Japanese Language Course Japanese Language Course at NTNU Autumn 2007
This is a non credit-giving course running parallel and as a supplement to POL1006, with
an aim to provide a solid grounding for further study of, and exposure to, the language
of Japan. The main target groups are Japan Program (POL1006/1008/2011) students and those contemplating a study period in Japan. The course is informal and enjoyable, but demands regular attendance and considerable amount of work.
There are two levels: Beginners and Upper Elementary. Intermediate and advanced students are encouraged to join Japan Club.
Course Details
Duration: 4th September - 27th November (13 sessions)
Time: Beginners: Tuesdays 17:15-19:00
Upper Elementary: Tuesdays 19:15-21:00
Where: Realfagbygget, Room 73, Gløshaugen
Textbook: Beginners: Genki 1 (The Japan Times, ISBN4-7890-0963-7)
Upper Elementary: Genki II (The Japan Times, ISBN4-7890-0963-7)
Available from http://www.akademika.no/ and other Internet bookshops
Teacher: Michi Yamaga, yamaga.michi@gmail.com
Registration: Email your name, faculty and main field of study to Michi by 31st August.
Please use your ntnu.no address when registering. Course Outline (details subject to change) Beginners: This is a basic course. Upon successful completion you will have reached a level corresponding to Level 4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, where you can speak and understand just enough Japanese to “survive” in Japan.
Lecture Plan
Day 1: Greetings: “I am...” “Are you...?”, nationalities, study fields, professions
Day 2: Numbers 1-100: age, time. Particle “no” (possessive). Family members
Day 3: Shopping: “It is/is not”, “This, that, what, which?”, “Here, there, where?”, prices(large numbers)
Day 4: Verbs 1: polite form - describing a day in life, frequency adverbs, particle “wa”
Day 5: Making suggestions: “Would you like to...?” “Shall we...?” Location.
Day 6: Verb past tense
Day 7: Adjectives, likes and dislikes, counters
Day 8: Te-form 1: “Please do/do not...” “May I...?”
Day 9: Te-form 2: using multiple verbs in a single sentence, i.e. “go to school and
attend lectures and...” Family relations
Day 10: Te-form 3: description of a state (verb-adjectives). Verbs 2: plain form
Day 11: Verbs 3: plain past - summing up your life.
Day 12: Expressing desire and intention
Day 13: Explanatory speech: excuses, confession, etc. Strongly suggesting something.
Speculating.
Upper Elementary: You will learn “how” rather than “what” to put things appropriately
– terribly important in Japanese! You will also learn more kanji, idioms and keigo.
Day 1: Verb potential form; “Appears to be...”; Frequency per day/week/etc.
Day 2: Giving several reasons for a situation; “try doing...”; Limitation/contrast
between two or more statements; A job interview
Day 3: Giving and receiving of things
Day 4: “want”; “as much as/as little as”; “may/might”; “How about...?”; Gift-giving
Day 5: Verb volitional form (casual “Let’s...”); Taking an action in preparation for
something; Using sentences to qualify nouns, as in “a book which my teacher
suggested”; Planning a group trip
Day 6: Giving and receiving of actions; Requesting an action
Day 7: Wishful statements “Hopefully”; Te-form in apologies; Getting yourself out of
trouble
Day 8: Verb conditional form 1 “ta-form + ra”; Hearsay; “looks like”;
Day 9:“Don’t have to...”; Doing something before or after an event; Gossip
Day 10: Transitive and intransitive verbs; Verb conditional form 2 “to”
Day 11: Impossible past conditional “I wish I’d done”; Irreversible/completed action “teform+ shimau”
Day 12: Honorific/humble language; Easy-to-do/hard-to-do
Day 13: Passive form to express inconvenience; Causative sentences; Causative-Passive
NOTE:
*Japan Club meets in R40 or R41 in Realfagbygget (if both rooms are occupied we
move to the canteen) from 18:00 on Wednesdays. Meetings last about 1 ½ hours. This
is a place where visiting Japanese students and scholars can help you practice the
language and you can help them with questions about living in Norway.
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