Contents

Preface xi

PART I PReLImInARIes 1

Chapter 1 Introduction 31.1. Learning Nihongo for Real 31.2. Nihongo as a Foreign Language 41.3. Organization of This Book 61.4. How to Use This Book 81.5. Notes on Transcription 10

Chapter 2 Background 112.1. Nihongo:The Japanese Language 112.2. The Country Called Japan 142.3. Social Concepts 152.4. Popular Culture 18

Chapter 3 Variation and Change in Nihongo 203.1. Variations in Language 203.2. More Assertive “Masculine” and Less Assertive

“Feminine” Styles 203.3. Gender-Associated Styles in Transition 213.4. Generation and Variation 213.5. Youth Language 223.6. Regional Variations 233.7. New Dialects 243.8. Stylistic Variations 243.9. Written, Spoken, and Speech-like Written Nihongo 253.10. Digital Communication 263.11. Meanings of Variation 273.12. Language Change and Learning Nihongo 27

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PART II sounDs AnD sCRIPTs 29

Chapter 4 The Nihongo Sound System 314.1. Overview 314.2. Morae 314.3. The Sound “N” as One Mora 324.4. Vowels 324.5. Consonant + Vowel 324.6. Consonant + Y + Vowel (Contracted Sounds) 344.7. Long Vowels (Duplication of Vowels) 344.8. Double Consonants 354.9. Word Accentuation 354.10. Sound Changes for Emphasis 36

Chapter 5 Scripts 375.1. Overview 375.2. History 385.3. Kanji 385.4. Hiragana 395.5. Katakana 405.6. Learning the Japanese Scripts 415.7. Fonts 425.8. Punctuation 425.9. Vertical and Horizontal Writing 435.10. Calligraphy as Language Art 45

PART III WoRDs 49

Chapter 6 Kinds of Words 516.1. Wago and Kango 516.2. Loan Words 536.3. Made-in-Japan “Foreign” Words 556.4. Numerals and the Number System 566.5. Counters 586.6. Time-Related Expressions 606.7. Family Terminology 626.8. Personal Names and Vocatives 636.9. Onomatopoeia and Mimesis 64

Chapter 7 Words in Grammar 677.1. Nouns 677.2. Pronouns 687.3. Noun Prefixes and Suffixes 707.4. I-Adjectives 717.5. Na-Adjectives 72

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7.6. Nominal Modification 737.7. Modification Phrases 747.8. Adverbs 757.9. Demonstratives 767.10. Particles 787.11. Verbs 797.12. Verb Conjugation 807.13. Adjective Conjugation 86

PART IV GRAmmAR 89

Chapter 8 Simple Sentences—Essential 918.1. Not Saying the Obvious 918.2. Be-Verb Sentences 928.3. Verb Sentences—Non-Past 948.4. Verb Sentences—Past 958.5. Adjective Sentences 978.6. Basic Case Markers 988.7. Existential Sentences 1028.8. Basic Interactional Particles 1028.9. Questions 1048.10. Question Words 1068.11. Topic and Comment 1078.12. Negation 1128.13. Negative Questions 1148.14. Preferred Word Order 116

Chapter 9 Simple Sentences—Enhanced 1189.1. Progressive Forms 1189.2. Verbs of Giving and Receiving 1209.3. Giving and Receiving Actions 1229.4. Expressions of Desire 1249.5. Potential and Ability 1269.6. Modal Verbs 1289.7. Prohibition and Obligation 1329.8. Modal Suffixes 1359.9. Passives 1369.10. Causatives and Permissives 1399.11. Volitional Forms 1419.12. NoDa Sentences 1439.13. Order of Sentence-Final Elements 146

Chapter 10 Complex Sentences 14810.1. Conjunctions 14810.2. Connecting Clauses 150

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10.3. Conditionals 15410.4. Clausal Modification 15710.5. Clausal Explanation 15910.6. Koto and No Clauses 16110.7. Quotation 164

