(Part 2) Best foreign language dictionaries according to redditors
We found 4,576 Reddit comments discussing the best foreign language dictionaries. We ranked the 1,881 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
![Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese II [Second Edition] (Japanese Edition) (English and Japanese Edition)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/414GOyfkOOL.jpg)
![Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds [With DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41XU+IW06lL.jpg)
Post Genki II Stuff
Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata and Wheelock's Latin are the go to books for learning.
Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata is completely in Latin and makes you learn by reading.
Wheelock's is learning by studying grammar.
What I recommend is looking up "Learn Latin" on Youtube to study the basics of pronunciation and learning what you can from there. If you enjoy it, buy one of those books to dive deeper into the subject.
The best way to learn to read handwritten Chinese is to learn to write handwritten Chinese.
This book is an old but good introduction in English.
If you are comfortable with Chinese only text, then I'd recommend this book, which is far more comprehensive.
You don't actually have to remember how to write the characters long-term, just go through all the exercises in those books and you'll find you'll then be able to read most handwriting without too much difficulty.
It's not targeting you in particular, but I've seen posts like this before and well, I don't understand why people interpret the Kana as a lengthy step that needs to be supplemented. It's 48 characters with no meaning besides sound -- pure memorization. If one needs to supplement additional readings or lessons with this, you are ignoring the issue at heart, memorize 48 characters.
If you sit down and completely focus, Hiragana is a 3 hour memorization job, naturally, if it takes you a few days, so be it, but the point is to have it internalized first. I bet many can do it in even less if they really applied themselves. Sit down, grab a coffee, pull up a table and just memorize it. Don't do anything else Japanese related until you have this down (Notice I'm not even asking for Katakana here, just Hiragana--think about what namasensei said! "Just effing write it down!!"). If you're really struggling, this book is fantastic.
Once you memorized it in however amount of hours it takes, just test and test yourself over and over again.
Anyways, I think you get my point. To me, learning Hiragana is like learning the alphabet. It's the first thing anybody does before anything else, there's no supplement to it, there's no complimentary grammar lesson that fits nicely with it, it's just a straight up 48 character memorization process we all have to go through to get our foot in the door.
I would very much like for the three Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced) to be digitized to make searching easier.
I may have got it used, but I just found it new for $18 on Amazon, so like lol I dunno what you are doing. https://www.amazon.com/Jpn-Genki-Answer-Key-Japanese/dp/4789014479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526747316&sr=8-1&keywords=answer+key+genki
The decision is up to you, and your final choice should pertain to your situation/interests, but if you do choose to learn Japanese, then I can give you some pointers:
Learning Material
Start by learning Hiragana and Katakana. This should take you 2 weeks tops. You can learn it through apps like Dr. Moku (apple and android), and practice with Drag-n-Drop.
After that, use the Genki textbooks I and II (make sure that it's the 2nd edition, which has more features added to it), which are the most popular by far within the Japanese learning community.
Japan Times, the company behind the books, also made some pretty neat apps to side with the book. Available for apple and android. There's also a workbook, which is a bit of a drag to buy after buying two $50 textbooks, so I uploaded the PDFs here.
Supplement your studies with Anki SRS (Spaced-repetition-system), which is essentially virtual flash cards.
There's also Tae Kim's Grammar Guide, which is pretty good as a reference, but not so much a sole learning material. His website is another good reference resource.
Please realize that it's okay to forget words and grammar points, and you're definitely going to have to revisit some of them along the way.
I should probably mention Kanji. Kanji are characters imported from China during the 5th century, although many have divulged from their modern Chinese equivalent. Genki I+II will teach you 317 kanji (image for scale (sorry for bad quality!!)), and Tobira (the textbook I'm about to mention) will teach you another. There are officially 2136 "Jouyou Kanji", or kanji used in everyday life (e.g. a newspaper). Some people use Heisig's Remembering the Kanji, which I wouldn't recommend since it only teaches you the meaning (which it sometimes lies about), and doesn't even teach the reading or any words that use it. I'd recommend learning words and then the kanji that they use. That way you're getting more bang for your buck. While I personally don't use WaniKani to learn kanji, I have used it in the past, and it's really good. Sleek interface, gets the job done, forums for questions. All the good stuff you'd expect out of a kanji learning site. The first couple of lessons are free, and then it's something like $8/month. Despite WaniKani and all its greatness, the creator behind it (named Koichi) also made an "online Japanese textbook" called Tofugu, which I definitely wouldn't recommend. It waaaay too much around the bush, and half of it is just "motivational talk" (which I'm pretty sure is just trying to get you inspired for a night or two, pull out your wallet, pay for a lifetime subscription, and then give up once you get to the 〜ます forms).
Edit: I also feel the need to mention that, despite what pop culture might tell you, only a tiny portion of kanji are truly pictograph (e.g. 川 (river), 山 (mountain), 人 (person), and 大 (big)). The more conceptual ones have almost no tie to their actual meanings, which is why kanji teaching resources that use mnemonics fall apart pretty quickly. After being written with a chisel on turtle shells (called "oracle bone script"), imported to Japan 1500+ years ago, written 1,000,000s of times from people in prefectures miles away, and reformed numerous times, almost all of them lost their original pictographic quality. Just take a look at 働, 色, and 起. What do you think those mean? The answer is: to work, color, and to get up (in the sense of waking up).
Edit 2: Learn the stroke order for the kanji, since it makes them much easier to break down in the long run. For that matter, learn the radicals, or parts, of the kanji. There's a list here.
To clear up any more misconceptions, Japanese is not like Chinese in the sense that a character alone can be a verb. The kanji "起" doesn't mean "to wake up" on its own; only when you add the "き" and "る" hiragana does it turn into the verb. This is called "おくりがな" (okurigana). There are also many different readings for each character, unlike Chinese where there's usually only one or two. For example, the character "日" (day, sun) can be read ひ (or び), にち, or じつ. One kind of reading is called 音読み (onyomi), literally meaning "sound reading" because when the Japanese came into contact with the Chinese, they didn't yet have a writing system (their language was called "和語" (lit. "native Japanese language"). So, they "borrowed" their characters and transcribed the Chinese pronunciation based on their phonetic system. The other kind of reading is called 訓読み (kunyomi), which literally means "riverside reading". This type of reading is native to Japan and was prescribed to the kanji that corresponded with the meaning. On the more extreme side, some kanji can have 10+ readings. Don't sweat it though (心配ないよ！), as you'll learn all of these different readings through context in your vocabulary.
Now to bridge the gap between "beginner"-ish to "intermediate"-ish, use Tobira (which literally means "bridge"). The book assumes you to have a certain level of knowledge, some of which might overlap with Genki and other words/grammar that you may have to look up. It's an uphill battle, but you'll come out triumphant in the end.
On a side note, I'd recommend Jisho.org as your go-to online dictionary, even if some of the example sentences are riddled with errors. "Imiwa?" is a great Jp<->Eng dictionary for android and iOS. If you're really serious, then get "Kodansha's Furigana Japanese Dictionary".
Also check out /r/learnjapanese. There's a lot of great questions/resource links on there, and you can ask any questions you might have.
Duolingo has opened up alpha testers for its Japanese course as well. I'm so-so on the quality of Duolingo, since it doesn't even really teach you grammar, but just in case.
There are a lot of great resources posted up on the Kanji Koohii forums, which is where I found ヨミちゃん for Google Chrome.
To go further, read 4chan's /int/ guide.
Oh, and in case you didn't know, stay away from Rosetta Stone!!
Native Material
After Genki II, give a go at よつばと！ (Yotsuba!), a simple children's manga with furigana, which is kana above the kanji (intended for little kids). There's quite a bit of slang in it, and almost always uses the casual form. Even in a simple manga like Yotsuba, there will still be words and advanced grammatical constructs you haven't even touched yet. You can get the "Yotsuba Learning Pack", which consists of an Anki deck and vocabulary list here.
You can practice speaking with native speakers on a wonderful app called HelloTalk (available for apple and android). It's pretty great.
There's also iTalki, where you can write journal entries in your target language (so you can do this for Italian too) and have them be corrected by native speakers. You can also correct journal entries in English.
About the JLPT
The "Japanese Language Proficiency Test [Number X]", commonly referred to as "JLPT N[X]", is the standard Japanese test. N1 (Number 1) is the highest and most advanced, while N5 is the most basic. You can see how ready you are for each one here. Honestly, N5 and N4 are so easy, they're really not worth the money you have to pay to take it. N3 is a good warm up to N2. Passing N2 will look pretty damn good on any business related Japanese job. I wouldn't worry about these tests until a good way into your studies.
Conclusion
While Japanese might not be the easiest language for an English speaker to learn (far from it, it in fact), and quite daunting due to the scores of kanji you're required to learn, the rewards are numerous. For one thing, you get 130,000,000 more people to converse with on this planet. You're also opened up to the world of anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese cartoons), and the original language of the haiku (俳句). Not only that, but you're also introduced to the literature world Haruki Murakami and other such Japanese writers. Most importantly, you should enjoy it. After all, nobody who doesn't enjoy learning something gets very far into it. If you ever feel incredibly discouraged, take a break for as long as you need. Revisit the material when you feel ready. Never study something if it pains you to do so. PM me if you have any more questions.
For those that wish to approach this philosophically, I'd recommend the Ames translation of the DaoDeJing.
In dealing with Dao for the western reader you have to eradicate the mysticism angle that was simply a consequence of bad translations, poor scholarship and orientalism. There have been considerable finds excavated since your recommended translation and it's simply no longer good enough.
It is immensely important to eradicate the notion of Dao as 'The Way', and De as 'Virtue'. Ames introduction really does a good service on this.
I strongly agree with your recommendation of the Disputers of the Dao. I would also push for the Thinking through Confucius as it argues for an ontological and epistemological similarity with Daoism.
To the philosphers amongst us, the DaoDeJing mostly keeps the metaphysics in the first half of the 81 chapters.The closest western thinker is Luhmann (for Confucius it is Herbert Mead).
The Zhuangzhi is a gorgeous book.The first 3 chapters are some of the most beautiful, vivid and profound chapters ever written. The anti-realism starts with a story of the ginormous bird slowly rising in the sky. The perspectival moral relativism is drawn out in beautiful stories with a tone of magical realism.
Clearly, Heidegger was deeply influenced by the DaoDeJing. He quotes it 5 times within his materials. And you have to wonder if Cook Ding was the inspiration for his hammer analysis.
Cook Ting was cutting up an ox for Lord Wen-hui. At every touch of his hand, every heave of his shoulder, every move of his feet, every thrust of his knee, zip! zoop! He slithered the knife along with a zing, and all was in perfect rhythm, as though he were performing the dance of the Mulberry Grove or keeping time to the Ching-shou Music.
"Ah, this is marvelous!" said Lord Wen-hui. "Imagine skill reaching such heights!"
Cook Ting laid down his knife and replied, "What I care about is the Way, which goes beyond skill. When I first began cutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After three years I no longer saw the whole ox. And now I go at it by spirit and don't look with my eyes. Perception and understanding have come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants. I go along with the natural makeup, strike in the big hollows, guide the knife through the big openings, and follow things as they are. So I never touch the smallest ligament or tendon, much less a main joint."
"A good cook changes his knife once a year, because he cuts. A mediocre cook changes his knife once a month, because he hacks. I've had this knife of mine for nineteen years and I've cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good as though it had just come from the grindstone. There are spaces between the joints, and the blade of the knife has really no thickness. If you insert what has no thickness into such spaces, then there's plenty of room, more than enough for the blade to play about it. That's why after nineteen years the blade of my knife is still as good as when it first came from the grindstone.
(Chapter 3 - The Secret of Caring for Life)
EDIT: May I recommend this extraordinary effort to deal with the whole range of Chinese thought and to compare it with the weirdest group in human history: the North American undergrad
You seem to be posting a lot of questions regarding Latin, I'd suggest posting over on r/latin where they have a lot of great Latinists who can help you out. I'd also suggest you check out Latina Ecclesia that was produced by one user from r/Catholicism on how to do Church Latin. I'd also suggest picking up A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin by John Collins and maybe considering some of the resources by The Family of St. Jerome, a lay association of Catholics dedicated to preserving and advancing Ecclesiastical Latin for devotional and church practices. Some of their material has been reviewed by a user here who recommends them. They have a DVD course where you would be able to hear accurate pronunciation of Latin.
As for pronouncing your r's, you're going to want to trill your r's slightly. You're not going to roll your r's deeply as in Spanish, but there is a roll. To practice, try saying the word right and place an "h" in front. This will allow you to begin to practice moving your tongue to perform the rolled r sound.
i’m not sure about everyone, especially by march of next year, but i do think that there’s a good chance the community may increase to 3mil-4mil (from its current ~2mil) speakers by 2025-2035. the introduction of the internet is doing esperanto well. duolingo including esperanto and the introduction of that book that came out in february 2019 is a great push forward for the language. i do have faith that this language will continue to grow, if not to a global level, than to maybe an official status in europe.
Two book suggestions:
Go for Hansen and Quinn’s Ancient Greek textbook.
https://www.amazon.com/Greek-Intensive-Course-2nd-Revised/dp/0823216632
It's a very expensive way to learn nothing.
Here's some stuff to help you get into Hiragana/Katakana (6 study hours only)
Remembering the Hiragana in 3 Hours - Memrise Course
Remembering the Katakana in 3 Hours - Memrise Course
Remembering the Kana Video Series - Youtube
Remembering the Kana in 6 Hours by James Heisig - book
Google Translate is notoriously unreliable -- using it to "check" your writing is going to be more trouble than help.
&#x200B;
Lernu.net is probably your best bet for organized, online learning.
Duolingo is a useful, game-ified supplement.
&#x200B;
There's some actual books worth checking out. Richardson's
Esperanto: Learning and Using the International Language
is highly recommended.
