Learning Japanese Language

One of the difficulties experienced by American students of Japanese lies in the fact that it is an agglutinative language and also reflects the hierarchical nature of Japanese society, with verb forms and vocabulary indicating the relative status of speaker, listener and the person mentioned in conversation.

On the written side, Japanese is written with via three different script types: kanji which consists of Chinese characters, and two syllabic forms, known as hiragana and katakana. Another form, Romani which uses the Latin alphabet, is also used in modern Japanese, especially in business circles and advertising.

Now the difficulties of Japanese writing system are not addressed in the Pimsleur Japanese courses offered. For most students of Japanese, this will not present a problem since the goal is practical everyday conversation and this is where Pimsleur excels.

The Pimsleur language learning system is a language acquisition method designed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur. In short the method works almost entirely through listening. The lessons are 30 minutes long so they are very digestible for even the busiest person.

As someone who has used Pimsleur for several languages, as a rule of thumb you should attain a minimum of 70 percent comprehension, at which point you can move on to the next lesson.

As the lessons repeat themselves and add new material, it is not necessary for you to master each lesson perfectly before moving on. So if your thinking about studying Japanese try Pimsleur Japanese.

Vocabulary Builder Japanese

Primarily aimed to meet the requirements of children from 4-12, Vocabulary Builder Japanese has proved popular with adults too!

* Speech recording the chance to record cartoons and play them back in your own "cinema".

* Nine games of varying difficulty, with points awarded for correct answers.

* 3 Options: learn, games and record

* Beautiful illustrations to reinforce your learning.

* Gold award for completing all of the language games.

* Over 100 words including colours, numbers, actions and simple sentences.

* Help from the friendly tiger he speaks over 50 languages!

Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
Windows 2000/ME/XP/Vista

If you're interested in learning Irish, then check out Vocabulary Builder Japanese Software. At $29.99, the program is inexpensive, easy, and fun to use.

Talk Now Japanese

Talk Now! is the world's best selling language learning CD-ROM series for beginners, used by more than eight million people to date. It's ideal for travelers, holiday makers, business people, school children, students and families. Anyone beginning to learn Japanese will find the disc indispensable.

*Nine topics: first words, food, colors, phrases, parts of the body, numbers, time, shopping and countries.

* Speech recording: compare your voice with native speakers

* Two quiz levels: test what you've learned, earn points and monitor your progress.

* Memory Games: to improve your knowledge of key vocabulary.

* Intelligent Software: remembers words you get wrong and targets your weak points.

* Automatic Localization: lets you choose the language you learn from (more than 100 available).

* Wide range of words: from greetings and phrases to parts of the body, numbers and shopping.

* Gold Award: if you get all 1800 points when using the disc.

* Printable Dictionary with color pictures.

* iPod integration: listen to Talk Now Japanese wherever you are!

Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher
Windows 2000/ME/XP/Vista

iTunes 6 required for MP3 function

If you're interested in learning Irish, then check out Talk Now Beginner Japanese Software. At $29.99, the program is inexpensive, easy, and fun to use.

Talk More Japanese

With Talk More, you can learn Japanese the EuroTalk way using over an hour of broadcast quality video and the latest interactive techniques. Talk More is the latest series in the EuroTalk range for beginners to intermediates. It is the next step up from our best-selling Talk Now! Japanese. Increase your basic knowledge and prepare yourself for World Talk Japanese, our intermediate level. Talk More Japanese is ideal for travellers, holiday makers, business people, students and families.

Nine topics ranging from shopping trips to leisure activities and business meetings.

Broadcast quality video of all the dialogue spoken by native speakers.

Speech recording so you can compare your pronunciation with theirs.

Cinematic dubbing enabling the on-screen characters to speak with your voice.

Multiple choice quizzes to test your understanding

Easy and hard games where you win marks for good pronunciation.

Automatic localisation lets you choose the language you learn from.

Printable phrasebook print by section and take the print-outs with you.

Extras disc includes free world atlas game. Challenge yourself, friends and family to know exactly where each country in the world is and much more.

Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher
Windows 2000/ME/XP/Vista
QuickTime 6 or higher

If you're interested in learning Japanese, then check out Talk More Japanese Conversational Software. At $29.99, the program is inexpensive, easy, and fun to use.

Talk Business Japanese
If you want to succeed in business abroad, then Talk Business Japanese is for you. Aimed at people who already know the basics, it gives the specialized language you need for doing business abroad. Must-know language ranges from basics like 'what is your website address?' to more advanced discussion of exchange rates, product guarantees and marketing budgets.

Nine topics business meetings, trading, IT, the internet, advertising, negotiations, banking and many more.

Broadcast quality video of all the dialogue spoken by native speakers.

Speech recording so you can compare your pronunciation with theirs.

Cinematic dubbing enabling the on-screen characters speak with your voice.

Multiple choice quizzes to test your understanding

Easy and hard games where you win marks for good pronunciation.

