Which one is correct: Bahasa or Bahasa Indonesia?
Before you start to learn the Indonesian language, it is important to know whether you actually know the name of the language. Some people called Indonesian language as “Bahasa”, is this correct?
Well, to set it straight, Bahasa actually means language. Now, imagine if you say, “I am learning Bahasa or I want to learn Bahasa” to the Indonesian native. The first thing they will ask you is: “Which language do you want to learn? Mandarin or Japanese?”
With that in mind, if you used to call the Indonesian language as Bahasa, maybe you can start calling it as “Bahasa Indonesia” which simply means Indonesian language. That way, you can always be sure that you are in the same page as Indonesian native.
Some stories about our Japanese Courses 8
Hi everyone,皆さん、おげんきですか
My Japanese group lessons and tutorials had regular activities of speaking, reading, listening, writing and (esp. in group lessons) making and performing dialogues with use of the course book, “Genki 1” and its Workbook apart from handouts from other sources for language teaching. Also, I used flash cards, “Hantai-kotoba-kaado” (publisher: Kumon-shuppan). The cards are from the Japan Foundation. The cards are for teaching many i-adjectives and nouns that are pairs and for learning antonyms. The pictures of the cards are all attractive and can be funny. Very valuable resource to use in class for vocab. Increase, practice of making affirmative or negative sentences, past tense etc.
The class of Intermediate 1 has been learning Kanji script gradually with use of “Kanji-no Hon” (by K. Aitchson, 2001, MacMillan). The students of that class tend to be very keen and it is a nice class. There are those who like to know more Kanji and write new Kanji out of their initiative that is very pleasant.
Related to Japanese culture, heritages, great travelling places etc, I show a “great” dvd, “Pilot Guides – Tokyo” (Tokyo City Guide) presented by very talented, exciting, highly experienced and travelled, intelligent, humorous, very open-minded and internationally well known (awards winning) British presenter, Ian Wright (who loves many things of Japan and Tokyo). The dvd covers not only Tokyo’s major fascinating places but also other parts of Japan, including the northern Japan for Nebuta Festival where Ian Wright participated in the fabulous festival activity, Mt Fuji that he climbing with a Japanese friend and show many details of the very special experiences. (I climbed Mt Fuji twice; climbing that absolutely beautiful mountain is really special joy and experiences as people, including all the non-Japanese in that dvd said.)
As for culture, society, technology, tourism, economy, business etc in Japan, there were many exciting news (the Japanese/Japan is such an exciting country!). (I have been teaching this language and culture in this country for over 27 years, but still I am amazed at them; they are such “thinkers, doers and inventors”!) I talked about the following news etc and gave handouts.
1. Recent Jenta Sydney (Japanese magazine that has English articles in parts)
Jenta reported many exciting news from Japan with beautiful photos, including photos of sakura, abundant cherry blossoms in many places of Japan including Fukushima prefecture! The magazine (27.4.12) reports a happy glorious old gentleman Jiroemon Kimura who is 115 years old that is the oldest age for a man in the world and in Japan. He has 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren! He lives in Kyoto. Amazing.
2. Also the above magazine reports related to Gundam robot statue that is 18-meter-tall and located in front of the DiverCity Tokyo Plaza. They opened the new entertainment facility Mobile Suit Gundam. Information can be available in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean there.
3. Jenta magazines also recently continued informing about many famous and great onsen (Japanese hot springs) with details. I recommend anyone to read them if they are interested in onsen.
4. Jenta (13.4.12) also report about very famous Kiyomizu-temple in Kyoto, which is lit up by some 500 lights. That looks really gorgeous. Also, the magazine shows the photo of “Samurai warriors festival” in Yamanashi prefecture (my hometown was in that prefecture). The festival is made yearly and many people, esp. men are clad as feudal-era. (My late father, who was a company executive, had participated in such a parade a long time ago.) They wear real helmets that honorable samurai used to wear for formal occasions and walk through streets. This time, at the festival, 1061 people clad as the warriors and went on the parade to honor the feudal lord Takeda Shingen, a 16th century daimyo (feudal lord). The event was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest-ever gathering of samurai.
5. Ichiro Suzuki, who is very famous and great baseball player of Japan and the US (the Seattle Mariners).
6. Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune (and Tatsuya Nakadai). They are all amazing people who immeasurably influenced the Japanese and international film industries and Japanese society, community and social standard.
