Exactly, this is the kind of stuff that's always lost in translation. Really glad you liked it!
What kind of stuff do you want to learn when it comes to Japanese language, Victoria? Is there anything in particular you're struggling with or want to focus on more? Do you miss anything in available studying materials?
Oh, that's a lot of questions ^^ Okay, I'll try to answer, but it will be a lot of text.
Speaking of studying materials, I have a problem that all textbooks for N2-N1 levels which I know are designed as test drills for Noryoku. So they don't explain the material, they only ask. And in most cases it is more productive to read a book, ecounter some new words there and check them in a dictionary then to specifically study a textbook. At least the context helps to remember it this way.
And in general it feels strange to me that there are no texts in textbooks. I mean I remember there were texts in J-Bridge and in Tobira, but for N1-N2 levels there are texts only in 読解 books, and texts there are specific.
And the second problem is actually also thanks to Noryoku, that it doesn't have writing and speaking sections, so nobody pays enough attention to them. My teachers had an approach that it's okay if you can't write in Japanese as long as you can type, so we studied writing kanji for a test and then let it be. And up to this day I am a little bit nervous that the day when I'll have to write kanji by hand will come and I'll fail ^^"
Apologies for all the questions and thanks so much for taking the time to answer them! I'm glad to see the newsletter already covers part of what you're missing from textbooks. The reason I asked is because I'm thinking about creating my own courses and textbooks, so I wanted to see what's lacking now. So your reply is really helpful, thank you! We use Minna no nihongo at our university but I completely disagree with the approach to verbs. That's why I wanted to create a short module that covers verbs and particles. Hopefully I can also include your wishes in other materials that I'll create in the future. Thanks so much☺️
No-no-no, thank you for asking ^^ And wish you good luck with the module project! I am always for the development and for more people knowing Japanese, so I am interested!
And what is it with verbs in MnN? Maybe I skipped that part. Are they presented in an uncomfortable way for students to learn?
Thanks, I'll keep you up to date on my progress :)
I find MnN too comfortable, because it starts from the -masu form and then tries to work around the inevitable issues that come from such an approach. Hopefully I can present a model that works better in the long run.
Yes, that's cool there are always some stylistic layers and nuances in a Japanese text that you won't probably notice if you read a translation only.
That was interesting, thank you for the post ^^
Exactly, this is the kind of stuff that's always lost in translation. Really glad you liked it!
What kind of stuff do you want to learn when it comes to Japanese language, Victoria? Is there anything in particular you're struggling with or want to focus on more? Do you miss anything in available studying materials?
Oh, that's a lot of questions ^^ Okay, I'll try to answer, but it will be a lot of text.
Speaking of studying materials, I have a problem that all textbooks for N2-N1 levels which I know are designed as test drills for Noryoku. So they don't explain the material, they only ask. And in most cases it is more productive to read a book, ecounter some new words there and check them in a dictionary then to specifically study a textbook. At least the context helps to remember it this way.
And in general it feels strange to me that there are no texts in textbooks. I mean I remember there were texts in J-Bridge and in Tobira, but for N1-N2 levels there are texts only in 読解 books, and texts there are specific.
And the second problem is actually also thanks to Noryoku, that it doesn't have writing and speaking sections, so nobody pays enough attention to them. My teachers had an approach that it's okay if you can't write in Japanese as long as you can type, so we studied writing kanji for a test and then let it be. And up to this day I am a little bit nervous that the day when I'll have to write kanji by hand will come and I'll fail ^^"
Apologies for all the questions and thanks so much for taking the time to answer them! I'm glad to see the newsletter already covers part of what you're missing from textbooks. The reason I asked is because I'm thinking about creating my own courses and textbooks, so I wanted to see what's lacking now. So your reply is really helpful, thank you! We use Minna no nihongo at our university but I completely disagree with the approach to verbs. That's why I wanted to create a short module that covers verbs and particles. Hopefully I can also include your wishes in other materials that I'll create in the future. Thanks so much☺️
No-no-no, thank you for asking ^^ And wish you good luck with the module project! I am always for the development and for more people knowing Japanese, so I am interested!
And what is it with verbs in MnN? Maybe I skipped that part. Are they presented in an uncomfortable way for students to learn?
Thanks, I'll keep you up to date on my progress :)
I find MnN too comfortable, because it starts from the -masu form and then tries to work around the inevitable issues that come from such an approach. Hopefully I can present a model that works better in the long run.
I see. I studied Marugoto first, and they had the same approach in the textbook.
Very interesting the usage of the old kana notation. Everyday I learn something new with your newsletter. Thank you so much, Bunsukeさん 🙇🏻♀️
Hi 蛍火! Really glad you're enjoying the content!