It's difficult to say without knowing your level and your strengths in the language -- i, for instance, probably have better conversational skills and pronunciation than alot of people who have degrees in Japanese but haven't been to Japan (i have been in Japan for 2 months and before that spent alot of time hanging out with Japanese people), but since I have only taken up to Semester 3, and studied from books off and on, my kanji, for instance, is pretty basic, as well as my knowledge of formal grammar constructions, etc. If you have been studying mostly from books without many conversation partners, i would say the most important thing would be to try to find someone you could chat with in person or online. Japanese textbooks always have their flaws. Inevitably they are not, particularly, going to teach you the spoken language as it actually sounds, but at the same time they are indispensable for kanji and grammar, and even vocabulary, though not as much. The "Power Japanese" series is pretty good for specialized subjects like particles (jyooshi) etc. I have another textbook that i am working from that is pretty good, which i actually forget the name of right now, but would be happy to provide you with the title, alot of people that i have shown it to are impressed with it, it is Highly logical in its explanations. The Tuttle kanji cards are good for kanji, but ultimately if you want to speak Japanese you will have to hang out with Japanese people if you can. Hope this helps! -Erick
I've been studying off and on for about 3 years. Unfortunately it's been mostly off, but have been getting back on track. However, I'm in a bind. I have two japanese study books that I'm almost through with, and neither of which are very good from what I have read. I can take classes next year by earliest (or fall for a long drive) but I'll probably be too advanced for those by the time they arrive, and I'm not sure if I have the money for a real college to take their classes (going to still look into that). So I'm wondering what might be recommended for self study around the intermidiate level and up. Books are the best, as I study a lot at work where I don't have computer access, but having a computer program I can drill myself on might be something I could really use too. Any suggestions would be quite helpful. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "In the midst of this world we stroll along the roof of hell gawking at flowers" yo [no] naka wa jigoku no ue no hanami kana - Issa Kobayashi (1763-1827) "The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, Those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, Like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge. How pitiful are they who cling strongly to concrete reality: Turn your attention within, my heart friends." - Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche (1932-1999) "Hey you, expecting results without effort! So sensitive! So long-suffering! You, in the clutches of death, acting like an immortal! Hey sufferer, you are destroying yourself!" -Shantideva, `Bodhicharyavatara' "Make an utterly relaxed, lucid state of consciousness the very core of your practice." - Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892) Buddhist Texts: http://www.thuvienhoasen.org/index-english-4.htm & http://buddhistdoor.com/resources/sutras/sutra_index.htm Bodhicharyavatara: http://www.shantideva.net/intro.htm --------------------------------- Discover Yahoo! Have fun online with music videos, cool games, IM & more. Check it out! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Japanese_Language/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