Automatic localization lets you choose the language you learn from.

Printable phrasebook print by section and take the print-outs with you.

Extras disc includes free world atlas game. Challenge yourself, friends and family to know exactly where each country in the world is and much more.

Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher
Windows 2000/ME/XP/Vista
QuickTime 6 or higher

If you're interested in learning Japanese, then check out Talk Business Japanese Intermediate Software. At $29.99, the program is inexpensive, easy, and fun to use.

Talk The Talk Japanese

TALK The Talk is designed with teenagers' social lives in mind. It concentrates on the words and phrases young people need for social conversation, including plenty of useful, up-to-date vocabulary. It then builds their spoken confidence, allowing them to compare their accent to that of a native speaker.

Will it work for me?

This program is best suited for teenagers who are beginning to get to grips with Japanese. It's best if you know some basic vocabulary before you start.

Because it's aimed at recent beginners, everything you hear will be clearly spoken at a speed that you can easily keep up with.

What will I learn?

To talk about the things that are relevant to you. We won't bother you with lots of information you won't need or don't find interesting.

Talk The Talk teaches phrases like "I'll send you a text message later" and "we won the game on penalties". Topics include family, school, hobbies, travelling, home, technology, work and sport.

How does it work?

Watch and learn! See and hear how to speak Japanese by watching video footage of native speakers.

Build confidence on a computer. Before testing your new speaking skills in the real world, record yourself, then play back to compare your pronunciation with a native speaker. (Note that we don't use electronic voice analysis: the human ear is usually much more accurate.)

Play interactive games. The comprehension quiz prompts you to react to real life situations, while a challenging recording quiz tests your knowledge and pronunciation.

You earn points for every game you play. High scorers can go on to win bronze, silver and gold awards, which you can print out as a record of achievement.

You can learn on the move. Carry on learning in the airport lounge or on the ferry. Just print out the phrasebook sheets included in the program and take them with you.

System Requirements

Windows 2000 or later
Mac OS X 10.3.9 or above
CD ROM Drive (+ computer microphone)
QuickTime 6 or higher

If you're interested in learning Japanese, then check out Talk the Talk Japanese Beginner Software. At $29.99, the program is inexpensive, easy, and fun to use.

There are many reasons why you must visit Japan and learn Japanese. It could be the thriving economy, gorgeous landscapes, ancient culture, or interesting people. If you still require persuasion, this list will definitely do the trick.

You can learn Japanese for many reasons. An ancient culture, a thriving economy, interesting people, and splendid landscapes are some of the things the Land of the Rising Sun boasts of. You'll be hard pressed to pick your main reason, though this partial list will strive to persuade you; and if it doesn't, then perhaps a hop to Japan will convince you. But first, the list.

Akira Kurosawa - Director Extraordinaire

You have missed the art of extraordinary director Akira Kurosawa if you have not seen Throne of Blood, Seven Samurai, Dreams, and Ran. With his attention to detail, beautiful landscapes, gripping stories, and climactic scenes, these movies are a must-see for the serious movie buff. Because these are all created in the director's native language, you have to learn to speak Japanese in order to experience these movies' timeless appeal.

Japanese Anime

Obviously, Japanese anime isn't for everyone. When you are used to animations by Pixar and Disney, anime's attributes like the onomatopoeic typography, speech bubbles, and over-the-top physical attributes can be strange. However, it does have engaging storylines and fantastical creatures. You will have a good reason to study Japanese with Naruto and Dragon Ball Z.

Chindogu, A Japanese Art

Japan boasts of various art forms such as the tea ceremony, ikebana, and origami, but none is as interesting as chindogu. This art form is all about inventing inconvenient gadgets for regular use, but with the most noble intentions. In fact, these inventions only ever bring on the laughs as an achievement.

Maybe you're interested in a tissue dispenser atop your head as a hay fever hat? Or perhaps a noodle-eater hairguard to keep away hair from your bowl of ramen? You might be able to transform these chindogu items into profitable items if you speak to the inventor; thus, why you must study Japanese. Strange things like these actually occur.

Japanese Food

From sushi to wasabi, Japanese food is a delight to the senses. It might seem very easy and very pure on the surface, but the creation and presentation involve much effort and a perfectionist's attention to detail. To speed up the process of learning how to cook like the Japanese, you should study Japanese! After all, you want to learn Japanese cooking, not annoy your chef-mentor with running questions on what anko and umeshu are.

Japanese Fashion

Japan's outlandish street fashion can't be topped, even by New York. You will enjoy the avant garde costumes donned by Tokyo's young people like Ganguros, Lolitas, Bosozoku, and Kogals.

If you still need reasons why you must study Japanese, consider that Japan is the fastest rising economy in the world and they're the third largest Internet users. These should wake you up to the business opportunities Japan has to offer!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/reasons-to-learn-japanese-622972.html

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