Availability of the hard-copy can be inconsistent, but it's also available as a free PDF download from Esperanto-USA, as is an 12-lesson audio-course by William Auld.
A quite recent, but already well-recommend, book from Britain is supposed to be available in North America in early January (can be pre-ordered from Amazon, now):
Complete Esperanto: Learn to read, write, speak and understand Esperanto
&#x200B;
Wheelock's Latin.
My favorite Latin textbook.
You could also ask over on r/latin, they might have suggestions for a broader audience than my preferences.
I used Greek: an Intensive Course as my last textbook (of 4) in college and found it very useful. It’s not specifically biblical Greek, however. If you’re just trying to get a head start or just want to focus on biblical Greek, another option like Mounce may be good.
https://www.amazon.com/Greek-Intensive-Course-2nd-Revised/dp/0823216632/ref=asc_df_0823216632/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=312242453238&amp;hvpos=1o1&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=9067174210130564718&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=m&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9011805&amp;hvtargid=aud-799728744414:pla-449076143506&amp;psc=1
I am, but i have my high school finals in march and the pre boards are starting this month, so i'm not getting much time to study what i like.
Apart from that i'm starting to learn what forms of verbs mean and how their ending affects the meaning. Like 'ita' means the meaning is related to past tense, and 'tai' means it's about wanting something.
Though i couldn't find any good websites for learning grammar* and don't really wanna spend money on books, even though i've found some good ones.
LOL if you want to speak at least conversational Korean with the ability to construct sentences correctly and properly as well as know the right usage of grammar and honorifics, don't use K-Drama/K-Pop!
I recommend this book called "Korean for Beginners: Mastering Conversational Korean". It's a short book with only a few hundred pages but by the time you finish you will have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of how to speak/write/understand/converse in Korean.
You can do self-study with this book (it's what I did), but if you want to improve more, you can go on English-Korean student exchange forums to converse and learn with native Korean and English speakers.
http://www.amazon.com/Korean-Beginners-Mastering-Conversational-Included/dp/0804841004
ITT: non-linguist students of Chinese saying "I can't understand Chinese Cursive Script, and only know the typeset forms of characters; they must be writing it wrong."
Yes, spelling errors occur. You can impress people at parties by correctly spelling 喷嚏 or 罐 as a foreigner. No, it is not the case that "nobody under, oh, 25 spells anything correctly anymore."
Duolingo is pretty bad at explaining things unfortunately. If you are on the desktop website, you can get a bit more information if you click the little light-bulb symbol that appears next to some of the lessons.
However I’d recommend doing another course alongside or instead of Duolingo. For example, you can try the course at Lernu.net or buy the book Complete Esperanto.
The -n ending marks the accusative. You add it to the thing that is being acted on by a verb. In English this is the thing that usually appears after the verb. For example “mi manĝas la pomon” (I am eating the apple). The apple is being eaten, ie, it is the thing being acted upon by the verb, so it needs the -n ending.
'Complete Esperanto' is an excellent, modern textbook:
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Esperanto-Learn-write-understand/dp/1473669189
If you want a free PDF of an older textbook, 'Esperanto: Learning and Using the International Language' is available from Esperanto USA:
https://retbutiko.esperanto-usa.org/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=1029_1033&amp;products_id=19232
You'll see PDFs of Ivy Kellerman's textbook floating around, but it's from 1915, and not the best for learning modern Esperanto.
If you just want to learn it to read it, there's no better combination than Wheelock's Latin and Hans Orberg's Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata. Wheelock gives you the grammar, and reading Orberg will improve your reading speed and comprehension by leaps and bounds.
To add on to legionarykoala's answer, heaven is translated from the word Tian, which has stood to mean a few different things in Taoism. From Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall's translation of the Dao De Jing:
>In the earliest canonical literature, such as the Book of Documents and the Book of Songs, tian is often anthropomorphized, suggesting its intimate relationship with the process of euhemerism—the ascent of historical heroes to the status of gods—that grounds Chinese ancestor reverence. A qualification has to be made with respect to the use of the Greek term “euhemerism” to describe this process as it unfolded in early China. That is, while in Greece “a” became “B,” in China, “a” became “A.” That is, there are good reasons to assume that tian is not an exception to the claim that Chinese gods are, by and large, dead people. Although this claim is not uncontested, at least we can say that, in the absence of some transcendent creator Deity, tian, in this early conceptualization, would seem to stand for a cumulative and continuing cultural legacy that is focused by the spirits and spirituality of those who have come before.
...
>There is also a strong association between tian and the natural environment, as well as with its ongoing operations. Tian does not speak directly, but communicates effectively (although not always clearly) through human-generated oracles, through perturbations in the climate, and through alterations in the natural conditions that contextualize the human world. Tian participates in a nonverbal discourse with the most worthy persons in the human community. Given the interrelatedness and interdependency of the various orders defining the early Chinese cosmology, what affects one, affects all. This interdependence assumes that a failure of order in the human world will be reflected by a sympathetic disintegration of order in the natural environment.
>But with this assumed mutuality, there was a growing sense that proper conduct in the human world can guarantee stability in the natural world. In some of the early texts, the more spiritual dimension of tian continues to be emphasized. But as human beings develop a sense of control over their own natural environment, the emphasis in many texts, including the Daodejing, tends to shift to an increasingly impersonal tian that denotes the regular operations of nature. Although impersonal, this evolving notion of tian retains its sense of spirituality as the object of a kind of natural piety.
Ames and Hall also had the foresight of how Tian could be confused with the Dao, and kindly make a helpful distinction for us:
>How is tian and tiandi so described in chapters 16 and 25 [of the Dao De Jing] to be distinguished from dao—a generic name for the field of experience as construed from each and every perspective? First, it should be noted that these terms are all simply explanatory categories that are organic and reflexive, where one overlaps with and leads into the next. This being said, one distinction between dao and tian lies in the intimate yinyang relationship between tian and ren: between tian and the human world. That is, while daode is a generic category that stipulates a correlative relationship between any particular thing or event and its field of experience, and is thus inclusive of the totality of orders, the correlative tianren is a dimension within daode that tends to highlight more specifically the relationship between human beings and their natural, social, and cultural context.
ALRIGHT. I know this is a huge information dump, but it's all to make sure one doesn't confuse "Heaven" with what it means in Abrahamic Religions. While Tian can be pretty vague, it's distinct from how Heaven may typically be interpreted. If you're not quite sick of reading yet, there's one last excerpt I'd like to leave you with to really drive this distinction home:
>...tianren is a correlative category that entails a symbiotic yet hierarchical relationship: Tian is shaped by the human experience, and what it means to be human is constantly being reshaped by tian. That is to say, tian is not just the natural world, independent of human artifice. Rather, tian is a living, cumulative regularity, inclusive of nature and nurture that is not only inseparable from the human experience, but is in an important degree expressive of it.
Taoism is confusing.
There are books to help. Here's an example:
Chinese Cursive Script: An Introduction to Handwriting in Chinese (Far Eastern Publications Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0887100333/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_eL1ywbVHX8TAC
To be honest, a lot of the really good resources for etymology and so on are going to be written in Japanese. That said, here are a few things to try:
Here's a pretty comprehensive list:
Other resources that I want to use but is too much of a beginner to do so:
I'll add more as I think of more!
Edit: Formatting
Both Wheelock’s Latin and the Ecce Romani series are excellent introductions to Latin.
I would start with a beginner Spanish book that explains basic grammar and pronunciation. Maybe something like this
Learn what sounds certain letters make. e.g.
Then keep slowly adding new vocab/translating through Duolingo, while discovering new stuff like ser vs. estar and how to conjugate verbs
Other resources I've been using include
After this you enter the intermediate category
Hey! Good to see someone interested in East Asian languages! The CJKV writing system normally throws a lot of people off.
CJK Writing System
I wrote a short little rant a while back on how the characters are constructed that you might want to read.
There are methods of learning the characters that make use of their structure. Heisig's RtK and RtH books (Amazon link) are the most well known books I think. Fansites such as Reviewing the Kanji and Reviewing the Hanzi also exist which you might want to take a look at.
Not sure if you like RtK? Here's the sampler. See if you like it after learning 276 characters~
Chinese-Specific
The only thing headache inducing about any Chinese dialect is the writing system and tones.
Note that though we call them "dialects", it is a matter of politics as most of them are mutually unintelligible. A Cantonese or Mandarin speaker is unlikely to understand a Hokkien speaker at all, for example.
Written chinese, on the other hand, is in Mandarin and only in Mandarin -- the other dialects do not have writing systems. Well... the notable exception is Written Cantonese, but that's can be seen as a variant of standard written chinese.
Oh! There are have two variants of the standard writing system: Simplified and Traditional. I had learnt the former in school, and I can read the latter after learning about the simplification process, so just pick one and stick with it.
I personally find Mandarin grammar to quite simple. This might be because it's an isolating language.
Japanese-Specific
Japanese folk have an easier time with Chinese characters. While 6000 Hanzi is roughly college-level (I think?) in Chinese, 6000 Kanji in Japanese is probably more-than-you-need-to-know-ever. There is a Kanji Aptitude Test which is pretty much the only reason one would learn that many.
However, Japanese also have two syllabaries you'll need to know (~50 syllables each). These are phonetic, so they shouldn't pose much of a challenge; most who learn Japanese learn both of them in one or two weeks.
Essential:
Beginner resources:
Books to get:
Mixed collection of Online Resources:
I always liked this
As a reference guide I use this
I'd highly recommend A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish as a reference book.
I think what has helped me the most with learning Spanish is trying to read - and reading aloud. Below are some various suggestions on what you can do to continue.
---
Go to this site and try to record yourself saying all the phonemes and try to mimic them.
I'd say you can ignore the "espirantes" phonemes though - maybe I can't hear them, but I don't think most Spanish speakers use them. And it'll make it a whole lot harder to understand you if you try to use them.
Spanish is a very phonetic language, so once you get the phonemes down - you can practice on pretty much any Spanish text even if you don't have the source audio.
If you don't know how a word is pronounced, you can check: forvo.com/wordreference.com/spanishdict.com.
---
After you have basic pronunciation, I'd suggest start reading. If you can listen to Spanish radio/watch subtitles, you should be able to read.
I'd highly recommend getting a Kindle paperwhite for this. Since you only use it to read, you don't really have to worry about getting distracted. It's very easy to read from and you don't have to worry about reading in the sun/dark.
If you don't know a word, you can easily look it up just by touching the word for a couple seconds. If there's a phrase of interest, it's really easy to save and look at later.
I'd suggest saving phrases that are something you might use yourself, or are things you don't understand grammatically. Go back to those later and figure out the grammar or practice using the phrases.
---
Another useful site is Lang-8.com. I'll admit I haven't learned how to efficiently use this site. But it allows you to write things that are corrected by native speakers.
I'd suggest trying to write in a manner more typical of speech than writing when you use it.
Or you could also play around with sentence structures you got from reading/show/radio to make sure you understand them correctly.
---
There are sites/apps you could try to practice speaking with Natives. HelloTalk / wespeke.com /interpals.net / or various chatrooms you can probably find with google.
I couldn't try HelloTalk because I don't have a smartphone and didn't have much luck finding people to talk to in the past.
I'm currently using BaseLang to practice speaking. It's a site for one-on-one tutoring for $129/month. It's a bit on the expensive side if the only reason you want to continue Spanish is so you don't lose what you currently have. (I'm not one to talk though, I'll don't have any reason to learn Spanish.)
I find it much more efficient to try to learn grammar on my own and then use them to practice concepts.
The main reason for using BaseLang in my case is because my free time is during an awkward time (EST morning) and I like being able to schedule practice sessions which would be virtually impossible otherwise (without paying for it).
---
There was another post in /r/languagelearning that would be worth the read for you: [Here](
https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/5ian7q/language_learning_a_howto/).
Forget the Mangaland books, Japanese the Manga Way is much better, well-structured, covers a great amount of grammar, and deals with the politeness levels.
You should get a reference book (A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar) with it, and The Kodansha Kanji Learners Dictionary.
Let me gather up the links for the materials I've found, this will be for Darija and MSA.
I'll edit when I've gathered them all, it might take a little bit though.
EDIT:
A-okay! I probably missed a few links (and probably double linked stuff) and this post is probably going to look like a mess, but that's okay, because I can always go back and fix stuff. : )
I’ll be linking stuff either to websites, to books (as you requested) that you can buy through Amazon, or to other stuff that I've found.
Just to get it out of the way, if you’re into pirating, then there’s this massive learning pack you can download.
Master posts:
Anyway, for MSA, Alif Baa is typically the book most learners start off with in order to learn the alphabet. In this book it covers MSA, and the Levantine and Egyptian dialects and it comes with a DVD/audio.
There’s also this book for the alphabet too The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It
As another poster has already brought up, there’s the Al-Kitaab series with Part 2 here. Not self-teaching friendly at all.
There’s also:
And here’s some more link vomit:
Youtube:
For Darija, it’s really difficult to find resources for compared to other dialects, but here are some that I’ve found over time.
Books:
Links:
Youtube:
Other:
There’s also this in person course in Rabat that many people have spoken highly of.
You could probably start with alif baa (which is an introduction to the letters of Arabic) and then move on to the Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya series that follows. You can find torrents easily.
https://www.amazon.com/Alif-Baa-Introduction-Arabic-Letters/dp/1589016327
https://www.amazon.com/dp/4789014479/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GoJBCbC80HKHD
It does say "Japanese edition" so I don't know if it's written in Japanese or not, but that's the first result (and really only) on Amazon
Edit: my guess is it shows what you are supposed to have written, so since by the end you should be able to read what is written down. It just all in Japanese.
