Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You

Jay Rubin, Professor of Japanese Literature at Harvard, has put together a nifty tome which explains a whole swag of Japanese grammaticisms in a way which makes the reader stop, think for a moment and say "Now I get it!". Rubin explains by means of anecdote and analogy exactly how troublesome aspects of the Japanese language actually work, and by the end of the book concepts like wa/ga, kureru/kudasaru, kimeru/kimaru no longer seem arcane and incomprehensible. I think the book is worth the price simply for the excellent explanation of how kureru/kudasaru/itadaku/ageru work on the basis of what direction the action occurs. Until I read MSOJ this concept confused me, and heeding the words of my original Japanese teacher I was loathe to even use the ageru construction lest I imply that I was doing a person a favour and thereby burdening them with obligation, but Rubin's lucid explanation left me excited that I could finally use the Japanese words for give. Not so useful for a beginner - MSOJ is perfect for someone who has studied Japanese for a while and needs a bit of a meta-cognitive boost.

Comments

[Aileen]

thinking of buying this book as part of my prepatory reading for the JLPT, but wondered if you can recommend a good comprehensive guide to japanese grammar as opposed to a text that covers only certain areas? i had a quick scan on amazon and this book looks like an easy and entertaining read, and from what you've said will hopefully help clarify a few obstacles i'm hitting. but do you know of a specific grammar guide that gives a wide range of explanations in english?!