WEBmikey: Mangajin's Basic Japanese Through Comics : 3 of 5

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Mangajin's Basic Japanese Through Comics : 3 of 5
4.09.2005 3:15 PM \| Link	For my study of Japanese, I think it's key to have a variety of study methods. So, I end up looking at the foreign language section of the bookstore all the time to see if anything looks new and fun. This book uses panels of all kinds of manga (Japanese comics), from adult dramas to kiddie stories, to illustrate various concepts of the language. For example, there are entire chapters devoted to the various uses of doomo or sumimasen, and other bizarre subjects such as how "baby talk" is expressed in Japanese! The concept seems like a good idea, but I don't think I really learned that much from the book (or at least, I don't think the method makes anything "stick" in my memory). Nothing is really presented in a progressive way of learning - it's more like a collection of semi-advanced discussions on the nuances of a particular idea. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading it, because it definitely was fun to read the detailed translations of the various manga (and they even translate sound effects!). I just think I would enjoy it more if I were already semi-fluent first ("Basic Japanese" really means "basic concepts presented in advanced style"). I actually bought this book and its sequel at the same time, so I'll see if the second volume can do a better job than this one. Labels: books, japanese


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