imabi wrote:

You will probably like the site much more in about a month or so, because something to this degree is slowing in the works.

Looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

Teaching is definitely a learning experience in of itself. I think that people will definitely appreciate the upcoming changes, and I hope that with these changes the site will become even more friendly to beginners. A year ago it was undoubtedly not quite suitable for beginners, but now I know that many beginners have started and continue to push through despite the difficulty still imposed.

The site does have explicitly stated purposes and guidance tips. No page is meant to simply be scanned through. There are plenty of reasons for why I say around a week per lesson. You do have a lot to keep up with, and you need time to actually use it and relate things to what you've already learned. Also, if you misunderstand or go over explanations too quickly, you're subject to making mistakes. I even find myself making mistakes, going back to my own work, and then realizing how much smarter than me at times--that's because I've also gotten the site proofread by several natives.

Anyway, good luck with your Japanese studies! I have you find it is as invigorating as I do.

Eikyu wrote:

Inny Jan wrote:

Eikyu wrote:

Minna no nihongo [...] doesn't provide the answers to the exercises.

This is simply not true.

Sorry if I got it wrong. Now that I think about it, there might have been a small booklet with the answers.

I believe it's in a separate book, just like with Genki; although, I am sure the web will reveal all the answers for you

At least its not as bad as this networking book one of my university modules was based on. It had questions at the end of each chapter, and some of them were not covered in the text. The only way to get the answers was to email the publisher, and you had to prove you were the lecturer/assistant. Really annoying when I just wanted to use them to revise!

Last edited by RawToast (2013 April 09, 10:05 am)

Stian wrote:

That's even worse than the Engineering Physics book I used last semester where only the odd numbered questions' answers were provided...

That's how most of my textbooks were in middle school. I think it's so that the teacher could assign only even-numbered homework assignments (which they frequently did) so you couldn't look up the answers to cheat on something graded.

Of course, that meant that you'd frequently slip up and do more problems than you had to... stupid clever system.

Jaysama wrote:

I am looking for a textbook for self-study of the Japanese language. I studied the language already through classes for a year, but it has been about 1 1/2 years since then and I am a little rusty.

I asked a few people and it usually comes down to Genki or Minna no Nihongo. What I want to know, from people who have used both or sensei who have taught with both, is which one I can get the most out of?

Maybe you should start with the MNN exam book(s) then. There's one for beginner's volume 1 and one for volume 2. Each book has review questions for each of the 25 lessons, plus three 8 lesson exams and one 25 lesson exam; all with answers in the back.

You could work your way through those, lesson by lesson, to identify your weaknesses. Then, after reviewing/learning the material for an 8 lesson chunk, you could attempt an 8 lesson exam... wash, rinse, repeat.

For reviewing, the "translation and notes" books plus web resources should be sufficient since you have already studied this material in school.

Tip: All of the 3A MNN series books are for sale (legitimately) in China for a tenth of the price found elsewhere.

Last edited by Oniichan (2013 April 10, 8:32 pm)