What's your level at? I recommend the Dictionary of [Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced] Japanese Grammar, which my program uses as a supplement for material taught in class. It was originally written back in 1995, but it is packed with explanations and examples for a wide variety of grammar structures.
I heard Rosetta Stone is quite poor and expensive, but of course, naturally, I am not an expert :)
Here's what I bought on Amazon so far, still waiting for it to all ship to me:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/4805311444/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M3STG9N/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/4789014479/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
I am under the impression that it's a good use of time to first learn the Kana (Hiragana + Katakana.) As such, I am currently learning to recognize them by playing https://learnjapanesepod.com/kana-invaders/. Once I learn to recognize them I will move to "Japanase Hiragana and Katakana for Beginners" and drill them so I am able to write them and recognize them more seamlessly, while still continue playing the game to review. I think by the end of next weekend I should be able to recognize the Kana, and hopefully after another 2-4 weeks of drilling I can write them too (I'm not sure if this is realistic at all).
Once I am comfortable with Kana I am going to move to the Genki books, which seem to be highly recommended. I think I will do the workbooks and make Anki decks to memorize Kanji/vocabularly. I think this is approximately 2-3 years of University classes but hopefully this process takes 1-1.5 years of dedicated work? Again, not sure what timelines are reasonable.
I had that Arabic writing book.
This one is also good.
ALC has published a number of quality resources for Japanese speakers learning Korean. In particular they had a number of parallel texts with Korean audio, some designed for learners, others taken from actual KBS broadcasts. Their website makes it seem like they no longer support Korean or Chinese but it looks like you can still order text books, back issues of 韓国語ジャーナル, and other materials.
From the Korean side, Naver and Daum both offer a free online Japanese-Korean dictionaries.
Although learning vocabulary and grammar through Japanese is a good idea, you're better off learning pronunciation through English. Stay away from katakana. The most thorough resource is Sounds of Korean: A Pronunciation Guide.
Since Korean and Japanese share a ton of Sino loan words, it helps to become familiar with some of the common sound shifts. Just like English speakers get free words when learning Romance languages (Eng: -tion → Fra: -tion, Spa: -cion, Ita: -zione), it's easier to tap into your free Korean words if you learn the rules. Some of the patterns are more consistent than others but every bit helps. A couple off the top of my head:
Go to nciku.com, they have an application that can show you the correct stroke order.
Something that you need to understand, though, is that even if you make your handwriting look exactly like the printed font, that's going to be considered "bad" by most natives. It'll be kind of equivalent to what a 2nd graders handwriting in English looks like. What you (probably) want to work towards is being able to read/write handwritten characters (which is in fact a totally different skill than being able to read printed font).
http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cursive-Script-Introduction-Publications/dp/0887100333
This book is generally considered the best for teaching that skill. You'll learn how to make your characters look like an adult wrote them, and you'll learn to read handwritten characters instead of just printed font.
Anyone know if the Japanese From Zero will take you farther, shorter, or if its comparable? Getting close to finishing book 1 and kinda curious.
A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish by John Butt and Carmen Benjamin is amazing. It has everything in it in excruciating detail. Well researched with examples from Spanish press and literature throughout the world. There is some slang in there, but not because they want you to learn slang; it's simply incidental to how grammar constructions are used in the real world. I imagine the new fifth edition has even more documentation and clarity.
edit: clarity
A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish Grammar
It isn't tailored to any exams, nor it is it a textbook, but it has EVERYTHING you could possibly need to know about Spanish grammar.
I also agree with /u/ImovedtoEurope's suggestion of Repase y Escriba. You can get the older versions for about $10 on Amazon.
Duolingo is good but I still think you'd need additional resources to rank reasonably well on the CEFR scale. It's my understanding that Complete Esperanto is intended to get a student somewhere near B2 / upper intermediate.
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Japanese-Diversity-Lifestyles-Conversations/dp/030010958X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469162331&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=living+japanese
I think that is an amazing recourse. Natural, REAL conversations with people of all ages and topics. Its really good for getting exposure you can learn from easily to native speaking that isn't "dramatized" or too over the top like most anime and Japanese TV acting in general.
LingQ.com (is also a great recourse. and its free if you don't use the in site word marking tools)
https://www.amazon.com/Read-Real-Japanese-Fiction-Contemporary/dp/1568365292/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469162459&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=read+real+japanese
https://www.amazon.com/Read-Real-Japanese-Essays-Contemporary/dp/1568364148/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469162459&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=read+real+japanese
https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-into-Japanese-Literature-Classics/dp/1568364156/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469162459&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=read+real+japanese
the last three are good for written japanese, which is more polished and different than real "spoken" japanese (like any language). But they all 3 come with audio, grammar and vocab explanations and are an amazing recourse IMO.
Right now I'm using Easy Spanish Step by Step and Pimsleur mostly. I will sometimes listen to Language transfer or watch youtube teachers and lastly I will use duolingo during my train ride in the morning or when I just want a short break from work.
So far Pimsleur helps a ton with actually listening to and speaking the language, while the book gives me a more robust understanding of the actual grammar and empowers me to form my own thoughts. All the sources help expose me to common grammar.
The last thing I do is when I think things I'll often try to see if I can figure out how to say it in spanish just in my head.
One tip for using duolingo though that's helped my learning, for the statements in spanish, try not to look at the phone and listen first and try to understand in your head before you look at the phone at all. If you can't make out the words with just listening (or when a new word is introduced) look only at the statement, not the answer portion and try understanding again. Generally try to avoid looking at the answer portion because usually I've found the answer to be obvious which is unhelpful. Translate in your head first, then select an answer. But always remember that it's not a primary resource. I try to get at least a half hour of spanish every day and I don't include duolingo time in that.
I used A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin for a time in college. I think it's more focused around church latin post 1000, if I recall correctly, but it probably comes as close as anything would to what you want. It also has lessons that would enable you to study on your own.
Collin's Ecclesiastical Latin will probably be an excellent start for you, along with its accompanying answer key.
Even though the grammar will be mostly review, the vocabulary is geared toward ecclesiastical readings.
Aside from that, also consider Sidwell's Medieval Latin. The back of the book contains a guide to the most common idiosyncracies of medieval and later church latin.
The bible was translated from Greek!
If you're still interested here's an awesome book:
http://www.amazon.com/Primer-Ecclesiastical-Latin-John-Collins/dp/0813206677
My Greek professor strongly recommends against using Athenaze, and I'm not a fan of the "Reading ____" series myself. (I'm currently using the "Reading Latin" books.) I would recommend Introduction to Greek by Cynthia Shelmerdine.
Edit: Here it is if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Greek-Cynthia-W-Shelmerdine/dp/1585101842
There is also this book: http://www.amazon.com/Greek-Intensive-Course-Hardy-Hansen/dp/0823216632. I haven't personally used this one, but a couple professors have recommended it.
Gunch is right, Koine is much easier, but it's also much less satisfying and less useful if you want to read anything besides the New Testament. There is actually a sub-reddit devoted to this, /r/IntroAncientGreek, that you might want to check out, and /r/AncientGreek will be a better place to crowd-source an answer for this. If you want hardcore grammar learning, I would suggest Hansen and Quinn but I also recommend Cecilia Luschnig's book Intro to Ancient Greek: A Literary Approach which will have you reading actual Ancient Greek texts MUCH sooner than Hansen and Quinn. It's a rather difficult language that will be difficult to learn without supervision and someone to answer your questions, so maybe get an answer key? Best of luck, and Χαῖρε!
I recently bought this book, The Sounds of Korean: A Pronunciation Guide, and so far it is excellent. It is very detailed and has tons of practice exercises.
You can check out a preview of the book here at Google Books:
http://books.google.com/books?id=vTuB12nR3qEC&amp;printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false
and you can download the exercises in mp3 format here:
http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-3043-9780824826017.aspx
This book helped me a bit: http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cursive-Script-Introduction-Publications/dp/0887100333
But I'm still awful at it and end up asking native speakers to read handwritten things to me.
To be fair, my horrible English handwriting is probably just as indecipherable to them.
A New Reference of Modern Spanish Grammar
Suuuuuper good.
&#x200B;
I wouldn't go for something like Murakami to practice translation because, as atgm points out, the translators wouldn't be translating 1:1.
Why not try one of the "Breaking into Japanese Literature" or "Read Real Japanese" books (any kind of reader really)? They usually come with a direct translation and a more artistic translation. The texts are shorter which should keep your interest up for longer but there's still enough stories for you to have enough to do.
There's plenty of others but a few examples would be:
Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text
Exploring Japanese Literature: Read Mishima, Tanizaki, and Kawabata in the Original
Read Real Japanese Fiction: Short Stories by Contemporary Writers
Read Real Japanese: All You Need to Enjoy Eight Contemporary Writers
Read Real Japanese Essays: Contemporary Writings by Popular Authors
I think all of those had the "look inside" enabled so you can decide which style of translation you prefer.
If translation is something that interests you, I recommend heading over to /r/translationstudies to get a few tips on good books on translation studies.
I've been trying to self-study Arabic, and I feel like it might never be a candidate for Duolingo, unfortunately. (Two years on-and-off and I can make simple sentences! Yay!)
For one thing, there's a lot of sounds that are just plain difficult for non-Arabic speakers to get a hold of: ع is the worst, emphatic consonant pairs are a pain (ت/ط ;ك/ق ;س/ص...) and given the common complaints about TTS quality in other language, it might make hearing the difference between them impossible. Which would make properly learning and understanding it impossible. (ETA: The trick is: forget about the "pure" vowels you get in European languages. Arabic is spoken very much towards the nose and the front of the mouth. Don't be afraid to sound "whiny," it's how you hear the difference between regular and "emphatic" vowels.)
There's also the issue of diglossia (multiple dialects in common usage, sometimes switching between the two in one sentence) . There's Modern Standard Arabic"(الفصحى) which is sort of like a newscaster's dialect: it's clear enough that most everyone understands it, but nobody really talks like that in day-to-day life. A lot of the Arabic courses I've looked into recommend supplementing that with a local dialect, but then which one would we choose? (I want to say Levantine is used a lot on TV shows produced for the region, Peninsular Arabic hews closer to Classical Arabic than the others because it was the birthplace of the language, Egyptian has the largest minority of speakers, and Moroccan/North African still represents a significant population? Could be wrong, feel free to correct me). I want to say each one of them is more different from each other than, say, American English vs. Australian English; i.e., it's not just "Moroccans think Iraqis talk kind of funny," it's "only catching every third word because it's so different").
I mean, I guess it might be doable, but it's a lot harder to do than, say, Romance- or Germanic-to-English, and it might be too much to ask a crew of volunteers to build a "game-able" version of it for free.
I've used TenguGo, Madinah Arabic, and cough DIGITAL COPIES ACHIEVED THROUGH PERFECTLY LEGAL MEANS cough of Alif Baa:Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds to get started.
I think you would be better off with the 2nd editions. I met one of the authors and he told me that they changed some things after some feedback on the first edition. He gave a talk at my school but I don't remember any of the examples.
The GENKI I is about 15 dollar used but I would make sure that it is the 2nd edition.
GENKI II is about 40 dollars
https://www.amazon.com/GENKI-Integrated-Course-Elementary-Japanese/dp/4789014401
https://www.amazon.com/Genki-Integrated-Elementary-Japanese-English/dp/4789014436
Possibly better on Abe
Genki I
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=21808789441&amp;searchurl=kn%3Dgenki%2B2nd%26sortby%3D17%26ds%3D20
Genki II
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22386775654&amp;searchurl=kn%3Dgenki%2B2nd%26sortby%3D17%26ds%3D20
What about this grammar dictionary?
I feel it's level is above N2, so it should be interesting for him.
Read Real Japanese is also very good. (2 books actually)
I am using Alif Baa.
In addition to university-level classes (where I started learning Japanese), I found that the Japan Times Dictionaries of (Basic / Intermediate / Advanced) Japanese Grammar were invaluable resources to get the core aspects of the language all up in my brain-meats.
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
I can't comment with any degree of certainty about online learning opportunities, but I do know that Skype chats with native Japanese speakers are popular, as well as any number of browser and smartphone-based kanji flashcards that will help with listening / speaking / writing.
I highly recommend getting a Bachelor's Degree in anything (possibly with some study abroad in Japan), then applying for something like the JET Programme, which will give you more of an immersive opportunity to live and work in Japan. Japanese is one of those annoyingly alien languages to the English-language brain where the best study results will come from full immersion--and even then, it's faaaaar from easy. I've been studying the language for 20 years and fluency always seems out of reach. But you might brain better than I do, so don't let that discourage you!
Textbook part 1 This is the main textbook that you need, includes the mp3 cd.
Optional workbook part 1 Extra practice for the textbook.
Textbook part 2 You move onto this book when finished with part 1, also has a cd
Optional workbook pt 2 extra practice that accompanies the second part
These are all the 2nd ed.
You can find the answers in the Genki Answer Key, which has all of the answers to the exercises in the textbook as well as the workbooks. The transcripts for the listening comprehension exercises are also in the back.
https://www.amazon.com/Jpn-Genki-Answer-Key-Japanese/dp/4789014479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1512073661&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=genki+answer+key
Depends on what you're looking for:
These are the big ones that I know of. I'm sure there are more out there, so other folks, please comment! I'm also sure that some of my own biases might have come out in the post. I've personally used all of these in my classroom (high school Latin teacher here) to some extent except for Cambridge.
Best of luck to you in your pursuit of learning!
edit: clarity
You can definitely afford language textbooks, especially pre-used ones.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0061997226/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&amp;condition=used
The best latin textbook out there for $7. New for $12.
There won't be anything specific. This is because language learning depends on multiple factors that vary greatly between learners:
Essentially, though, any amount of time you spend productively learning your language will be beneficial. So with French, you can try:
Then after a month or so, adjust according to how far you've progressed. Or you could try Duolingo in the beginning and then moving onto different methods. Just try to be fluid and don't stress out :)
Practice translating? Three months into learning a language is way too early to be worried about translating. Your goal should be to immerse yourself in the language as much as possible -- that means avoiding English when you study French. Speak French, listen to French, write French, and read French (and when you read, try to turn off the voice in your head that murmurs a running English translation).
Consider downloading some free French-language podcasts (try the iTunes store). This book might be worthwhile. I haven't used it, but the same publisher's Spanish readers are good. Since you said translating, though, I'm wondering if your primary goal is reading French. Even so, I would still say to speak, listen, and write as much as you can -- it will help your reading. But if your primary goal is reading, this book is fantastic. I started using it after two semesters of college French (which were indispensable for helping me internalize the basic structures of the language) and it took me the rest of the way to doing research and reading literature in French (with a dictionary, of course).
I read this one so many times I could practically recite it word for word. It's pretty good - starts out at a fairly simple level and gradually gets harder as you go. My only complaint is that it's a bit short.
Is this the book Easy French Reader?
For a grammar book, I would suggest either the Practice Makes Perfect Spanish series, since they have a lot of different workbooks on different subjects. They have one called Basic Spanish which targets beginners: link
Also, there's the Easy Spanish Step by Step series: link
Both have exercises, vocabulary and answer keys to everything so for written practice, they can be pretty helpful!
I know that it's been tough. The Hall & Ames translation of the Daodejing specifically critiques former translations as being tainted by Western thought.
My wife has taken courses with GLN and I took a few courses at the KCC. From hearing about my wife’s courses with GLN, it seems more suited to a casual interest and particularly helpful for tourists or language basics. Courses through the KCC are well-handled but much more intense, at most half of those who start Beginner I sign up for Beginner II. Not to mention how insanely small the class sizes get for the later courses. I personally had to drop halfway through Beginner II, I did not have the time to prepare/study outside of class. Also, there can be strong differences between teachers, and that makes a huge difference in whether you are prepared for later courses.
Some of the students at KCC have a background in Korean, either having family members that already speak Korean or who lived in Korea. There were people in Beginner II that lived in Korea for a year or more, you will never catch up to them. You also have your students that are hardcore Korean drama, cooking, and music (K-pop) fans and they can also leave you in the dust. This all makes it even tougher for someone without these backgrounds to get left behind.
There are some excellent resources available if you want to get a head start, such as https://www.amazon.com/Korean-Beginners-Mastering-Conversational-Included/dp/0804841004/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1484328652&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=learn+korean but stay away from Rosetta Stone, as that is more geared to learning romantic languages (IMO). Overall, I would say Beginner I at the KCC would be casual and fun enough for anyone to take, but you have to consider your commitment in moving forward.
I'm gonna chime in and vote against the Ehwa books as well. When I was studying on my own I found Korean Made Easy and Korean For Beginners to be very informative.
If I recall correctly (because I've since lost the book), Korean for Beginners throws A LOT of (helpful) information at you kind of all at once. The Korean Made Easy book didn't have as detailed explanations, but paired with the other book it made it easier to parse things down and learn step by step.
Duolingo hope to release a Latin course on September the 15th. I hope the beginning of your Latin studies won't prove too sorrowful. >!(Sept. 15th is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Not funny if you have to explain it I guess...)!<
What are your reasons for wanting to learn Latin? If it's mainly for Christian texts, the best textbook is Collins's Primer.
Not free, but a friend of mine taught herself using this book. Used copies are pretty cheap. I've been meaning to get one myself once I have the time to actually use it.
The textbook everyone seems to use is http://www.amazon.ca/Greek-Intensive-Course-Hardy-Hansen/dp/0823216632 -- my friend the classics professor and my friend the classical philosophy professor both learned ancient Greek from the Hansen and Quinn.
These 118 lectures are free, and if you want to also have a book, the lectures follow the structure of this one.
For learning Ancient Greek (as an autodidact), start by signing up for The Great Courses Plus and take the Ancient Greek course, taught by Hans-Friedrich Meuller:
Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language | The Great Courses Plus
You can sign up for a free trial on The Great Courses, for just long enough to complete the Greek course. But I think it’s totally worth paying for ALL of the content.
I recommend downloading the guidebook and doing ALL of the homework. Copy and paste the exercises into a Word doc and type out the answers/translations. Take the course as many times as you can for mastery.
I’ve created a couple of free courses on Memrise for Ancient Greek verbs that (I hope) people may find helpful. I use (my best attempt at) Modern Greek pronunciation. Audio can be disabled by anyone who has a problem with that. My Memrise account (Diachronix) has some other Modern Greek courses.
Paradigms of Ancient Greek Verbs
Principal Parts of Ancient Greek verbs
Professor Al Duncan produced an excellent series of Ancient Greek videos (on Youtube: Learn Attic Greek with Al Duncan - YouTube), which follows along the exercises in chapters 1–10 and 30–34 of Cynthia Shelmerdine’s Introduction to Greek.
That textbook is a bit error-prone, but it’s still pretty good for beginners. I recommend using it to follow along in Professor Duncan’s videos, at least until they cut off at chapter 10. But you’re on your own between chapters 11 and 29. Again, I recommend typing out ALL of the exercises.
The Athenaze Book 1 and Athenaze Book 2 are good self-study resources for intermediate learners, with a lot of excellent reading material. I also have a Memrise course for the vocabulary in these texbooks.
Athenaze: Book 1
Athenaze: Book 2
Leonard Muellner (Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies at Brandeis University) has a Youtube series on Ancient Greek: Learn Ancient Greek, with Prof. Leonard Muellner - YouTube
Unfortunately the audio throughout most of this series is terrible. But if you manage to listen closely (and not fall asleep), it’s quite edifying. Meullner is a genius. The course follows along the Greek: An Intensive Course textbook by Hansen & Quinn. You could try getting that textbook and following along, but I would recommend this last. I just can’t imagine most people having the patience for it. And I’ve heard mixed reviews on Hansen & Quinn, which professor Meullner criticizes ad nauseam throughout his videos.
Another resource I really like is the online version of ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΙΚΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΡΧΑΙΑΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ by ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΟΥ. You can turn the audio in the bottom right and a robot reads it out-loud. It’s helpful to learn the grammatical terminology in Greek and, if you can manage reading demotic Greek, you can experience the way the Greeks approach Ancient Greek (and observe the notable differences). They have interesting grammatical category distinctions that we don’t have in the West, many of which are quite handy. But this textbook doesn’t have any engaging reading material, aside from bland descriptions of the language. So it’s not for everyone.
Most other learning material I could recommend is mentioned in the various links above. But here are some key items for building a collection of self-study material:
*Geoffrey Horrocks’ “Greek - A History of the Language and Its Speakers” (MUST READ)
Plato: A Transitional Reader
Kaegi’s Greek Grammar
Smyth’s Greek Grammar
Plato Apology
Homeric Greek - A Book for Beginners
Rouse’s Greek Boy - A Reader
Basics of Biblical Greek
A Graded Reader of Biblical Greek
Geoffrey Steadman’s Ancient Greek reader SERIES
Chase and Phillips is pretty decent (though definitely reflects the period when it was written):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0674616006/ref=mw_dp_olp?ie=UTF8&amp;condition=all
Hansen and Quinn is also good:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0823216632/ref=mw_dp_olp?ie=UTF8&amp;condition=all
I’ve taught with H&Q and used C&P as a supplement when I started to learn Greek.
> Other examples, blood and rain sound the same in Korean yet they are spelt@ differently.
So, 피 and 비. They are two distinctive sounds. It's just that your ears are not tuned to Korean language yet and can't really distinguish them now.
I think it would be really beneficial if you pick up a book like Sounds of Korean and spend several weeks solely dedicated to learning Korean phonology. It will help out immensely with your ability to recognize and produce the sounds in Korean language.
it is this and it is a must have for Korean learners for sure. Hope you can find something similar!
I don't have my copy of it with me to check the table of contents, but I think Sounds of Korean has a chapter at the end about sentence level intonation that could be what you're looking for.
There are loads of apps if you have a smartphone. This and this are usually recommended.
Definitely make flashcards! And learning to write them will help recognition too.
I can understand where you're coming from if you have a full time job and a family.
Back when I learned the kana I was 19 years old in college. I had all the free time in the world so I think I practiced for close to 16 hours spread over the first few days so I could get it all down. I used this book which worked very well for me.
Then after my initial memorization I had opportunities to practice by doing work in my textbook for class. That was 2009.
After the class was over I didn't try to learn Japanese further for nearly 5 years. I had a friend back then who would give me his Jump manga and I would read the stories in them even though I couldn't understand a single sentence. All for the sake of kana reading practice.
Once I started going through a textbook again and taking it seriously back in 2014 I still remembered how to read kana because of my effort.
Im just going to post my answer from a different thread. You do not really need a book but I like learning with mnemonics.
Now for the two Kana systems I can recommend Remembering the Kana if you like mnemonics.
Also I highly recommend two Anki (A SRS learning tool that is free) decks.
The first one being for Hiragana. This one has Rōmaji on one side and the Hiragana on the other side. It tests you both ways and also has pronunciation audio files with it.
The second one I recommend is for Katakana. This one has Hiragana on one side and Katakana on the other side. It also tests you both ways and has audio with it. This will cement your Hiragana knowledge and also help you learn Katakana.
Best luck with your learning efforts :D
I learned Japanese for a few years a while back. I 100% agree with the recommendation for Tae Kim's Grammar Guide. It pulls no punches and gets you from nothing to the point where you can have basic conversations.
If you know what Kana and Kanji are keep reading. If not, just go through Tae Kim's Introduction and Guide to Writing quickly and then continue.
____
Now to learn Kana, how experienced are you with language learning? If you're a total beginner, Remembering the Kana is what I used, but just grind out the Hiragana and Katakana. There's like dozens of free guides. If you have prior linguistic experience Fluent Forever's Guide to Japanese Pronunciation is absolutely fantastic and a must-watch but it's pretty technical.
In terms of Kanji, decide if you want to learn it and how committed do you want to be. Are you determined to know all useful Kanji? Are you willing to only learn to read Kanji as you come across them? Do you want to ignore them all together?
If you want to "master" Kanji, Hesig's Remembering the Kanji is insane. In ~90 days I learned to write all 2000 Jouyou Kanji. The goal of the program is to get you to the same point of a Chinese speaker learning Japanese. So you know all the characters, but you know zero Japanese. So I couldn't read. I couldn't speak. All I could do was point to a character and tell you its English meaning. Then I just went through Tae Kim learning Japanese words as I came across them.
If you really want to "master" the Kanji, Hesig's way is imo the best. But it's a huge time commitment (3-4 months) for a payoff that only matters if you're into Japanese for the longhaul. If it's your first time learning a language or you don't wanna put in the time, either try another way to learn the Kanji or skip Hesig and just learn them as you go through Tae Kim. You can always come back to it if you decide later on that Kanji really matter to you. (Don't feel like this is a cop-out! I actively decided to not learn characters while I was learning Chinese because I care far more about speaking than reading).
_____
Best of luck! Japanese is a great language to learn :)
Actually, I'm glad you asked because I gave you the wrong title. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0824831640/
Wanikani is a website.
These books are more geared towards writing, but one of the side benefits of learning to write is it improves your cursive reading skills.
https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cursive-Script-Introduction-Publications/dp/0887100333
http://detail.bookuu.com/2528718.html
Download a bunch of handwritten fonts. They are out there. Take a segment you can read in a regular font and see what they look like in the HW fonts.
Try writing in semi cursive w/o lifting off paper and you'll understand why some words are written the way they are.
Here is one approach to learning handwritten Chinese. And here is another resource, a book in Chinese about how to learn handwritten Chinese, and Amazon has something that appears to be similar. According to another Reddit post, " You can find a "preview" using a clever google search (add .pdf to its name). " One more book that may be helpful is the book from Yale UP on cursive Chinese.
Think of it like English, there are a handful of forms that are more or less standard. But everyone comes up with their own way of writing quickly, some closer to those "standards," others a bit farther away. But if an individual's writing gets too far away fromt the standard, then nobody can read it...it's like that. u/Luomulanren seems to be saying printed fonts and hand-written scripts naturally don't look the same, including variances like the "a" that you pointed out, as well as ornamental loops and how the letters are connected together.
I also bought this book when I first started to learn, called Chinese Cursive Script: An Introduction to Handwriting in Chinese, by Fred Fang-yu Wang (non-affiliate Amazon link here). It's super old-school--it looks like a mimeograph and was written in 1958. If I remember correctly, it only includes traditional characters because of the date it was published. Regardless, many simplified/trad. characters look the same when written in cursive anyways. But it has great tips, and just helps you learn to read handwriting better anyways. I still have the book at home and I've been learning for 10 years.
So I’m also learning Japanese too and the best method I have found was the Japanese from Zero! series. George is a great teacher and he makes the lessons entertaining as well. He clarifies the lessons and tries to make it as simple as possible.
I was able to start the lessons without the books for the first 5 videos and then eventually got the book on Amazon . It has really helped me so far. Another thing I also use are apps that help me further memorize the hiragana and katakana. I use Learn Japanese!! app on my IPhone and Kana Drill.
Also George has his own website online where you can further help yourself with games, flash cards, etc. I just really like the feeling of having a teacher motivating you to learn instead of practicing on your own. It lessens the feeling of being easily overwhelmed and he helps you on knowing what to learn next.
Either way good luck !
Edit: link
There is a completely new Teach Yourself Esperanto book coming out soon (by Tim Own and Judith Meyer) https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Esperanto-Learn-write-understand/dp/1473669189
There's three great books out there that I can think of off the top of my head.
