Business Japanese by Shoji Azuma; Ryo SambongiReview by: Kyoko HijiridaThe Modern Language Journal, Vol. 87, No. 3 (Autumn, 2003), pp. 482-483Published by: Wiley on behalf of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers AssociationsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1192981 .

Accessed: 25/06/2014 10:38

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

Wiley and National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations are collaborating with JSTOR todigitize, preserve and extend access to The Modern Language Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.86 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 10:38:44 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

482 The Modern Language Journal 87 (2003)

tries included reflect the current state of both languages. The entries themselves are consider- ably easier to use than those in the earlier edition. In both volumes, "long entries, consisting ... of large blocks of dense text" are aided by "the in- clusion of 'menus' at the beginning of many such entries" intended "to summarize the main trans- lations of the entry" and "to make use of the knowledge that the user already has to help them find the sense they want more quickly" (p. xvi). At ?40.00 ($64.25 at current conversion rates) per volume, this dictionary is not cheap. It is helpful that there are discounts for online pur- chases. It is a set that both academic and general libraries should obtain. It can be affordable to many teachers, although probably to few stu- dents.

BRUCE A. BEATIE Cleveland State University

JAPANESE

AZUMA, SHOJI, & RYO SAMBONGI. Business Japanese. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2001. Pp. xiii, 129. $24.95, paper. ISBN 0-8740-855-X.

The goals ofJapanese language study are becom- ing broader and more relevant to our lives, ac- cording to the authors of this book (p. xi). The framework of the National Standards for Japanese Language Learning presents its five goals: Commu- nication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. This book encompasses the Connections goal in its framework.

According to the Connections goal, it is para- mount to obtain information, knowledge, or unique perspectives in the target culture through the study of its language, in connection with other subject matter. Combining Japanese lan- guage and business, this book serves as an appro- priate model of content-based course materials.

Each of the nine lessons starts with a preread- ing task that relates the lesson content to the learners and motivates them by providing ques- tions, tasks, and background information to build their schemata. The goal is to make the content relevant and meaningful to the learners.

Produced by two seasoned professionals, a Japanese linguist and a business specialist, the text demonstrates that the content of language

learning and that of business go hand in hand. The content material and the teaching ap- proaches are flexible, in that Japanese language teachers may use them in any order.

The targeted levels for this text are intermedi- ate and advanced Japanese courses. Some lessons are related to language study, with topics such as "Katakana," "Kanji in the Business Field," "Speed Reading," and "Numbers." Other lessons are geared towards business-related topics, such as "The Internet," "Human Relations," "Sales," "Fi- nance-Related Calculations," and "Case Studies." Both business-oriented students and students in general intermediate and advanced Japanese courses can profit from this book. This textbook can be used most effectively, however, in Japanese for business courses at the intermediate or ad- vanced levels. Students at these levels have ac- quired basic grammar skills and can engage in discussions in Japanese on topics such as product promotion skills and marketing strategies. They can also benefit from the case studies presented in the textbook, as well as learn about the busi- ness culture in Japan.

To illustrate the structure and content of a les- son, the lesson on "Human Relations" contains the following sections: (a) "Pre-reading Task," (b) "Communication Clinic," (c) "Greeting," (d) Differences in Usage," (e) "Telephone," (f) "Human Relationships in the Workplace," and (g) "Appropriate Use of Language." Each section has a variety of exercises, open-ended questions, culture-related discussions, and a vocabulary list. As I began to read the text, I felt compelled to continue. After the lesson on the "The World of the Internet," students will be able to access vari- ous homepages ofJapanese institutions and com- panies by following the Web addresses given (p. 20) and to increase not only their knowledge but also theirjoy and excitement.

There are a couple of typographical errors (e.g., pp. xii and xiii) and an unreachable Web address (p. 20). The latter may be due to an address change or perhaps an error. In addition, the answer shown on page 117 for the graph question for lesson 5 (p. 47) is incorrect. These points could be updated or corrected for the next edition.

