Media Review: Japanese Language Tapes

by Edward Dix

• How to Pronounce Japanese Correctly, by Stanley W. Connell, Consultant Yoshio Satoh, Lincolnwood, Illinois, Passport Books, 1992, 44 pp. text and audiocassette, $19.95.

 During a recent visit to Penn State’s campus bookstore, I came across this tape in their extensive language section.

Unlike all the other offerings, this is not a language course — not even a traveler’s brief. It is entirely focused on correct pronunciation. How to Pronounce Japanese Correctly is designed as a supplement to language course materials. For martial artists who don’t aspire to learn conversational Japanese, it can supplement the vocabulary of technique names and dôjô reishiki.

 The work is divided into eight lessons. Each sound is typically represented by six spoken examples on the tape with the transcript given in romanji according to the Hepburn system, and hiragana for native Japanese words or katakana for loan-words, (words brought into Japanese from Western languages). The text is designed to be simple, practical and non-technical.

 The first two units cover the vowel sounds and the semivowels. These are fairly straight forward because the sounds transliterated as the English letters a, e, i, o, u, ya, yu, yo and wa are sounds we already associate with these letters in English. Mr. Connell offers guides to improving pronunciation of Japanese vowel sounds and the tiny transitional sound, or off-glide, that occurs at the end of English vowels. Japanese doubled vowels and whispered (or “devoiced”) vowels are also explained.

 The consonants are divided into three units. The sounds represented by the romanji ch, j, m, s, sh, ts, z, are sounds very similar to their English counterparts. The only modifications necessary are relaxation of the lips in pronouncing m and less aspiration of the s and sh.

 The consonants represented by the letters p, t, k, b, d, g, have certain similarities to English, but are pronounced quite differently. Clear descriptions of the placement of the tongue and the formation of the lips needed to produce the correct sound are given in the text and there are three dozen example words on the tape.

 The consonant sounds represented by f, h, n, and r differ most from the sounds used in English and require the most practice. Again, Mr. Connell provides helpful instructions for the correct use of the tongue in forming these sounds. Two special consonant features of Japanese, í (the syllabic n) and double consonants, pp, tt, kk, ss, ssh, and tch, rate a unit of their own.

 One of the major differences between English and Japanese is the way certain syllables are emphasized in the two languages. In English, we emphasize one syllable in each word by speaking it louder than the others. This is called a stress accent. Japanese, on the other hand, emphasize syllables by changing the pitch or tone of the syllable. Accented syllables have a higher pitch than do others. Five pages of examples are given to clarify this distinction.

 The final unit covers sentence intonation. This lesson seems more familiar after the struggle with word accent. Japanese statements, like their English counterparts end with falling intonation, while questions end with rising intonation. We use similar changes of tone in English, although less consistently.

 There is a summary of the sounds of Japanese in the Appendix along with a syllabic chart showing hiragana and katakana.

 How to Pronounce Japanese Correctly is a well produced, compact set of lessons, focused on making the sounds of Nippongo. As I have no reasonable expectation of ever mastering conversational Japanese, most of the language courses on the market represent a waste of money. This text and tape provide just what I need, a clear and sufficiently detailed explanation of the significant aspects of Japanese pronunciation and some common difficulties for English speakers. Now if we could convince one of our senior instructors to produce a tape covering the correct pronunciation of the names of techniques and equipment, the audible character of the dôjô would be vastly improved.

• Japanese for the Martial Arts, by Alexander D.C. Kask, Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan, Charles E. Tuttle Company Inc., 1996, 64 pp. text and audiocassette, $14.95

 This 55 minute tape, with accompanying booklet, was developed to help martial artists adapt to a Japanese training environment. It is a general guide, avoiding terms specific to any one system. The program’s best feature is the wealth of explanation and background information provided in the little booklet.

 As might be expected, the first lesson is pronunciation. There are no surprises here. All sounds represented in romanji and hiragana. A chapter of “Basic Phrases” includes greetings, questions and answers. Small arrowheads denote formal, informal and very informal usage. Our favorite expression, “Oosu!,” is given a full paragraph.

 A chapter on names, ranks and titles covers the full range of dôjô use including kyôshi, renshi and sôsai. Each term is presented in kanji. This section also includes first, second and third person pronouns with cautions and explanations regarding formal and polite usage. The chapter on numbers goes beyond basic counters to include age, hours and the days of the week. Each lesson concludes with several examples of applications.

 The lesson entitled “Doing Things” gives over three dozen verbs useful in training. Each term is listed in its formal present, informal present, gerund and negative informal present forms. This is designed as a first step in learning the conjugation of Japanese verbs. Explanations of the forms of requests and asking permission are also covered in detail. This lesson is followed by a section on “Describing Things,” which covers adjectives.

 Some philosophical depth is provided under “Useful Terminology.”  The concepts of zanshin and sen and deshi, among others are given brief explanations. Practical matters concerning body parts, injuries and sickness have a chapter of their own which includes the term gaman — “to put up with, to persevere”. I found the chapter on “Improvising Using Gairaigo” amusing, but loan-words from English are useless in a traditional dôjô. The booklet concludes with an appendix, which provides additional examples for each of the booklets chapters.

 Japanese for the Martial Arts contains a wealth of basic terms and grammatical forms in a small package. It explains much that beginners find confusing about nihongo.

Edward Dix is a licensed instructor of kenjutsu and holds black-belt rank in aikijutsu. Mr. Dix received a Masters degree in botany from Penn State University, and is Coordinator of Conservation Education Programs for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. He can be contacted via e-mail addressed to "edix@state.pa.us"

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