1. Addition of Culture Note sidebars
Every lesson of the revised edition includes a 窶廚ulture Note窶 sidebar that provides students with information on Japanese culture. Written in English, these commentaries focus mainly on topics related to the lesson themes, and are intended to encourage students to personally broaden their understanding of Japan by obtaining further information from the Internet and their Japanese acquaintances.
2. MP3 audio material bundled with textbooks / workbooks
The audio material for GENKI, which was previously sold separately in 6-CD sets, has been compiled into MP3 files stored on a single CD that is bundled with each textbook volume, enabling all GENKI users to access the full range of audio resources. Moreover, much of the audio material has been re-recorded, with the dialogues now spoken at a speed closer to that of natural conversation. The textbook CD retains the Dialogue, Vocabulary, Grammar, and Practice audio material of the old CD set, while adding recordings of the readings for every lesson of the Reading and Writing section. The workbooks also now come with a CD containing recordings of the Listening Comprehension exercises, making it easier for users to practice their skills.
3. Revamping of vocabulary and expressions
GENKI has been thoroughly reviewed to eliminate outdated vocabulary and expressions, and replace them with alternatives that are frequently used in today窶冱 Japan. This includes the dialogues, which now incorporate more contemporary expressions. Examples of changes include the elimination of 繝繝シ繝, 繝薙ョ繧ェ, 繝医Ξ繝シ繝翫シ, and 繝上Φ繧オ繝縺ェ, and the addition of CD, DVD, 繝代た繧ウ繝ウ, and繝。繝シ繝ォ.
4. Revision of Grammar/Practice sections and readings
The grammar points covered by each lesson remain the same, but their explanations have been revised and augmented to facilitate better understanding. Also, the negative patterns ス槭¥縺ゅj縺セ縺帙s (adjectives), ス槭§繧縺ゅj縺セ縺帙s (nominal sentences), and ス槭↑縺上■繧縺縺代∪縺帙s have, based on a review of linguistic data, been changed to forms more widely used in everyday situations: ス槭¥縺ェ縺縺ァ縺, ス槭§繧縺ェ縺縺ァ縺, and ス槭↑縺阪c縺縺代∪縺帙s. In order to enable sufficient practice of grammar items, the Practice section has been beefed up with more communicative exercises, including conversational tasks. Furthermore, outdated material in the readings of the Reading and Writing section has been replaced with content more relevant to modern Japan.
竊 List of Practices for Grammar and Dialogue units (PDF)
竊 List of Words & Expressions for Grammar and Dialogue units (PDF)
The following features have been retained in the second edition:
繝サツ Division of each volume into two sections: 窶廛ialogue and Grammar窶 and 窶彝eading and Writing窶
繝サツ Lesson structure: Dialogue, Vocabulary, Grammar, Practice, Expression Notes, and Useful Expressions (with the addition of a Culture Note commentary)
繝サツ Grammar points covered in the Dialogue and Grammar section
繝サツ Kanji studied in the Reading and Writing section
繝サツ Cast of characters and illustrations
繝サツ Supplementing of Japanese text with romanized readings in Lessons 1 and 2
Lessons 1窶12 | Lessons 13窶23 |
Textbook ILessons 1窶12 of 窶廛ialogue and Grammar窶 and 窶彝eading and Writing窶 Dialogues, vocabulary, practice exercises and answers, plus a CD containing MP3 recordings of readings |
Textbook IILessons 13窶23 of 窶廛ialogue and Grammar窶 and 窶彝eading and Writing窶 Dialogues, vocabulary, practice exercises and answers, plus a CD containing MP3 recordings of readings |
WorkbookツIWorksheets for grammar and kanji covered in TEXTBOOK 1, plus a CD containing MP3 recordings of listening comprehension exercises |
WorkbookツIIWorksheets for grammar and kanji covered in TEXTBOOK 2, plus a CD containing MP3 recordings of listening comprehension exercises |
GENKI Picture Cards ICD-ROM (Win/Mac) containing PDF files of illustrations depicting vocabulary studied in GENKI I, with a booklet of thumbnails |
GENKI Picture CardsツIICD-ROM (Win/Mac) containing PDF files of illustrations depicting vocabulary studied in GENKI II, with a booklet of thumbnails |
Answer KeyAnswers to all textbook and workbook exercises, plus transcripts of the spoken material of listening comprehension exercises |
|
Teacher窶冱 Manual (coming out in 2012) |
Related Resources
KANJI LOOK AND LEARN Textbook
KANJI LOOK AND LEARN Workbook
The textbookツpresents 512 beginning-level kanji (including all 317 covered by the GENKI series) with engaging illustrations and mnemonic hints that make it fun and easy to learn the forms and meaning of the characters. It also includes nearly 3,500 elementary and intermediate vocabulary terms that incorporate all kanji presented. Combined with the Workbook, it helps users to effectively learn kanji not only at the level of characters and words, but also in the context of sentences and longer text.
竊樽ore on Kanji Look and Learn