After reading the book, one cannot help but gain respect and admiration for the content- based materials for a language course that a lan- guage specialist and a content area specialist can accomplish together. This book is exemplary in showing language professionals new directions for broader materials development, such as health, social work, and science.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.86 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 10:38:44 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Reviews 483

Starting with the input of reading activities, the authors skillfully combine them with speaking and writing activities as the output. This text is a welcome addition to the field of teaching and learning Japanese for special purposes.

KYOKO HIJIRIDA University of Hawai'i

CIPRIS, ZELJKO, & SHOKO HAMANO. Making Sense of Japanese Grammar: A Clear Guide through Common Problems. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2002. Pp. xiii, 199. $46.00, cloth; $14.95, paper. ISBN 0-8248-2497-0, cloth; 0-8248- 2583-7, paper.

This book sets out to explain underlying princi- ples of how the Japanese language works, which will tie together many apparently disparate, idi- osyncratic linguistic phenomena in Japanese. In the authors' view, highlighting only differences between Japanese and English is to overlook simi- larities in certain universal principles in grammar and language use among different languages, al- though different languages clearly conventional- ize them in their own ways. The book is aimed at practically everyone-those who have studied only a few weeks of Japanese to those who teach this language (pp. xi-xii).

Each of the book's five thematic sections is divided into smaller units that deal with various topics. The themes range from the basic, such as how a canonical sentence is constructed, to the specific, such as how complex noun phrases are constructed and how tense, aspect, and modality are marked on the verb. Under each of these themes, 66 topics are explained. Each topical unit is quite short, ranging from one page (e.g., unit 2, "Use the Verb at the End!") to five pages (e.g., unit 65, "There are Ways to Identify the Hidden Subject"). The book includes a glossary of gram- mar terms and a short subject index. Most of the units contain a short exercise to test the reader's comprehension of the idea presented in the unit (answer keys appear at the end of the book) as well as cross-references for related topics that are dealt with elsewhere in the book. Each point is illustrated with examples from Japanese (many artificial), printed in Japanese and in Hep- burnian romanization. A hyphen is inserted be- fore a particle (e.g., Akira-wa watashi-ni hon-o katta) .

Making Sense ofJapanese Grammar does not trace

the path trodden by similar books written in the framework of traditional pedagogical grammar, so those familiar with the old approach may find its coverage spotty and its approach to explaining grammar a bit unusual. It nonetheless offers an interesting look into the mechanism of some as- pects of Japanese grammar, using linguistics as a provider of the analytical tools. Although some prior knowledge of linguistics may be useful, in- formation is conveyed in readable prose, making the book accessible. Linguistically curious read- ers will have a lot to gain from the authors' expla- nations, especially those on adversative passive (unit 30), the notion of a fuzzy continuum for different types of nouns (unit 40), tense choice in subordinate clauses (units 53, 54, 55), and the choice of nominalizers koto and no according to the quality of familiarity and notability (unit 47).

A teacher may wonder if typical students en- rolled in a college-level language program in the United States would need some parts of this book. For instance, the authors point out that the speakers must use a verb at the end of a sentence and that they need not indicate the grammatical subject. Students are cautioned that the subject in the sentence gakusee desu is not "student." These unit topics lead one to ponder: If language learn- ing is based on actual language use and if stu- dents learn Japanese as they practice using it in real or simulated linguistics situations, instead of just from reading a textbook, these explications seem unnecessary. Language pedagogy should be based on putting students in situations in which they are led to make the necessary connotative and denotation connections-learning the full range of signification-over a period of time through actively participating in real or simulated language situations. Thus, if students have stud- ied Japanese in this sort of curriculum, they should have no trouble avoiding the pronoun anata, because doing so inappropriately should not enter their minds in the first place. The ap- proach to grammar makes me wonder about the audience the authors have in mind.

Typographical errors are almost nonexistent. Some words, such as yuugai 'harmful' (p. 18), otooto 'younger brother' (p. 106), and yurusu 'per- mit' (p. 140), are written inauthentically in kana instead of in kanji. Outright errors on contents are very few. I do not think the authors' choice of sono (p. 149) is correct because the reference is in the domain of the speaker's knowledge; it should have been kono. It is dangerous to say that omae is never used; such categorical pronounce- ments are seldom right, for when a father speaks

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.86 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 10:38:44 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions