Basic Japanese Course (Volume 2)

Author: Zhu Chunyue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-03-01
Features: This book is designed for first and second-year undergraduate students of Japanese major in universities. It consists of 4 volumes, with each volume intended for one semester (180–220 class hours) when calculated at a rate of 10–12 class hours per week. The features of this book are as follows: Before and during the writing process, we analyzed several major basic Japanese textbooks, both domestic and international, including those used in our own university, summarized the strengths and weaknesses of previous textbooks, and strived to create a brand-new basic Japanese textbook tailored to the characteristics and needs of adult learners, especially Chinese learners of Japanese. The book incorporates new thinking and design in the following aspects:
1. Considering that adult learners of Japanese often lack a Japanese language environment, we adopted the teaching philosophy that emphasizes grammar instruction, which has been highly successful in China, while also appropriately addressing sentence patterns and communicative functions. This approach ensures that students build a solid language foundation with strong "endurance."
2. Emphasis is placed on pronunciation training, with thorough guidance provided. Japanese pronunciation covers syllable articulation, word tones, compound word tones, pitch changes in verb conjugation forms, sentence stress, and intonation, among other aspects, making it highly practical. The book integrates pronunciation guidance throughout all 4 volumes.
3. In terms of grammar theory, the book primarily references the grammar framework represented by Mr. Okada Yasuo of the Linguistic Society of Japan (Nihongo Kyouiku Gakka), while also incorporating reasonable elements from other grammatical theories. This ensures a more comprehensive understanding of Japanese grammar and a more learner-friendly design.
4. The grammar content is mainly based on the "Teaching Syllabus for the Basic Stage of Japanese Majors in Higher Education Institutions" issued by the State Education Commission in 1990. However, the arrangement has been adjusted and carefully considered to align with actual Japanese usage.
5. From the beginning, students are introduced to both narrative and conversational styles. The conversational sections deliberately avoid "textbook Japanese," balancing both plain and polite forms to help students master different expressions based on interpersonal relationships, bridging the gap between textbook language and real-life communication.
6. The textbook covers a wide range of topics with lively and engaging language, with passages of appropriate length and difficulty, balancing diversity, knowledge, and practicality.
7. Both the passages and conversational texts use standard orthography, helping students develop an accurate understanding of the standard mixed writing system of Japanese (kanji + kana) from the start.
8. Considering the practical need for computers, learners are encouraged to master Romanized Japanese (romaji) as well.
9. Each lesson in the first two volumes includes "connecting words" (kankoteki go). This not only expands vocabulary but also serves as a categorized word list for easy reference.
10. "Loanwords" (gairaigo) are consciously emphasized in the texts and exercises to meet practical needs.
11. For convenience, useful appendices are provided after the main text, including an index of pronunciation items, an index of grammar items, an index of connecting words, and a master vocabulary list.
Organization and Use of This Volume
The overall design of this volume includes:
1. Writing and Usage Instructions
2. Table of Contents
3. Text
4. Pronunciation Index
5. Grammar Index
6. Connecting Words Index
7. Master Vocabulary List
Each lesson consists of 8 parts:
1. Lesson Focus
2. Text
3. Conversation
4. Vocabulary
5. Connecting Words
6. Pronunciation
7. Grammar
8. Exercises
According to our curriculum design, this book is intended for the "intensive reading" course for undergraduate Japanese majors, where the focus is primarily on Japanese grammar. Therefore, the conversational sections mainly provide linguistic contexts for the grammatical points covered in the texts, while "communicative functions" are only partially reflected. The "function-meaning" items specified in the 1990 edition of the "Teaching Syllabus for the Basic Stage of Japanese Majors in Higher Education Institutions" by the State Education Commission are believed to be best addressed in "conversation" classes, and some corresponding materials (e.g., "Japanese Conversation," "Japanese Daily Communication Conversation") have already been developed for reference.
To ensure learners have an accurate and comprehensive understanding of Japanese writing forms, standard orthography is used in the texts and conversations, while less common kanji forms (outside the "Common Kanji List") that are frequently used in practice are also included in the vocabulary lists for reference. In actual use, the standard orthography in the texts and conversations should be followed.
Since the grammar system of this book differs significantly from those in previous textbooks, the grammar explanations are detailed to facilitate teaching. Instructors may select or omit content based on students' needs.