Japanese Pronunciation Practice through Shadowing

The unnatural pronunciation of Japanese can have a big influence on communication, creating a childish impression and making the speaker's ability seem lower than it actually is. This book, using the technique known as 'shadowing', assists the learner of Japanese to pronounce the language more smoothly and correctly. What is Shadowing? Shadowing is a form of training that is designed to help improve simultaneous interpretation. However its effectiveness is not limited to this area and with its simple method, beginner students will also gain great value from it. Whilst listening to a flowing conversation, being able to 'shadow' the conversation by repeating immediately afterwards is what we have called the Shadowing learning method. Why Shadowing? "I want to be able to speak Japanese easily!", "I want to speak fluently!" We believe that there are many Japanese language students who share these desires. Another opinion that we often hear is, "I understand what people say to me, but I can't speak myself". Shadowing acts as a bridge between understanding what you want to say in your mind and being able to actually say it out loud promptly and fluently. To express this differently, Shadowing is a training method that raises ability from intellectual understanding to practical application. This difference can be compared to knowing the theory of how to swim and actually consciously experiencing how to move your arms and kick your legs in the water. Unlike other shadowing books, this volume contains unique visual representations of each word’s intonation and stress. By looking at these diagrams of small dots, learners understand or review the intonation of the Japanese even without the accompanying CD. Each chapter contains a 'Text', 'Pronunciation Points', 'Practice Exercises' and 'Check/Notes' section. The chapters can be completed within 10 to 15 minutes, making it easy to study anywhere or to include short pronunciation exercises in class. Several text sections deal with Japanese culture, sightseeing attractions and proverbs that make pronunciation practice engaging and enjoyable. A separate booklet of English, Chinese and Korean translations make this text easily adapted to self-study. Language: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean