Genki I/II - New Versions Out

[greengoo]

Genki – The New GENKI

New versions coming out with a lot of revamping... looks like good stuff. Lot of updates to terminology and grammar, restructuring, etc. Genki I is out now, Genki II is coming in September.
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1. Addition of Culture Note sidebars

Every lesson of the revised edition includes a “Culture Note” 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GENKI has been thoroughly reviewed to eliminate outdated vocabulary and expressions, and replace them with alternatives that are frequently used in today’s Japan. This includes the dialogues, which now incorporate more contemporary expressions. Examples of changes include the elimination of テープ, ビデオ, トレーナー, and ハンサムな, and the addition of CD, DVD, パソコン, andメール.

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 ～くありません (adjectives), ～じゃありません (nominal sentences), and ～なくちゃいけません have, based on a review of linguistic data, been changed to forms more widely used in everyday situations: ～くないです, ～じゃないです, and ～なきゃいけません. 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.

[Ercasse]

The only thing we really want to know is if Mary and Takeshi get it on in this version.

[greengoo]

The only thing we really want to know is if Mary and Takeshi get it on in this version.

"New vocabulary included in this version include コンダム、一晩スタンド、スーりワイ、and プラーンビ

From the sound of things....

[Tyr]

Minna no nihongo ftw

[okinomiyaki]

I've been stuck in the world of Japanese for Busy People but I've heard good things about both Genki and Minna no nihongo.

Are they worth getting? Can anyone recommend one over the other?

[lilyanphino]

Minna no nihongo ftw

That was my textbook and it is a fairly good one. I do not know anything about Genki though.

[greengoo]

I was taught under Genki, it's the standard text for U of M, and MSU. That's all I can say about it first hand, but it served me well. I've heard good things about Minna no Nihongo also though.

[UPGRAYEDD]

I had JSL in college and at the time I really hated it because it didn't teach you how to read anything and the romaji was all weird but now I realize that it's by far the best system out there to learn how to "speak" Japanese and I'm reading through it again after passing N2.

[Page]

Yeah I definitely agree that JSL is best for speaking. Reading/writing depends on how your dept ran it. Mine didn't really do anything outside of the book so while I may be at N1 grammar I'm probably not even a N2 for reading.

For self study I wouldn't recommend it (unless explicitly for grammar study--but in that case be ready for some ambiguous linguistic explanations) I don't know anything about genki except people are gay for it.

[Kuro2Flo]

I like Minna no Nihongo. Its more concise than something like Nakama and more streamlined for just looking up how to use grammar points. I've never used Genki tho.

[Buckeye22314]

I also used JSL (head of the dept. at OSU worked on the books and whatnot) and it did what it was designed to do in a classroom setting. I don't think I could have used it on my own originally, but I've been reviewing it the past few weeks to get ready for the move. Definitely not good for reading/writing though, I think self-study is pretty sufficient for that after you learn about stroke order and everything (if you intend to write by hand at all). Not too sure about Genki or minna no nihongo, but I've heard good reviews.

[triumphtr79]

I've been stuck in the world of Japanese for Busy People but I've heard good things about both Genki and Minna no nihongo.

Are they worth getting? Can anyone recommend one over the other?

I can't speak for Minna no nihongo but Genki is fantastic. It puts all aspects of a difficult language such as Japanese in an organized, systematic and concise order. I tried other books before Genki but nothing was as comprehensive.

[MixedNuts]

I started Japanese study with Genki and then moved to the Intermediate Japanese textbook in my J-go classes back home. Whenever I've attended some volunteer based Japanese course here in Japan the instructors seem to like to use Minna no Nihongo a lot but I haven't really stuck with those courses long enough to see if MのNihongo is any good...it looked alright though. My teachers here don't know as much about Genki, I got a few blank stares when I mentioned it, followed by an "ah, Genki....it's got a lot of cute pictures." I really enjoyed learning intro Japanese with Genki.

I'm really bad at self-study, btw. But volunteer-run courses don't really work well for me either.

[Electrolite]

What's best for self-study? I like genki but I find it's a bit too classroom oriented.

[greengoo]

My second edition of Genki I is on it's way here today. Also, tomorrow is the release date for second edition of Genki II (I'll be getting that as well). I'll zip through them and put up a review / change list if anyone's interested.

The best part about the genki books is that they have great pacing, great organization, and memorable stories that help grammar points catch.

Also the subplot about the sex lives of the characters is too good to miss out on. (Sue, you're such a dirty girl... and Mary, your cute/innocent act is sooooo tacked on...)

[hunterofpeace]

My tutor was told by the higher-ups at my old university to get the new version of Genki but the university accidentally ordered the old books for the students. So she has an extra copy of the new books. Should I buy them off of her? I have the old Genki set; are the new changes even worth it?

[greengoo]

I found the changes to be not exactly SWEEPING, but enough has been changed (fixes, the move towards the reality that desu/masu is fading out of popularity among 90% of daily conversations, the removal of tepu in favor of ipod, etc etc) that it's worth it, I M and O.

[hunterofpeace]

Too true. I hardly ever hear ~masu being used... I thought there must be some secret verb ending nobody ever told me about... O.O

[mrcharisma]

Been looking at these Genki books online, should I buy both the workbook and the textbook or is only the textbook needed?

[wicket]

I like NHK "Let's learn Japanese" - the videos and the textbooks.

Sure, it's from the 1980s, but not all things that are ancient are useless.

Who doesn't love a bit of Yan?