Japanese Language Learning Reviews

Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication by Taeko Kamiya

Score:
9 / 10
Pros:
excellent sample Japanese sentences demonstrate how to form a variety of Japanese expressions; practice translation exercises for every sentence pattern; great index and phrase list makes expressions easy to find; expressions grouped into chapters by topic; extra examples of every sentence pattern; great explanations answer doubts but remain concise; appendix includes list of numberals, classifiers, verb and adjective tables; full Japanese script alongside romaji for every example; for a productive reader this is like owning your own Japanese build-a-sentence machine

Cons:
invites students to use this as a practice or lesson book, but doesn’t offer much guidance on how to pace yourself; many examples simply a review for advanced students, while often too challenging for beginners (but start learning sooner!); topics are function-based rather than conversation-driven, which hurts a certain type of learner

Japanese language students run into a very particular, frustrating problem. They find that they can learn and understand the nuts and bolts of Japanese grammar – the verbs, the particles, even the sentence structure. Yet they have trouble trying to formulate a good, fluent Japanese sentence that expresses the same ideas we can convey in English. What gives?

The author of The Handbook of Japanese Verbs (also reviewed on this site) has helpful solution called Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication. The book begins with forty pages of Japanese expressions broken into twelve sections. These twelve sections cover an array of language functions. Then, each of those expressions/sentences is analyzed in a series of twelve chapters.

Each chapter, or set of expressions, focuses on one language topic (like the ability to identify people and things, or making comparisons). Key sentences from the introduction are presented in gray boxes in English, then directly below in Japanese.

Beneath that key phrase, there’s an explanation of what’s going on in the sentence, and how to form similar sentences. Then, the author gives relevant practical examples in fluent Japanese, each with an English translation. This is followed by a practice exercise that asks you to translate similar structures from English to Japanese (with answers directly below – no peeking!).

This formula of presenting potentially challenging Japanese sentences, discussing how they work, giving examples, then asking you to participate in activities, continues throughout the rest of the book. It’s a simple formula, but it elevates the book from a sit-on-your-shelf reference to a practical guide to dealing with a very complex aspect of the Japanese language.

The book ends with an appendix of Japanese numbers, those devilish counter and measure words, and adjective and verb conjugation tables. On top of that, there’s a good index in the back, and the list of Japanese expressions at the front, all cross-referenced with page numbers. You’ll have little trouble finding what you’re looking for when you come back later.

The Japanese is given in full script (kana and kanji), along with romaji and English translations for every sentence. Presumably because of the romaji, kanji do not include furigana readings, unlike in Kamiya’s other books.

Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication presents intermediate and late-beginner Japanese students with a thorough, well organized, well indexed invitation to understanding how sentences work in Japanese. The choice of sample sentences alone makes this an intelligent acquisition. The effective explanations and practice exercises serve as an open invitation to anyone struggling to create expressive, long, fully-formed Japanese sentences. Start to add variety and fluency to the way you speak the language with this product.