-play according to the given scenarios. The book provides hints on the language or key expressions used in the exercises for reference. After the instructor explains the objectives, language, and scenarios, learners follow the instructions on their role cards to act as characters. During the exercise, participants should only refer to their own role cards, ensuring their language use aligns with their character's identity and tone. The development of the plot should generally follow the character's specifications. The transition between turns (i.e., the shift of the speaker's role) follows the order: 1 — (1) — circle 1 — 2 (2) — circle 2 — 3. Before the skit performance, students can practice for a few minutes, and the instructor should avoid interrupting during the performance, addressing any issues through post-exercise feedback. Skit writing exercises aim to develop communicative competence, training learners to adapt flexibly and use language effectively. Therefore, although sample skits are provided in the appendix, they are only for reference and do not require learners to match the language exactly.
At the end of the book, reference translations of texts, answer keys for exercises, and a functional-notional index are provided for instructors and learners. Due to differences in Chinese and Japanese expression habits, some direct translations may be difficult to understand, so the reference translations are mostly idiomatic, with occasional minor deviations from the original text. Answer keys may have multiple solutions, so the appendix is for reference only.
This book consists of 20 lessons. In terms of teaching, each lesson includes reading aloud, explanations, dialogue practice, recitation checks, and skit writing exercises. Generally, one lesson can be completed in 6–8 hours. With a weekly schedule of 4 hours, the entire book (both volumes) can be used over 1–1.5 academic years.
This book is a continuation of Japanese Conversation (compiled by Zhu Chunyue, Nakajima Kōtai, and others, FLTRP, 1990) by the Basic Japanese Teaching and Research Section of the Japanese Department, Beijing Foreign Studies University (formerly Beijing Foreign Studies College). It was co-authored by Zhu Chunyue, Associate Professor of the Japanese Department at Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Ayano Hara, Professor at Ochanomizu University in Japan. This book is designed for undergraduate second-year or third-year students of foreign language majors who have completed Japanese Conversation. Learners with some Japanese proficiency in society can also use this book to further improve their oral communicative skills or enhance their listening skills with the accompanying audio recordings. This book follows the Communicative Approach as its fundamental teaching philosophy, including 84 functional-notional items and over 1,800 expressions related to various communication methods, covering all affective functional-notional items from the 1991 edition of the Teaching Syllabus for Basic Japanese by the State Education Commission.