Course of Study in Japanese

J. R. Omahen in preparation for the Japanese Language Prociency Test January 21, 2012

Contents
1 Overview 2 Course of Study 2.1 Exam Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Syllabi by Semester 3.1 Term One . . . . 3.2 Term Two . . . . 3.3 Term Three . . . 3.4 Term Four . . . . 3.5 Term Five . . . . 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3

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Overview

Preparing for the Japanese Language Prociency Test will take a grand amount of work, but due to the familiarity with the language, the study should focus primarily on being inundated with vocabulary and characters, with a focused study on grammatical points, particularly emphasizing those points which are most dicult. This seeks to prepare for the Level N1 examination.

Course of Study

The coursework will seek to cover the majority of the examination in less than a years time. Admittedly, this is seen as impossibly ambitious, so there is a possibility of failure within this framework. However, due to the layout of the course, the majority of the coursework will have been attempted by the time registration for the exam is open, allowing for the possibility of lowering the examination level one notch. 1

2.1

Exam Requirements

This is to sum up the required attributes of the language which need to be mastered in order to adequately pass this level of testing. Table 1: Requirements for JLPT N1 Category Vocabulary Kanji Description Description Approximately 10,000 words Approximately 2,000 characters (Grade 9) The ability to understand Japanese used in a variety of circumstances.

Syllabi by Semester

In order to better manage time, and ensure that all areas are covered, I will divide up the various requirements into four terms. This should take some of the pressure o of trying to expose myself to the full range of complexity all the time, but gradually increase the complexity.

3.1

Term One

This term will stress revision of fundamental concepts and Kanji. It mostly acts as a stepping stone to the bulk of the study, but allows some freedom. Table 2: Schedule for Term One. Kanji Kyoiku Kanji, Grades 1-3 need to be mastered. Vocabulary Approximately 2,000-3,000 words need to be familiar. Immersion Listening to, or watching a daily news broadcast of about 10 minutes. Listening to a podcast or watching a programme in an area of interest covering at least 4 hours a week. Texts Work through all of the childrens books I own (board books and picture books). Textbooks Intermediate Japanese should be worked through, exercises and all

3.2

Term Two

Following up on Term One, additional material should be incorporated. More dicult texts will be handled, as will longer periods of immersion. Table 3: Schedule for Term Two. Kanji Kyoiku Kanji, Grades 4 and 5 need to be mastered. Vocabulary Approximately 2,000-3,000 more words need to be familiar (body is now 4,000-6,000). Immersion Listening to, or watching a daily news broadcast of about 20 minutes. Listening to a podcast or watching a programme in an area of interest covering at least 6 hours a week. Texts Choose one novel to work through. Textbooks Advanced Japanese should be worked through, exercises and all Review Kanji Grades 1-3 should be periodically reviewed, as well as the basic 2,000 vocabulary words. Periodic review of Intermediate Japanese material as well.

3.3

Term Three

More intensive grammar study should begin now, covering a wider range of usage. As well, more specic problem areas can be targeted.

3.4

Term Four

This will nish out the core of the materials to study. Since additional time can be given in the nal term for additional review and practise, it is recommended to still proceed through all the remaining material on time.

3.5

Term Five

This Term is available as a review and leisurely study term. As well, any material that was not covered in previous Terms may be covered here. This also allows a small amount of room to fall behind by a few weeks.

Table 4: Schedule for Term Three. Kanji Kyoiku Kanji, Grades 6 and 7 need to be mastered. Vocabulary Approximately 2,000-3,000 more words need to be familiar (body is now 6,000-9,000). Immersion Listening to, or watching a daily news broadcast of about 30 minutes. Listening to a podcast or watching a programme in an area of interest covering at least 8 hours a week. Texts Work through one magazine and one newspaper per week Textbooks Grammar handbooks for JLPT Levels N5-N2 should be worked through. Additional points can be practised through the Grammar Dictionaries. Review Kanji Grades 4-5 should be periodically reviewed, as well as the previous 2,000 vocabulary words. Periodic review of Advanced Japanese material as well. Use a ashcard system for periodic review of yet earlier material.

Table 5: Schedule for Term Four. Kanji Kyoiku Kanji, Grades 8 and 9 need to be mastered. Vocabulary Approximately 2,000-3,000 more words need to be familiar (body is now 8,000-12,000). Immersion Listening to, or watching a daily news broadcast of about 30 minutes. Listening to a podcast or watching a programme in an area of interest covering at least 10 hours a week. Texts Work through one magazine and one newspaper per week. Work through one technical article per week. Textbooks Grammar handbooks for JLPT Level N1 should be worked through. Read through both Elementary and Intermediate Grammar Dictionaries, giving addition time to problem areas. Review Kanji Grades 6-7 should be periodically reviewed, as well as the previous 2,000 vocabulary words. Periodic review of Grammar handbooks material as well. Use a ashcard system for periodic review of yet earlier material.