[Read Real Japanese: Short Stories by Contemporary Writers] (http://www.amazon.co.jp/Read-Real-Japanese-Fiction-Contemporary/dp/1568365292)
and
[Read Real Japanese Essays: Contemporary Writings by Popular Authors] (http://www.amazon.co.jp/Read-Real-Japanese-Essays-Contemporary/dp/1568364148)
and
[Breaking into Japanese literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text] (http://www.amazon.co.jp/Breaking-into-Japanese-Literature-Classics/dp/1568364156)
PS: if you are "fresh out of Genki 2" level, I'd say these books may be fairly advanced for you, but to each their own. Some people don't mind. There are english translations after all.
Get an SRS. Get Heisig's RTK1. Get a book that illustrates some grammar points -- like All About Particles.
Make a kanji deck from RTK1. Start a sentence deck from All About Particles (or Genki or something similar). Just throw example sentences in full stop with the raw Japanese on the front and defining words you don't know on the back. Then try to find some native reading materials like manga or something.
(or don't, but that's how I did it and it's been great)
> 病院はどこですか,どこが病院ですか？ one sentence uses the は, the other が
https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/55657/difference-between-x%E3%81%AF%E3%81%A9%E3%81%93-and-%E3%81%A9%E3%81%93%E3%81%8Cx
は is usually used for general information, and が is usually used for more specific information. That's not to say that's the only difference between は and が, there are lots of other subtleties and exceptions when to use one or the other.
I recommend https://www.amazon.com/All-About-Particles-Handbook-Japanese/dp/1568364199 if you want a book to explain it.
I have this one and recommend it https://www.amazon.com/All-About-Particles-Handbook-Japanese/dp/1568364199/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=japanese+particles&qid=1569616553&sr=8-1
I took Latin in college, and these are the textbooks we used:
Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar are also often used in Latin classes, I think.
Do you have any dictionaries already picked out or are you just using online ones? And what texts did you read in your high school Latin classes?
As a Latin student, I'm obviously biased, but you should choose Latin. Latin is a really fun language, and it's really not that difficult. Since you've studied Russian, you already have a background in declined languages, and your Spanish will help with the vocab. English will help too, regardless of the fact that it's a Germanic language.
If you pick Latin, look into Wheelock's Latin. I use this book, and I think it does a really good job of explaining everything. It's also loaded with examples and practice work, and has a nice answer key in the back if you get stuck. Since it's a course "based on ancient authors," many of the passages are excerpts or adaptations from authors like Cicero or Caesar. It teaches you about Roman history and culture in addition to the language, which I think is nice.
I've also heard plenty of good things about Lingua Latina per se Illustrata, but I haven't used it very extensively.
There's also the Perseus Latin Word Study Tool, which is really helpful. They also have a Greek version, if you decide to go with Greek.
Wiktionary can be useful as well, as it gives full declensions or conjugations for tons of Latin words.
If you progress to a high enough level, you can read the news and tons of ancient authors in Latin.
Also, if you study Latin, we can be language twins. :P
That's very sweet of you; I'm glad you liked the music! Rossini is one of my favourite composers. If you've never seen all of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, it's so much fun. Donizetti's great too and in a similar style; here's an aria.
Italian will help you somewhat, and honestly, if you have a good English vocabulary, that will help you a lot too; no other languages necessary. Regardless of how you do it, it's going to require a pretty big time commitment. I majored in Latin, have been studying it for six years, and in fact I placed first in a Canada-wide competition for third- and fourth-year undergraduates in translating a previously unseen passage, and I still read Latin a fair bit slower than English. I can certainly testify to the utility of reading ancient texts in the original, though. I had a bit of an epiphany in fourth year when I was reading Plato's Phaedo (not written in Latin, I know, but it still applies). There was one point where I was interested in how different translators interpreted a particular passage, and when I compared four or five different translations, I couldn't help but notice how different each of them was from the others. It made me realize how much interpretive work goes into a translation, and it made me happy that my studies were enabling me to make those sorts of judgements myself.
If you do decide to tackle Latin, I can recommend two series to start you out that you could choose one of, depending on what kind of approach you like. In my university, we used a very grammar-based textbook called Wheelock's Latin. It covers almost all the important grammatical concepts necessary to read genuine Latin, and includes towards the end unedited passages of real Roman writing. The downside of the book is that it encourages a deciphering kind of approach, rather than learning to be comfortable with the language first.
The other, more welcoming approach is the one taken by the Cambridge Latin Course. I will note that I haven't used the textbooks myself, but I know it's extremely popular in high schools. Those books try to get students reading right away and gradually increase the difficulty and introduce grammatical concepts along the way. It's more like a modern language textbook. There are three or four books in the series. I suspect that these books would be better for an amateur learner than Wheelock.
If I were you, I'd see if I could take a look at both those textbook series before buying anything of them. Some copies might be in a nearby university library or a high school that offers Latin.
After textbooks, good first authors to read in actual Latin, depending on your interests, are Catullus's poems, Phaedrus's adaptations of Aesop's fables, Julius Caesar's accounts of his campaigns in the Gallic and Civil Wars, Cicero's letters and speeches, or bits of Ovid's Metamorphoses or Ars Amatoria.
If you get past the textbooks and are reading real texts, you'll need a dictionary. This and [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Cassells-Latin-Dictionary-Latin-English-English-Latin/dp/0025225804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347668490&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=latin+dictionary) are good choices. Anything by James Morwood, like this, is not. Having some kind of grammatical reference is essential as well. Woodcock's Latin Syntax is my favourite for its excellent explanations and its great readability, in spite of its thoroughness.
Edit: Huh, this got quite long. Sorry about that. Anyway, don't feel pressured or intimidated by the length of this. I just listed a few things in case you decide to give Latin a shot.
Wheelock's Latin (link to the seventh edition on Amazon) is an excellent place to start, and at US$15, it's a pretty good deal, too, as textbooks go! I had six years of Latin in middle and high school, so if you need a hand, feel free to ping me. It's a fun language, and learning it taught me as much about the structure of English and other languages as it did about Latin. Best of luck!
Despite what many people will tell you, books like Le Petit Prince and L'Etranger are in no way easy to read if you are a true beginner. You are probably nowhere near ready to read authentic French novels if all you've done is a third of Duolingo, but if you want to try reading something anyway, I would suggest starting with something that was written specifically for beginning French students. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Easy-French-Reader-Roussy-Sales/dp/0071428488
For listening, subscribe to Yabla.com and also listen to Francais Authentique (search for it on Youtube or a podcast app).
Here is a good example for learning French. The first chapters barely assume any knowledge of French, and by the end of the book you're reading (simplified) stories about French history.
Another example would be the Lingua Latina series for learning Latin. Starts off super simple, but by the end of the third book, you're reading unedited classics.
Im currently going through Easy Spanish Step-by Step by Barbara Bregstein. It has pretty decent explanations with exercises that follow. They are decently priced on amazon.
I would also suggest the library. Mine has a lot of audio books including pimsleur, subscription to Mango languages free for members and tons of other resources.
This is the first one:
https://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Step-Step-Barbara-Bregstein/dp/0071463380/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1524764568&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=easy+spanish
I also bought the second book but have not started it:
https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Spanish-Step-Step-Accelerated/dp/0071768734/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=0071768734&amp;pd_rd_r=QHCHPW7S4D9WRY7E7J42&amp;pd_rd_w=lSsan&amp;pd_rd_wg=HDnwj&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=QHCHPW7S4D9WRY7E7J42
I also bought this book to help with verbs because verbs are a huge part of spanish
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Spanish-Review-Practice-Second/dp/0071797831/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1524764647&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=The+ultimate+spanish+verb
I recommend the step by step series.
https://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Step-Step-Barbara-Bregstein/dp/0071463380
There's an easy and advanced one. Both really cheap. I finished the easy one right before I went to a language school and it gave me a really good base.
They might generalize some things, but still give a good run down of grammar topics and any need-to-know exceptions. The book also introduces the subjunctive relatively early, which I think helped with my understanding of it.
https://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Step--Step-Barbara-Bregstein/dp/0071463380/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
you can get this used on amazon
I really like Easy Spanish: Step by Step. There's a lot of great vocabulary and exercises (if you're into that), and short stories to read that if you're following along you should be able to comprehend entirely. Oh! and it's cheap!
Dao is not only a noun, it's a verb, in the form of "way-making". That's a big one. "Universe" is a term from the western understanding, which is object-oriented, whereas the Daoist sees things in terms of an event-based ontology. Dao is more the guiding principle that describes how the particulars of wanwu operate, than the whole set of everything.
If you're really interested, this is (in my opinion) a really good translation. It's by two western philosophers, and they give a lot of clarity in an area that's often hard to really get a solid hold on.
I take a philosophical daoist and indirect realist approach to my studies. Check out Roger Ame's translation of The Dao De Jing for a very philosophically sound approach to Daoism.
Essentially I believe that there is an ultimate reality which is Dao. Dao can be described as the "way in the making." It is an ontology of becoming through the endless reconfiguration of opposites (yin and yang). We cannot fully comprehend this metaphysical reality, as "the Dao that can be named is not the true Dao."
The best we can do is to experiment and systematically explore nature which is a manifestation of the ultimate reality. However, our attempts to understand nature cannot be the true Dao. As soon as we name Dao, it becomes something else (Dao is always changing).
Is that from this text of Ames & Hall? If so, what did you think of their book?
Similar! :D I want to learn all the languages in the world. Right now I'm learning Korean because I want to move to South Korea. this would help a lot. oh there's more. I forgot. song and funny.
Books are good too. I think the organization of this one is excellent
Collin's Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin
https://www.amazon.com/Primer-Ecclesiastical-Latin-Collins/dp/0813206677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1487218100&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=collins+ecclesiastical+latin
Granted, this is church Latin. It may be the flavor for you, or not depending on your interests
A couple more tips for your upcoming trip:
Learn hiragana & katakana in 3H A quick & dirty way to read the two Japanese phonetic alphabets (you could probably easily offset the cost of the book by betting skeptical friends or acquaintances a pitcher or two of beer):
The book is Remembering the Kana: A Guide to Reading and Writing the Japanese Syllabaries in 3 Hours Each (I'm linking to amazon uk as you indicated you are from there) by James Heisig
The upshoot is that mastering the phonetic alphabet won't make you fluent in Japanese but it could make the difference in you looking up and spotting a sign indicating "capsule hotel" or "sauna" during your trip. Plus, it'll give you an advantage when trying to communicate with locals who don't speak English.
link: http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/index.html
Also, sites like:
Look for the largest Y100 store franchise, DAISO to fill up on travel items especially if you are doing the 'ultra-light travel' method as I previously mentioned; also, you can often score good prices on snacks and colas at prices lower than regular convenience stores (eg. a 350 mL can of cola might cost Y105 in a convenience store but sometimes you can get 500 mL for the same price or 2 colas - often off-brand - for Y105)
Also, when you plan your trip, if possible, try and concentrate the long-haul bullet train (Shinkansen) trips within the same period you activate your Japan Rail Pass. Otherwise you may find the Pass is not as economical as assumed if you end up using it to make short trips on local lines for 3-5 days. Hell, I don't know - not having done the calculations, but if you were not in a rush and looking to travel the country in a month using local buses (eg http://willerexpress.com ), trains and ferries, it might not be worth it to get a Rail Pass. However, if you are pretty certain you'll be doing at least one or two Shinkansen runs - down to Fukuoka or Hiroshima for example - the Pass would probably make sense. Try calculating costs using Hyperdia http://www.hyperdia.com/en/#
I used to know all hiragana and most of the kana because of this book. (Reviews are right, btw: hiragana section is excellent, katakana section is meh.)
Now I can only remember a few of the mnemonics, so it's back to "short two character A+ ranked" and "really long name with stars and that nose-looking thing intended to be a nose."
For Kana, I have this https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/749749.Kana_Pict_o_Graphix as well as this https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Kana-Reading-Japanese-Syllabaries/dp/0824831640 .
You're young. You'll have a much easier time learning Japanese if you start now.
http://ankisrs.net/
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/0824831640
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/0824835921
I like the following book for handwriting.
&#x200B;
https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cursive-Script-Introduction-Publications/dp/0887100333/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=chinese+handwriting&qid=1563310119&s=gateway&sr=8-6
Japanese From Zero is a wonderful way to learn! Here's the link to the first book if you're interested
https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Zero-Techniques-Students-Professionals/dp/0976998122/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=japanese+from+zero+1&amp;qid=1565528459&amp;s=gateway&amp;sprefix=Japanese+From&amp;sr=8-1
The author George also goes over the entire first 4 books in video lessons which is a great addition to help reinforce what you've learned after reading a chapter.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOcym2c7xnBwU12Flkm5RcLIEhvURQ8TB
So I recently found out about these books called Japanese From Zero. He has an entire Youtube channel dedicated to the books and questions from people. IMO he's been a great teacher and provided tons of free content in addition to the books. There are currently 4 JFZ books. https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Zero-Techniques-Students-Professionals/dp/0976998122/
I've never used Japanese for Dummies, so I don't know how far it takes you and how well it allows you to transition to more advanced learning materials. As has already been mentioned, the easiest method is to exhaust all the grammar your current book can teach. The most popular alternatives to JfD are Genki and Japanese from Zero. If you asked anyone who studied Japanese for a while, if they used either book or at least heard about them, they'll most likely say yes. On top of that, it's easy to build up on your knowledge after you finished the textbook. After Genki 1, you can use Genki 2 and after you finished that as well you'll be quite good at Japanese.
If you want to practise natural speaking and writing, I'd recommend to take a look at an app called HelloTalk. It basically lets you chat with native speakers of a language of your choice for free. It might feel like it's still a little too early to try that but when I look back at how I learnt Japanese, I wish that I would have used that app much, much sooner. It's never to early to start speaking/ writing!
