Learning Japanese in the Network Society

Karen Danielson, Ph.D., is a research consultant at Laurentian
University who specializes in leisure, textiles, family life, and Japan.

Anyone who is studying or teaching Japanese as a second language will
find a useful review of new resources in this collection of articles.

The authors make it clear that technology has had an enormous impact on
learning Japanese as a second language. They report on audio and visual
materials that have helped learners develop better intonation, accent,
speed, and comprehension. They also discuss the advantages of
individualized learning strategies, the use of electronic bilingual
dictionaries, self-assessment systems, and programs that enable the
student to import text and read it with the use of vocabulary and
grammar support systems.

The Japanese language is difficult to master because there are
thousands of characters to study, so it has been a great improvement to
be able to use computers in the search-and-retrieval process. Computers
also take phonetic hiragana that can be entered using the ordinary
English keyboard, convert them to complex symbolic kanji characters, and
retrieve detailed information from a dictionary. For teachers, there are
databases, tests, and learning support programs. The teacher can use
these to assess the difficulty of written material; test a student’s
level of skill; generate vocabulary lists, quizzes, and drills; and
support the learner’s record keeping.

The book also introduces the reader to current research, including
questions about learning through translation, reading, grammar study,
self-regulated study, and collaboration over the Internet. A couple of
articles offer guidelines for copyright, product development, project
implementation, and further research. Several of the contributors
identify computer programs and many include Internet addresses.