Making Sense of Japanese Grammar

by Zeljko Cipris, Shoko Hamano

Making Sense of Japanese Grammar explains in a lively and highly informative manner basic principles that underlie a wide range of phenomena in Japanese. Students--irrespective of proficiency level and linguistic training--will find clarification on matters of grammar that often seem idiosyncratic and Japanese-specific, such as avoiding the use of certain pronouns, employing the same word order for questions, hidden subjects, polite and direct forms.

Organized for easy access and readability, Making Sense of Japanese Grammar consists of short units, each focused on explaining a distinct problem and illustrated with a wealth of examples. To further enhance their usefulness, the units are cross-referenced and contain brief comprehension exercises to test and apply newly acquired knowledge. A glossary and keys to the exercises are at the back of the book.

This volume may be used as a supplementary classroom reading or a helpful reference for students of all levels. Both students and instructors, even those trained in linguistics, will find its accessible explanations of grammatical concepts helpful.

Grounded in sound scholarship and extensive teaching experience, Making Sense of Japanese Grammar brings a fresh and liberating perspective to the study of Japanese.

Genres: Japanese Literature, Language, Japan, Reference, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful book! I took off a star because for me personally, this book came a little too late in my learning process, so quite a few items were already very familiar to me. The items in this book are presented in such a way that even beginning learners can follow. But even when you have been studying Japanese for a longer period of time, there will most likely still be some worthwile revelations to take away from this book.

This is not a comprehensive guide to Japanese grammar, but instead tackles a few well-known problems for learners of Japanese in a more broad, conceptual way, without veering too much into the abstract or overly technical. I think this book will be most useful for people who prefer to learn grammar by conceptual understanding and association over rote memorisation and pattern drills.

The book does a very good job of putting some basic tenets of Japanese grammar and some tenacious problems (at least for a western learner) in perspective and creating a more overarching frame of reference and understanding for these phenomena. It will definitely help you have those eureka moments where things will just "click" for you and the pieces fall into place.

This is a very good book for anyone who would like to expand their overall understanding of Japanese grammar. Recommended.

A good follow up for this book (for the more advanced learner) would be Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I was intending to read Jay Rubin's 'Making Sense of Japanese' but somehow ended up reading this book! (I don't know how it compares because I have yet to read the former.) Most of the grammar points covered are beginner level. There are a lot of explanations regarding 'why' things are the way they are, as would be expected from the title. Though I already had an intuitive feel for a lot of the material -- I can use it correctly without really thinking --- the explanations of 'why' were interesting to read. One doesn't have to *understand* grammar to use the language well; after all, many natives don't know the whys and seem to do just fine. And, just understanding doesn't mean you'll be able to use it; it doesn't replace exposure and practice. But, for people struggling with correct usage at the beginning, the explanations can be useful. Over time with exposure, these correct usages will become second nature and 'sound right', but until that time... ^^

Sometimes I felt that certain items were being over-analyzed, but overall, the book was a decent read. Particularly notable are the explanations of は vs が (though the explanation in Shoji's Basic Connections is slightly better), transitive vs intransitive (why some verbs are transitive in English but intransitive in Japanese), and ～ていく and ～てくる (within the framework of community-oriented thinking).

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I've ever read on Japanese grammar. Written by linguists, it's not your typical textbook. Rather than teaching comprehensive vocabulary, phrases, conjugations, tenses, etc., it instead teaches concepts. It's organized into short, concise, insightful, easy-to-digest units, each focussing on a single principle about how Japanese works.

For example, it has a brilliant explanation of the how the particles "ne", "yo", and "ka" work. Instead of the usual explanation ("ne" means "isn't it?", "yo" is emphatic, and "ka" is a question), the authors suggest it's really all about who has the information: "yo" means I have the information (and I'm telling you), "ka" means you have the information (and I'm asking you), and "ne" means we share the information (and we're in agreement).

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is intended as a supplement to Japanese courses, offering alternative explanations of certain troublesome topics in Japanese linguistics that are often not explained well in textbooks. It does offer some really good nuggets of information, such as explaining tense in subordinate clauses, and the difference between the ni and de particles. However the book is written in a terse, academic style that is a little hard to learn from, and the topics the book covers are treated in a more approachable, easy to understand manner by online sources such as Cure Dolly. So I can't recommend it as strongly as I would like.

[Wilde Luo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book about Japanese grammar.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terceira parte fica mais complicada, mas é um dos melhores livros que já li sobre gramática japonesa. Se você se interessa pelo tema, recomendo!

[Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for a deeper understanding of Japanese grammar, if you want underlying concepts rather than just "this is the way it is " descriptions. Best read in small chunks and fully digested. That said, I find myself returning to it and rereading sections often.