There are lots of decent books out there. I have a pretty decent college textbook that goes over every aspect of Spanish grammar, but I wouldn't recommend its format is not as good as a proper grammar reference. I do, however, recommend this book:
A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish
This one seems to be all-inclusive and well-written, so I'd go with this one.
Pro tip: If you're starting out, a grammar reference will be of little use at the very beginning, but you'll find it invaluable as time goes on and you're trying to compose the language.
If you want to really learn the language, I'm sad to say that probably the best approach is rote memorization of words. Despite what the purveyors of language products would have you believe, there really is no skipping this step. When I initially learned Spanish, my time was divided into 50% vocabulary, 20% spoken conversation, 20% grammar study, and 10% composition, and that worked really well for me. To enhance your vocabulary, there are a ton of awesome interactive exercises here.
Also, if you want to talk to a fluent speaker, just give me a PM, I'll be more than happy to chat or answer any questions you may have.
If you don't have one already, I would recommend one in English to begin with. I swear by the one below. I had the 4th Edition for many years but it was getting a bit tatty and coffee-stained, so I've just bought the 5th Editiion.
A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish
https://www.amazon.com/New-Reference-Grammar-Modern-Spanish/dp/1444137697/
If you ever hear anyone mentioning "Butt and Benjamin" when discussing Spanish grammar, this is the book they're talking about.
Edit: It's worth pointing out that I would call this a descriptive rather than a prescriptive grammar book. In other words, it tells you how things are rather than how people would like them to be :-)
Translating generally hinders language learning. Reading books and articles written in Spanish is a great way to gain familiarity, increase understanding, and develop fluency. However, it is best to rely on cues when confronted with a new word or phrase.
When children learn to read, they are not taught to reference a dictionary or grammar book for every unknown word. Instead, they are taught to rely on the cues given by the text, along with their life experience and the knowledge they have about how the language works, to make sense of what they read. It's okay if you don't know with certainty what every word's equivalent would be in English. As you read more, you will naturally learn conjugations and your vocabulary will build. In time, a book that once seemed difficult will be an easy read.
If you simply want to learn and practice grammar, I recommend Practising Spanish Grammar and A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish. The books are written primarily for Europen Spanish, but do note the American Spanish rules when they differ.
Not "in" Spanish, but my personal favorite is Butt & Benjamin.
It's available online https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Esperanto-Learn-write-understand/dp/1473669189
Laŭ la video, oni povas aĉeti ĝin ĉi-tie, ĉe Amazon. Ankaŭ, ŝajne, ĉe Esperanto-USA.
RTK doesn't teach you to write them, long term it only teaches you to recall them on sight.
The fact that RTK doesn't teach pronunciation, meaning, or compound words makes it useless in my experience - 16 years of study and 10 years living and working in Japan in Japanese.
The only 'good' thing that RTK teaches is the concept of radicals, and how kanji are structured. The down side is that unlike what Japanese people learn (exactly what those radicals are, what they are called, and how to write them in various forms), RTK just barely skims the surface.
I've personally found this book to be far, far better than RTK - http://www.amazon.co.jp/The-Kodansha-Kanji-Learners-Dictionary/dp/1568364075/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1397048656&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=kanji+dictionary
I have the old edition and am seriously considering getting the new one as well for the full kana readings
Agreed there. For day-to-day use, electronic dictionaries (that is, online dictionaries like Jisho.org, apps, Yomichan, etc. - not just one of these) trump paper dictionaries completely. Looking things up in a paper dictionary is incredibly time-consuming, and can also be frustrating because you will often forget something right after you look it up, especially if you're a beginner.
However! I think paper dictionaries can be great if you just go through them randomly, and for fun. I own a few Japanese dictionaries (namely this and this), and do just that, flipping through them, reading example sentences, making new connections, and occasionally having new vocab randomly stick by accident.
If I used my dictionaries to actually look things up every time I needed to, I'd go crazy pretty quickly, I think. But if I treat them like Wikipedia (ie, hopping all over the damn place because something new catches my interest every 30 seconds), then that's where I think their value is -- and I would argue that that experience with a physical book in your hands is hard to replicate in an electronic dictionary.
Though, to anyone who's new to Japanese, I'd still recommend going 100%-electronic and saving yourself some dosh. I'd only recommend the above if you like the "nostalgic" feeling of flipping through a book in your hands.
While I personally do not know any, as I am a beginner (for like, 4 or six years due to my lack of studying :D )
u/overactive-bladder had shown me some.
https://www.amazon.fr/Read-Real-Japanese-Essays-Contemporary/dp/1568364148/ref=pd_sim_14_1/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=1568364148&amp;pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&amp;pd_rd_w=0Ju56&amp;pd_rd_wg=onHm2&amp;pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&amp;pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
exploring japanese literature: https://www.amazon.fr/Exploring-Japanese-Literature-Tanizaki-Kawabata/dp/1568365411/ref=pd_sim_14_5/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=1568365411&amp;pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&amp;pd_rd_w=0Ju56&amp;pd_rd_wg=onHm2&amp;pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&amp;pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
Is it the read real japanese series? I remember someone mentioning it to me a while back but i forgot about it until your post.
WRT grammar i don't know what it is but I always end up overcomplicating what should be a basic sentence. Especially when i'm not actively trying to think of the most efficient way to say something. It's something I do in English too but since I'm not a native Japanese speaker it just comes off as super awkward, rather than me being relatively long-winded.
I do need to brush up on certain rules that I understand when heard, but tend to fuck up when i'm trying to use though...(causative form comes to mind)
also ty
All About Particles: A Handbook of Japanese Function Words by Naoko Chino has some crazy Japanese phrases, it is full over very stereotypically Japanese stuff. There's a whole page about different ways of saying 'all the section chief does these days is drink whiskey' (as opposed to 'the section chief drinks nothing but whiskey these days'), and lines about people becoming ill from overwork. When I read it to my Japanese friend, he asked me to stop, because it made him depressed about Japanese culture.
If you can directly import from Amazon Japan, the prices aren't that bad. They are currently ￥3,780 each for the textbooks, ￥1,728 each for the workbooks, and ￥864 for the answer key (note these prices have tax included so if you are ordering and shipping them outside Japan they may remove the tax--I paid ￥3,500, ￥1,600, and ￥800).
Links:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/GENKI-Integrated-Course-Elementary-Japanese/dp/4789014401
http://www.amazon.co.jp/GENKI-Integrated-Course-Elementary-Japanese/dp/4789014436
http://www.amazon.co.jp/GENKI-Integrated-Elementary-Japanese-Workbook/dp/478901441X
http://www.amazon.co.jp/GENKI-Integrated-Elementary-Japanese-Workbook/dp/4789014444
http://www.amazon.co.jp/GENKI-Integrated-Course-Elementary-Japanese/dp/4789014479
I highly recommend this book , it is my go-to for particles and it is amazing.
ISBN-13: 978-4789014472, ISBN-10: 4789014479
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/4789014479/
If you're anything like me, I would wager that you're not focusing because your curriculum is painfully slow.
I got my Japanese degree from Indiana University, and in first-year Japanese (two semesters, 5 credit hours each) we went through the entire first Genki. By the second year, we were already on Genki II.
If you're still learning this level of Japanese at the 200 level in college, I'd really recommend you jump into something more intensive--provided you have enthusiasm about learning the language. I study my best when the curriculum is too difficult. I study hard, and I fail. But ultimately I learn more failing at difficult curriculum than I do exceeding at boring curriculum.
My absolute top recommendation for learning Japanese is the Kanzen Master series levels 2 and 3, but those seem to be out of print. It looks like you can purchase the "New Kanzen Master series", but they only publish starting from JLPT level 3 and lower, which is more difficult than the old JLPT level 3.
I would recommend purchasing the Dictionary of Japanese Grammar series (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced), and then entering the plethora of example sentences into Anki.
In my opinion it's harmful to directly memorize grammatical explanations, as it's contrary to the way that a native's cognition works when producing sentences. Instead, one should use grammatical explanations to gain intuition for how the moving parts of the example sentences add together to produce the meaning (as illustrated by the translation), and then forget the specific grammatical explanations while reviewing only the sentences (looking at the translation if necessary but otherwise just trying to visualize the meaning).
https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Advanced-Japanese-Grammar-English/dp/4789012956
Did you mean A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar and A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar? My Basic dictionary is sitting right next to me, so I figured thats what you meant, but wanted to clarify for the OP.
I've found the Dictionaries of Basic/Intermediate/Advanced Japanese Grammar to be the one of, if not the most useful thing, I've found to help with learning Japanese.
Sam Martin's Reference Grammar of Japanese is also excellent, but good luck finding a copy.
I know the al-kitaab series gets a lot of hate, and to be fair is pretty much useless for self study, but the intro book "Alif Baa" was quite good for learning the alphabet, in my experience. Like /u/xbrightcursivex said, breaking it up into groups with similar forms is helpful. Plus Alif Baa has some nice audio components that will help you get pronunciation down
I would suggest Mastering Arabic for learning Modern Standard Arabic (the written form). It seems to be a pretty good introduction to the language. What really helped me learn to write Arabic letters was Alif Baa.
For Egyptian Arabic, I have been dabbling with Kullu Tamam. It assumes you don't have any prior experience with Arabic and uses a transliteration system (i.e. written with latin letters). Their goal with using this system is so that you focus on the language itself, rather than focusing on both the language AND a new script. Bear in mind, it uses linguistic terms such as "demonstrative pronouns", "possessive suffixes", "genitive construction", so if you are new to 2nd language learning, these terms may be new. But I have no doubt you can learn these terms very easily.
OR, you can finish book 1 (and maybe book 2) of the Mastering Arabic series and move on to Kalaam Gamiil, which is geared towards people with a lower-intermediate knowledge of MSA. The book is completely written in the Arabic script aside from grammar explanations and vocabulary lists. The audio is exceptional for this text.
There is also Kallimni 'Arabi Bishweesh, which is apparently almost exclusively written in Arabic. It appears to be written mostly in Arabic (including instructions for the exercises), so reviewers say that it is much more accessible when used with a teacher or native speaker. I can't comment too much on this book as I am still waiting for my copy to arrive :).
Bottom Line: If you want to learn to read and write Arabic first, pick up Mastering Arabic 1 and Alif Baa. It will give you a good introduction to the formal, written side of the language. Alternatively, if you want to learn Egyptian Arabic, check out Kullu Tamam. It won't teach you to read or write the script, but it will get you speaking some basic Egyptian Arabic right away as you begin the lessons. Whichever book you get, make sure you get whatever audio component (CD) that comes with it (if you buy used, like me).
+1, the book is All About Particles: A Handbook of Japanese Function Words. It's not free, but it's cheap.
As @Zarxrax implied, if you attempt to read it front-to-back you will quickly find that studying the different usages of the individual particles is not helpful; there are just way too many cases. You will quickly become bored and not retain anything (note that the situation is analogous in English: if you try to tabulate the different usages of "of", "in", "on", etc. you will quickly find there are a lot).
It's a lot easier to learn a foreign language if you learn a bit of linguistics first.
If you wish to learn both MSA and dialect in one book, you can try the Arabiyyat al-Naas series. It focuses on Levantine dialect for conversations and MSA for reading and writing, which is how Arabic is used in the real world. There is also an older book by the same author called Living Arabic which does the same thing. After studying in this way and understanding how MSA and dialect is used, you can then choose to study purely MSA or purely dialect books to reach more advanced levels.
Arabiyyat al-Naas
Living Arabic
The Al-Kitaab series also tries to teach both MSA and dialect but I believe it's not catered for self-study and is very difficult to use especially for a beginner. It is mainly designed for classroom use in American universities. Its precursor book, Alif Baa seems alright to use if you have not yet learned the Arabic script. You can read the reviews here:
Al-Kitaab
[Alif Baa] (http://www.amazon.com/Alif-Baa-Introduction-Arabic-Letters/dp/1589016327)
I have some issues with particles too, recently bought this book and it is helping clearing somethings up, it's pretty comprehensive. May be worth checking out.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/GENKI-Integrated-Course-Elementary-Japanese/dp/4789014479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1426893349&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=genki+answer+key
This one covers both textbooks and both workbooks. It's not a reference manual though, it just contains answers.
They can be found in the answer key. It's a separate book but it comes in handy if you self-study.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/4789014479/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1484697039&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=genki+answer+key+second+edition&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41dA6oHl-KL&amp;ref=plSrch
http://www.amazon.com/Genki-Integrated-Course-Elementary-Japanese/dp/4789014479/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1458365939&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=genki+answer+key
I don't really know why but the books are listed twice on Amazon... on the more expensive base listing (the 90€ one) the alternative shops are actually a bit cheaper (see here) so at least you could get the textbook for around ~50€ and I think the workbook is around 23€ here (the picture shows the second edition so it should be the right one), maybe if you get them from the same shop you could get lucky with cheaper shipping as well, but I don't know about that (same goes for the answer key )
Apart from looking for cheaper shopping on Amazon de you might also want to check Amazon jp (the shipping costs are pretty high but the base price is much cheaper). I'm a bit too lazy to look it up right now, but you can change the site to English so it shouldn't be too hard. Just don't forget to calculate the shipping in as well!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/4789014401/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1452975070&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;keywords=genki&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51FXpMajKOL&amp;ref=plSrch
I also recommend the work book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/478901441X/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=1Z7QM6FRR2AVB1XWNP2F (more practice is always better)
And the answers to all the questions: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/4789014479/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1452975133&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;keywords=Genki+answer&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41dA6oHl-KL&amp;ref=plSrch (just to make life easier if you get stuck)
Make sure to download the audio files from the cd and always listen to the accompanying audio while going through it, even a little listening will help you out.
Hmm, you might want to try buying those from the amazon.co.jp sites instead. I bought them for $130 (GENKI 1 & 2 costed me $69) and the workbooks too + a dictionary. I think you could buy them for ￥６４００ which equals to $55 shipping included.