Chapter 11 Emotive Expressions 16711.1. Interactional Particles Ne and Yo 16711.2. Primary Feelings 17011.3. Exclamatory Phrases 17211.4. Attitudinal Adverbs 17311.5. Interactional Particles and Markers 17511.6. Emphatic Markers 17711.7. Repetition 18011.8. Interjections for Surprise, Disbelief, and Relief 18111.9. Whispered Confession and Comment 18311.10. Interjectional Sound Effects 18511.11. Exclamations 18711.12. Rhetorical Questions 188

PART V use 191

Chapter 12 Interaction Strategies 19312.1. Choosing Formal and Informal Styles 19312.2. Politeness and Honorifics 19612.3. Masculine and Feminine Speech 19912.4. Youth Language 20012.5. Borrowing Nihongo Varieties 20312.6. Greetings and Introductions 20412.7. Making Requests 20612.8. Asking for and Granting Permission 20912.9. Apologizing 21212.10. Expressing Gratitude 21312.11. Offering Advice and Suggestions 21412.12. Giving Orders and Commands 21612.13. Inviting and Responding to Invitations 21812.14. Being Serious and Nervous 22012.15. Fighting and Cursing 22112.16. Teasing 22512.17. Leave-Taking and Parting 225

Chapter 13 Conversation Management 22913.1. Conversational Nihongo 22913.2. Taking Speaking Turns and Designing Utterances 230

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13.3. Openers and Fillers 23213.4. Prefacing and Alerting 23313.5. Being Artfully Vague 23613.6. Utterance-Final Strategies 23713.7. Commenting on One’s Own Speech 23913.8. Sharing Thoughts as Feelings 24013.9. Action-Accompanying Phrases 24113.10. Postposing 24313.11. Listener Responses 24513.12. Clarifying Trouble Spots 24613.13. Echo Questions and Responses 248

Chapter 14 Gestures and Signals 25014.1. Gestures and Hand Signals 25014.2. Bowing and Postures 25314.3. Special Hand Movements 25414.4. Eye Contact 25414.5. Head Nods and Shakes 255

Chapter 15 Rhetorical Figures of Speech 25615.1. Metaphors 25615.2. Tautology 25815.3. Humor and Puns 26015.4. Irony and Sarcasm 26215.5. Idioms and Proverbs 26415.6. Yojoo, the Lingering Effect 266

Chapter 16 Discourse Organization 26816.1. Three-Part Organization 26816.2. Ki-Shoo-Ten-Ketsu,the Four-Part Organization 26916.3. Paragraph Organization 27116.4. Topic Structure and Staging 27216.5. Topic Chaining and Thread of Discourse 27416.6. Discourse Markers 277

PART VI GenRes 279

Chapter 17 Genre Appreciation 28117.1. Genre Categories 28117.2. Mixing Genres 283

Chapter 18 Selected Popular Culture Genres 28618.1. Comics マンガ 28618.2. Television Variety Show バラエティ番組 29418.3. Television Drama テレビドラマ 298

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18.4. Print Advertising 広告 30318.5. Magazine Essay 雑誌エッセー 30818.6. Cell-Phone Novel ケータイ小説 311

PART VII LeARnInG NihoNgo 315

Chapter 19 Methods 31719.1. Taking Classes 31719.2. Learning on Your Own 31819.3. Language Skills 31819.4. Reading 31919.5. Writing 32119.6. Speaking and Listening 32219.7. Memorization 32319.8. Creative Practice 32419.9. Exposure to Japanese Language and Culture 32519.10. Interaction with Native Speakers 32519.11. Thinking and Feeling in Nihongo 326

Chapter 20 Tools and Resources 32820.1. Textbooks 32820.2. Dictionaries 32920.3. Reference Books 33020.4. Writing Tools 33120.5. Audio and Visual Materials 33120.6. Japanese Language Organizations 33320.7 Contests and Scholarships 33420.8. Placement and Proficiency Tests 33420.9. Study and Work in Japan 335

Appendixes 339ListofAuthor’sWorks 343SubjectIndex(English) 351SubjectIndexandKeyPhrases(Japanese) 355