Here the links:
Workbook 1 ||
Genki 1 ||
Genki 2 ||
Workbook 2
Hi again, I've noticed that Genki textbooks are significantly cheaper on JP Amazon, when compared to local bookstores in Australia. I'd imagine this is simply due to markups for profit. Is there something I'm missing? For instance, Genki 2 here is ~$40 AUD whereas it's ~$100 here. Am I missing something?
Thank you by the way for helping me out so far. If you don't mind, could you help me figure out which first 2 books I should be looking at, or what order to get them in?
&#x200B;
My assumption would be, in the order listed,
1st to get:
GENKI I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese (English and Japanese Edition)
by Eri Banno
&#x200B;
2nd to get:
Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese II [Second Edition] (Japanese Edition) (English and Japanese Edition)
&#x200B;
I am not sure on that second one, I assumed it would be the second book due to it saying Japanese II, but it saying second edition is throwing me off.
£53 for volume 1, £49 for volume 2.
That's not counting the workbooks, which are about £20 each.
Edit: It would be considerably cheaper just to import them from Amazon US.
I live in Finland, just tried simulating the purchase and with shipping and the import fees deposit it ended up being 5,566yen or 49,68€. I literally bought the book yesterday from amazon.de for 49€ (free shipping to Europe, or to Finland at least).
Sadly in most cases it is not worth it even though it might look like it.
/r/learnjapanese's Getting Started Guide
> ###Online Guides
>
> Luckily for the modern language learner, the internet is full of free resources for study. When using them, however, make sure that you are using a credible source. One extremely popular and quality guide is Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese. Written, and even available through Amazon, as a book, Tae Kim’s Guide covers everything you need to know to get started learning Japanese.
>
> Another great choice is Pomax's Introduction to Japanese.
>
> If you’d like to follow a different path, you can follow the subsections below.
>
>
> ###Textbooks
>
> If you’re interested in a more traditional form of study, you may be looking for a recommendation of a textbook. In /r/LearnJapanese, the most commonly recommended textbook series is Genki. Currently available in its second edition, the Genki consists of two textbooks (GENKI I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese and Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese II) with companion workbooks. The books and associated media are designed to be used to help in learning speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, with additional segments for cultural information. These textbooks are commonly used in college and university settings and cover the first two years of study at a common pace.
>
> These books are available for purchase from many sources, such as Amazon.com (Amazon.com Purchase Links: Genki I | Genki I Workbook | Genki II | Genki II Workbook ) and traditional brick-and-mortar resellers.
>
> Additional choices for textbooks, such as the Nakama series, can be found on the Resources page of the wiki.
Even if you disregard my advice on everything else you must must must must follow three in getting some books in understanding how to do business in Japanese.
Language barrier is easy to overcome if there's money involved, cultural barriers less so. For learning Japanese and/or doing business in Japan culture and etiquette is everything.
> I don't really care if Hayashi did his homework or if the lady reading the newspaper is Tanaka and neither do the people I want to talk to.
At my undergrad school, I taught the language lab (1 hour per week required intensive practice session where we drilled the students) for three years. I was surprised at how surprised the actual instructors were that the students often wrote very similar criticisms on their course evaluation forms. No one gives a fuck what Hayashi is or is not doing. But, everyone was up on the latest chapter of whatever Shōnen Jump manga was popular at the time.
I'm a huge fan of manga. Even as a first year student I enjoyed plodding along in my favorite story with my trusty denshi jisho, and copies of my Yellow and Blue. (The Red one hadn't come out yet.)
Pick a story and go for it. Even if you have to keep a translated copy nearby to help understand.
Your comment—and the general consensus around here—convinced me that I should get that series of grammar books. However, I'm not sure I found the right series. If there's any chance you could confirm it's these (basic, intermediate and advanced, seems to be all for ￥11,130) it would be highly appreciated. :)
Thank you!
Alif Baa & the Al-Kitaab series are pretty amazing. You can definitely do a self guided bit with Alif Baa to learn your letters and sounds- iirc the book is only $30
amazon
I would avoid Rosetta Stone, imo, it doesn't work as well for Arabic as you'd think.
I made a post recently about the sources I'm using to learn Arabic online:
http://www.reddit.com/r/learn_arabic/comments/2ohdgm/great_resource_for_learning_arabic_online/
To summarize:
OP, this is what talondearg is referring to. It's not perfect, but pretty good, and as you can see it's dirt cheap so you cant really go wrong. I have it myself and recommend it.
All the Latin aficionados I know really recommend Wheelock's Latin.
look on amazon, i'm pretty sure they have kindle versions for languages besides french
http://www.amazon.com/Easy-French-Reader-Roussy-Sales/dp/0071428488
-dftm
Graded readers are books intended for language learners that use a reduced amount of vocab and grammar to make it easier to start actually reading, even before you have enough language to jump into young adult fiction or other easier native material.
I read McGraw-Hills Spanish reader, it was alright. They've got a french reader it looks like.. You could potentially check the torrent sites to see if there's a collection of graded readers anywhere, there was an awesome pack for German that helped me get started.
Either way, click the amazon link above, click the 'look inside' and scroll down to the start of the material. read a few pages (potentially unknown words and constructions are in the margins). If you like it, you might want to pick up a copy. They're a great way to build speed and comfort with the language without getting hung up on the thousands of rarer words that'll trip you up in real native material.
There's also one for french.
If you're not very advanced https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071463380/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_image_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use this, it's ok, has helped me so far.
The translation by Roger Ames has always been one of my favorites. http://www.amazon.com/Dao-De-Jing-Philosophical-Translation/dp/0345444191/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1411130238&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=dao+de+jing
I think psychology and philosophy both have as a central concern the development of the individual. Psychology seems to be more often concerned with individual ego and problems that have ego implications. Philosophy, particularly Eastern philosophies, are concerned about the ego as something that gets in the way of full realization. Daoist philosophy in particular is concerned about developing in the individual a sense of realization of the continuity of existence. This means realizing that the individual is part of the unity of existence and that the relationship between the individual and the totality of existence is a two way street, mutual or symbiotic.
>In psychological sense, it's bad because you assume that the other person sees things like you see.
This psychological case is a special case, contrasting one individual point of view to another's. The philosophical relationship between and individual and existence is much boarder and includes the notion of mutuality.
>But in philosophical sense, there is no difference because viewing you as the same with the world is the same with viewing the world is like you?
The philosophical case does not necessarily have to resolve to no difference between you and the world. It does not mean loss of individuality, uniqueness. It is more a case of realizing that just as you can influence events in the world, the events of the world are also represented in you. All events and unfolding are unique and mutual. It is not you and the world but both. The philosophical problem is seeing the events/unfolding of the world in such a way as to allow the individual to act more in harmony with the unfolding world rather than in contention within. The developmental goal is that in integrally understanding the mutual existence and functioning of the self and the world, one will naturally respond in accord. One still maintains their individuality and the ability to act in the world. The actions are just more fully informed.
Admittedly, the above may be a poor explanation, as my understanding is still developing.
----
Something else you pointed out in the OP was an interest in linguistics. Among the modern day writers, Roger Ames is probably one who is more acutely aware of the role language plays in our individual expression of self. I might suggest the following, if you are interested in daoist philosophy. I think it plays very well from a psychological point of view.
https://www.amazon.com/Dao-Jing-Philosophical-Translation-Mandarin/dp/0345444191
If you're looking for a philosophical (in the western sense) take on it, you should try Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation: http://www.amazon.com/Dao-De-Jing-Philosophical-Translation/dp/0345444191
I think it'd be right for you, since it A) is intended for people who've studied western philosophy, and therefor has commentary focused towards that type of understanding, and is translated with an eye for clarity of the text to the original meaning as opposed to poetic 'flow'; and B) because it includes the original Chinese text (with helpful glossary) alongside the translation. It's a very rigorous approach.
https://www.amazon.com/Lao-Tzu-Ching-About-Power/dp/1570623953/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1526954456&amp;sr=1-15&amp;keywords=tao+te+ching
https://www.amazon.com/Dao-Jing-Philosophical-Translation-Mandarin/dp/0345444191/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1526954555&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=roger+ames
Le Guin's book is of particular interest because she is a master of salt-of-the-earth western metaphors, widely recognized as possibly the greatest master of metaphors in the English language today. She has studied the Tao with the best of us and has her usual distinctive interpretation.
The second book, contains an account of Pragmatic Taoism, which is what pre-dated mainland Chinese Taoism, in the isolated southern mountains. Its not my favorite book, but there is no other book like it on the subject that I know of.
My personal favorite, is the Peter Merel GNL interpolation available for free online.
I like this version because it allows for some interpretation. It attempts to be more of a literal or rough translation, letting the reader interpret how the phrases are to be put together, rather than a smooth-flowing literary translation, as previous texts usual are. It has the Mandarin text alongside, as well.
My personal favorite text of the Dao is the "Writings of Zhuangzi" (or Chuang Tzu in Wade-Giles). The first seven chapters are most clearly associated with Zhuangzi himself, while the rest are, if not written by the man himself, based on the original themes. What I like about it, is that it professes an overall playful outlook on all things, while elevating the importance of skillful knowledge, and making light of theoretical knowledge. This is especially funny (and should be, at the heart of this philosophy) because philosophy is generally about the theoretical.
In another, somewhat similar thread, I recommended Kupperman's intro to Asian philosophy, which, although brief, might help you get an overall idea of where these ideas are coming from and how they formed. Its a great book for putting the ideas in context.
I've had a good time with this so far, but I already knew a bit from talktomeinkorean.com. possibly worth going through their level 1 before getting it :)
that one does look great! i have this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Korean-Beginners-Mastering-Conversational/dp/0804841004/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1313638124&amp;sr=1-1
its good but it doesnt have any subsequent ones, so ill have to switch to some other series once i finish this one.
> talktomeinkorean.com
I will definitely check out this site. Have you used other books/programs? My dad got me Rosetta Stone Korean for Xmas one year. I have been on and off again doing the lessons. I also read a Korean for Beginners book, which was a really good introduction and summary of things. Lots of different insights, slightly overwhelming, but at the same time, just enough to spark interest.
Directly from this:
ㄱ is pronounced similarly to [k] at the beginning of a word and at the end of a syllable; in other positions, it's closer to [g].
Here is the mobile version of your link
The late great John F. "Jack" Collins, an adjunct at the Brooklyn College Classics Department who taught at the Latin/Greek Institute, wrote A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin, which might be a good way to re-introduce yourself to Latin from a different period.
Pay no attention to that Redditor behind the curtain. Learn Latin, and if you're learning it because of its religious association, teach yourself from Collins or Scanlan & Scanlan (two volumes).
For a real "nuts and bolts" approach, I would use Hanson and Quinn's "Greek: An Intensive Course". It's intense indeed, but it shows you everything behind the curtains since it is a grammar based approach. The are a lot of other books. Some like Athenaze try to use a more intuitive (and slower) approach, with a lot more vocab. I'm sure people here will have other suggestions, but I don't have experience with Reading Greek.
> I was wondering if anyone has some solid, unbiased sources for serious Bible study?
They don't exist. Everyone has biases. The very best scholars are those who can divulge their biases and give reasons for them and reasons against the biases of others. That's part of the scholarly conversation.
For background stuff, maybe check out:
David Aune's The New Testament in Its Literary Environment
I liked Shaye Cohen's From the Maccabees to the Mishnah when it comes to understanding "Judaism" in the first century AD.
NT Wright's The New Testament and the People of God is very good.
I also really liked Brant Pitre's Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of Exile - a reworking of his Ph.D dissertation at Notre Dame (under David Aune).
Mark Goodacre's work on Q is good. I read it early in my academic career and it has kept me from believing in the Q theory since.
The biggest journal in the field is probably Journal of Biblical Studies. New Testament Studies is another big one (from Cambridge).
Edit: Also, learn Greek. There are grammars specifically for New Testament Greek (Koine) like David Alan Black's Learn to Read New Testament Greek - which is fine for an NT Greek grammar (though he barely covers the optative since it's so little used in the NT). I would just learn Classical Greek using something like Hansen and Quinn. If you can read Classical Greek, nothing in the Bible (either LXX or NT) will give you a problem.
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Link: this
|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|
This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting).
If you want to learn it on your own, I highly recommend the book Sounds of Korean: A Pronunciation Guide
It is 300 pages worth of nothing else but pronunciation rules, tips for improving accent, etc. Around half of that is audio listening exercises.
This book helped me a lot. It explains pronunciation of all the letters and explains the difference based on their position in a syllable and in a word. It comes with a ton of audio material and exercises.
I'm gonna assume that you're starting completely from scratch, so just skip over parts that you already know.
Firstly, Japanese consists of three writing systems: Hiragana and Katakana, which correspond to each other/use the same sounds, and are syllable based. It is extremely important that you learn hiragana, and learn it well. Katakana is easy to learn later on as you'll already have the foundation/a basic understanding of Japanese phonology/sounds. Then there're kanji, which you've most likely heard of: Chinese characters. There are roughly 1700 of these used by the average Japanese person*. So:
1.5. If you have the money (or the means...) you might want to go through an audio course quickly in order to pick up the pronunciation/listening skills and some basic conversational vocab. Michel Thomas is supposedly good, though I favour Assimil myself. Assimil is made for being used over the course of 100 days (1 lesson/day), which can be really nice as it gives you somewhere to start and stop, so to speak.
\2. Get yourself a textbook. Genki I and II are fine, but they can be a bit pricey, and are made for use in a classroom. I use Japanese the Manga Way myself, which is really neat if you're planning on reading manga in Japanese eventually, and isn't all that expensive. there are other alternatives as well, which I'm sure someone will tell you about shortly, haha. Tae Kim and TextFugu are, as far as I know, the only internet-based textbooks worth considering. Tae Kim is 100% free and will teach you about as much grammar as Genki I and II will, while TextFugu is a one-time payment and will teach you a bit more than Genki I, I think.
\3. You might want to start learning kanji/vocabulary while going through your textbook. Wanikani.com is good, as it teaches both, and does it really efficiently. It is subscription-based, however ($10 a month I think).
tl;dr: kana, textbook, kanji/vocab while doing textbook stuffs.
Also, stay away from Rosetta Stone. It's expensive, not very good for non-European languages, and there are free resources that are several times better.
がんばって！
*some people will correct me and say 2000+ because that's what the Jouyou kanji say (don't worry about this for now), but fact is that the last 300-400 are not used a lot.
http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cursive-Script-Introduction-Publications/dp/0887100333/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1370364920&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cursive+chinese
for calligraphy I strongly learning 楷書 or 篆書 first, then getting good at 楷書, to master the principles behind calligraphy correctly, only then will your 草書 reach its full potential...
To all those who are struggling to read the cursive script, try this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chinese-Cursive-Script-Introduction-Publications/dp/0887100333/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1266575220&amp;sr=8-1 It's a little dated but still useful.
> I'm gonna disagree here on a detail: 1,500 hanzi is, in my opinion, waaaay too high here for our purposes.
That's fair. I was trying to think about the point in learning where you've seen pretty much all of the common radicals and phonetic elements, such that learning the majority of new characters is just seeing a new combination of those (and then there are the characters with a radical and a phonetic element consisting of a character you already know, but you get the picture).
> Handwritten chinese is the WORST.
You might find this book on Chinese cursive useful. I bought it before I was able to put it to good use, so I didn't study it... and now I seem to have misplaced it. And yeah, real Chinese cursive is difficult. Even after years of seeing my wife's Chinese cursive, I can only recognize 1 in 3 characters on average.
Edit: Forgot to add the link to the book!
Better get started
I really want to learn Japanese. I watch a decent amount of anime, and it'd be great to be able to watch it without subtitles (as in, have it open in a tab while I do other things). I'm also planning a trip to Japan next spring, and knowing the language would definitely be handy. I already know Korean, and I've heard the grammar is similar, so it should be slightly easier to learn, but the writing/reading is going to kill me.
This book seems to have good reviews and appears to be a structured way to learn some basics.
This is one of the first of a few Japanese songs I've listened to and thoroughly enjoyed.
I tried looking up a joke, and the only one that provided an explanation is...
Q: What is Michael Jackson's favorite color?
A: あお！ (Say "ow!" like Michael Jackson style. Means "blue" in Japanese)
Other than Japanese, I'm hoping to make some time to learn French using the duolingo app. I started when I went to France this past year, but I ended up losing my phone and was too busy with studies and travels to continue on. I'd say I'm close to native in Korean and about intermediate in Spanish. I've been working on my Spanish vocabulary using memrise, because that's what usually destroys me when I try to speak it or listen to someone else speak.
Oh, and this is a fun song we listened to in my high school Spanish class.
I’ve been using a textbook called “Japanese from Zero” and it’s a dream. It’s so, so easy to learn from and it teaches you how to read, write, and speak in a natural way.
Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Methods to Learn Japanese with Integrated Workbook and Online Support https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0976998122/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xbk7Cb5AD6WWV
here is the power
Come here /r/LearnJapanese , And there are a quite a few options they have in their sidebar.
Other thing i would recommend is, Japanese from Zero.
Im currently just starting out as well.. Not great at memorizing vocab, But i have hiragana fully memorized.
Edit: your second question... how long... it will be a very long adventure, and depends on where you would like to place yourself. There are a ton of KANJI, which all of multiple meanings depending on context and such. But if ur goal is to be fully fluent... well from what i gather, not to be a downer, it will take many years. (specially if you are not immersed in Japanese). Myself, i want to learn cause i love there Music, Anime, and a few JDrama's. So i would like to be able to understand them, ye know, not just Sub them all the time.
Randomly throwing this out there: Silent Siren and Maneki Kecak have some wonderful music.
&#x200B;
Edit 2: Tip: Try not to pay to much attention to Romanji. You can get stuck in a root if you do it that way. Japanese from zero will start off with partial romanji but halfway through the book it will be full hiragana.
You seem to have a good grasp on things. It looks like some of the linked threads follow a similar path, and I'll probably be following a very similar path myself. Nice books, too. I have quite a few myself. I'm not quite sure which of these are good (since they all had great Amazon reviews). I have the following:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014RTDPBA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078G5P6Q4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4789014401/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/478901441X/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4805312270/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572229195/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GW5KTDK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976998122/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0658014900/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
(Although Genki I and the Genki workbook, plus the Kata/Hira quick guide looks good)
I tried a bit of Pimsleur spanish for what it's worth, and I found it to have the same issues. Talking with a native speaker is hardier, more unpredictable, and yes scarier but so much more useful. If you get this reference grammar https://www.amazon.com/New-Reference-Grammar-Modern-Spanish/dp/1444137697 and read it in conjunction with, say, Spanish language meetups, or iTalki chats with a Spanish tutor, or Hellotalk conversations with Spanish speakers from a country of your choice, I can almost guarantee you'll learn more efficiently than via Pimsleur. Granted, people have different learning styles.
I would combine Duolingo with Lernu: https://lernu.net/en
You don't have to spend money, but if you want to, I've heard good things about the Teach Yourself Esperanto book (it's a pricey though): https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Esperanto-Learn-write-understand/dp/1473669189/ref=sr_1_1?crid=L17CYNEAZJ1E&keywords=teach+yourself+esperanto&qid=1573258720&sprefix=teach+yourself+esper%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-1
There's also the textbook by David Richardson, which is available as a very inexpensive ebook; the reader near the end of the book is valuable: https://www.amazon.com/Esperanto-Learning-Using-International-Language-ebook/dp/B06X96ZDZ1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3C83DAZAWX3V1&keywords=esperanto+richardson&qid=1573258790&sprefix=esperanto+rich%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-1#customerReviews
After you've made it to the end of a course and have a bit of a grasp of the language, you can do ekparolu, which is a program that matches learners up with fluent Esperanto speakers for 10 free skype sessions: https://edukado.net/ekparolu/prezento
If you live in or close to a city with an Esperanto club I would go to that too; they're usually pretty easy to find online with a bit of googling and it's important to start trying to speak the language out loud as soon as you can even if it's hard or you can only really say "saluton" and "ĝis".
Amuziĝu :)
I assume "no one speaks Esperanto" is hyperbole - there are thousands of fluent speakers, and over 2 million "active learners" on Duolingo. There are many languages in the world that don't have as active a speaker base.
"There is no Esperanto culture" is also an invalid criticism - there are thousands of Esperanto books as well as translations of popular books like The Hobbit or Alice in Wonderland. There is plenty of music and videos to be found on YouTube. There are several subreddits in Esperanto. You can learn it for free on lernu.net and duolingo, or go further with any of a number of courses available in book form or in person.
The valid criticism that people make is that "no one speaks it as a first language" and therefore there is nowhere in the world where you can "go" to use the language the same way you would French, Chinese, or Russian. Many people think it's not worth learning because of that. But here's the thing... THAT WAS THE POINT. Esperanto was designed to be the world's second language. It was never meant to supplant anyone's mother tongue. It was meant to be everyone's second language, so that no matter what your first language was, you could speak to anyone in the world. To me, that's pretty cool.
Unfortunately, because there was no native speaker base to spread its use, it never attained its goal. It would require a push from a large group of world governments to make that happen. And because of that, it probably will never become a world second language the way it was intended. For now, speakers of Esperanto will have to be content with Pasporta Servo
Thanks for the detailed post. I think the textbook-search site'll be especially handy, since I've never heard of it before.
And since you seem to know of a lot of good resources, I have a few questions (if you don't mind).
I'm really not sure what to go for. I'm currently using the Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course, and it strongly suggests that Learner's Dictionary as a supplement. But at the same time, the regular Kanji dictionary seems to be the better deal since it has much more Kanji. Is there any point in owning both?
Thanks!
I would be inclined to say yes. It's not a system without flaws, as a number of people have pointed out in this thread, but it can be tweaked and supplemented with Firefox/Chrome userscripts to customize it to your needs. If you have money to spare, you might also consider a subscription to Satori Reader where you can set unknown kanji to display furigana according to your WK progress.
If money is an issue, however, the Kodansha course is a pretty good alternative. I have been using the Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary that the course is based on and it has been a really good supplement.
I don't have an online resource for you, but there's this AWESOME dictionary that I like called the Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary and they have all you need to know about kanji, from its base meaning to common compounds to stroke order, etc. I love the way it's structured and how much I've learned from just looking up a single kanji.
I have do admit I don't have much experience with Hadamitzky dictionaries besides looking up kanji info in an older one a while a go. But I have to say, if it's jukugo you're interested in, get this one instead, it's hands down the best kanji dic/jukugo list I have ever used. I'd go so far to say, I have never seen such a well made dictionary in any language. Thanks Jack Halpern!
http://www.amazon.com/Kodansha-Kanji-Learners-Dictionary-Expanded/dp/1568364075/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1414756817&amp;sr=1-1-fkmr0&amp;keywords=The+Learner%27s+Japanese+Kanji+Dictionary+%28Bilingual+Edition%29
Thank you everyone for your feedback. After reading through everyone's comments, I think I'll be buying Tobira after finishing Genki II and KKLC for Kanji. Out of curiosity though, what book do people normally buy after completing Tobira?
Edit: However, I did want to ask though, is there a workbook and answer key for the Tobira textbook? Is this the Tobira workbook, it doesn't specify? https://www.amazon.com/Tsuku-Bumpo-ryoku-Grammar-Japanese-English/dp/4874245706/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=4874245706&amp;pd_rd_r=VEM2VE5J676CC8QW2S4M&amp;pd_rd_w=gshdr&amp;pd_rd_wg=AqZNA&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=VEM2VE5J676CC8QW2S4M
Also would anyone recommend these books with KKLC?
Maybe it just has a new name: The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary: Revised and Expanded
I would have no problem to get it on amazon.de
Anyone ever read the "Read Real Japanese" books?
http://www.amazon.com/Read-Real-Japanese-Fiction-Contemporary/dp/1568365292 Fiction
http://www.amazon.com/Read-Real-Japanese-Essays-Contemporary/dp/1568364148 Essays
I was looking at them in the bookstore, and they seem to have interesting authors. But I couldn't tell if it is really any help in learning, or if it is something you need to be pretty advanced to get anything out of.
there are many graded readers out there with exactly what you're describing though.
https://www.amazon.fr/Read-Real-Japanese-Essays-Contemporary/dp/1568364148/ref=pd_sim_14_1/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=1568364148&amp;pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&amp;pd_rd_w=0Ju56&amp;pd_rd_wg=onHm2&amp;pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&amp;pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
exploring japanese literature: https://www.amazon.fr/Exploring-Japanese-Literature-Tanizaki-Kawabata/dp/1568365411/ref=pd_sim_14_5/259-4279497-3692713?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=1568365411&amp;pd_rd_r=d172be83-a0ea-11e9-a0e7-ff5133ca3569&amp;pd_rd_w=0Ju56&amp;pd_rd_wg=onHm2&amp;pf_rd_p=7e133c34-2a2a-4f4f-8372-6a26c70ca073&amp;pf_rd_r=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=47RS5KNR1PN2A3V66MX8
also, i am a native middle eastern and i studied arabic there. now that i moved away (thank god) i am anxious of losing my dialect and the written language. i have been looking into getting back into kawa3ed for the harakat part. even natives mess up a LOT. i still remember my arabic teacher saying "i always cringe when i hear a news reporter screw up the kawa3ed lmfao.
This one is pretty good:
https://www.amazon.com/All-About-Particles-Handbook-Japanese/dp/1568364199/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1475182255&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=japanese+particles
But I found the information in this book more helpful:
https://www.amazon.com/Kanzen-Grammar-Japanese-Language-Proficiency/dp/4883196941/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1475182306&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=jlpt+grammar
I am very slowly learning Japanese! I started doing it because I got into watching anime online and it intrigued me. Even though I haven't gotten dreadfully far due to dipping in and out of study over the years, I mostly still do it because I find it fun. For years I've offically studied topics like History and English where there's lots of interpretation and less hard facts. So it does my mind good to learn something more... solid? It feels like avery different kind of learning regardless and I find it refreshing.
Grammar is by far my weakest area, mostly because I've found less... 'fun' ways of learning and studying it. Therefore a book about particles would be a tremendous help!
Songs! This is Arashi, they were my one and only boyband love. The level of my obsession was a little scary and I watched far more japanese variety shows than was possibly healthy. This is another song I like, which was one of the... ending? songs for Fullmetal Alchemist. I like how many cool songs by proper artists anime has. I've found so many groups via anime! and this is one I found thanks to Youtube ads!
Bad joke I stole but amuses me:
なぜハワイで歯医者がない？ Why are there no dentists in Hawaii?
ハワイで、歯はいい！Because in Hawaii, ha wa ii!
This is funny because the ha wa ii at the end means Teeth(ha 歯) are(wa は- topic marker particle) good(ii いい)
Edit: Forgot to add this, in Pokemon X and Y you have the choice to play it in one of seven languages! English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, or Italian!
With good mnemonics you can learn each in a day. Buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Kana-Reading-Japanese-Syllabaries/dp/0824831640
...it's full of great imagery like け="cape and dagger" and の="no parking sign".
&#x200B;
It's never failed me:
https://www.amazon.com/Kodansha-Kanji-Learners-Dictionary-Expanded/dp/1568364075
Hello!
I'm interested in taking genki too, i would like to know if you bought only the book
or if you also bought the exercises ( question and answer)
thank you!