– Toshiko Jackson (Japanese Teacher)
Counting Units in Korean
In English, one must say, “two sheets of paper” rather than “two papers”. In Korean, the term jang (장) is used to count sheets, or paper-like material in general. So “ten bus tickets” would be beoseu pyo yeol jang (버스 표 열 장), literally, “bus ticket ten ‘sheets'”. In fact, the meanings of counter words are frequently extended in metaphorical or other image-based ways (Lakoff, 1987).
For instance, in addition to counting simply sheets of paper, jang (장) in Korean can used to refer to any number of thin, paper-like objects. Leaves (namunnip 나뭇잎) are counted using this count word. In this way, the ways in which a particular count word can be used is generally very open-ended and up to the construal or creativity of the speaker.
There are two systems of numerals in Korean: native Korean and Sino-Korean. Native Korean numerals are used with most counter words. yeol gwa (열 과) would mean ‘ten lessons’ while sip gwa (십 과) would mean ‘lesson ten.’ Sino-Korean numerals are used with many time counters.
Learning Chinese Characters Without Rote Learning
To learn Chinese characters, first of all we will need to know some history and features about this ancient writing. The history of Chinese characters can be traced back into more than 3000 years ago, and at the very beginning of its development most Chinese characters are “pictographic”, which means you can easily guess the meaning by looking at the shape of the characters. The examples are 木(mù) (wood or tree)，目(mù) (eye). Both characters have the same pinyin. The former character ‘木” used to be looking like 
, which by the shape looks like a tree. The top horizontal stroke imitates the branches of a three whereas the bottom two strokes imitate the roots of a tree. The latter character “目” originally looks like 
and is actually a picture of an eye.
As time goes by, only using picturesque characters could not meet the increasing demand of Chinese characters. There then came other groups of Chinese characters. One of those groups is called “indication”, which means you can guess the meaning by looking at different parts of the characters. For example, the character “林(lín)” has two trees in one character. The word “林” means “forest”, which actually indicated by the parts of the character. Instead of using rote learning to remember Chinese characters, we can learn characters much more efficiently by analysing the development of the characters and their features.
Another important group, which represents a very characteristic feature of Chinese characters, is called “picot-phonogram”. The characters in this group are often composed of two parts (mostly left-right structure), and the left part indicate meaning of the characters (usually pictographic characters) whereas the right part indicate the pronunciation of the characters. For example, the word “淋(lín)” (meaning “get wet”) has its meaning part 
in its left and the phonetic part “林” in its right.
Some stories about our Japanese Courses 7
Hi everyone,皆さん、おげんきですか。
In my Japanese classes, as usual, apart from regular activities of speaking, reading, listening, writing and dialogues making and performing, with use of the course book, “Genki 1”, I used flash cards that had letters, words and/or pictures. Also, audio-video based materials and had singing activities. One of the visual aids was a DVD borrowed from the Japan Foundation. (The DVD was made by the Ministry of Primary Industry of Japan.) It discusses fundamental merits and features of Japanese diet and its traditional food. Some experts in the industries and scholars also spoke in the DVD. It was very interesting.
Our newly started Intermediate 1, we began Kanji learning systematically apart from other aspects of the language learning. We use “Kanji-no Hon” (by K. Aitchson, 2001, MacMillan). The learning includes reading, writing and exercises of applying Kanji words and the idioms into sentences. In future, occasional homework of writing an essay, diary or letter with use of such Kanji words will be given to consolidate their knowledge and competence. The students are quite keen to increase Kanji and sometimes even ask me to write new Kanji on the board when we are studying with other book or materials.
As for Japanese society, technology, economy, etiquette etc, I introduced or informed with the articles about the following.
1. Reports from a Japanese magazine “Nyuusu ga Wakaru” (Mar. 2012):
The magazine shows the pictures of some dogs and cats that are or were in Japan. Nowadays, cats and dogs live for many years just like their owners. Last December, a dog, Buusuke died at the age of 26 years and 9 months. The dog lived for the longest lifespan in the world according to the Guiness Book. Also the magazine shows the picture of a cat, Tomonari-kun. He is 26 years old and he still lives happily.
One of sources, which I read and showed in classes, reports that the Ward Office (government) of Suginami-ward of Tokyo, gives the Certificate to pet-owners whose pet lived longer than 16 years old, to encourage looking after the pets well.
2. News from a magazine Jenta Sydney (9.3.12):
(a) The World’s tallest tower Tokyo Sky Tree celebrates its completion and it will be open for the public soon.
(b) Japan leads the world in cloud computing readiness, in trade industry. (News originally from Singapore, Feb. 22 Kyodo)
(c) Toyoto dominates the U.S. consumer magazine’s 2012 top car picks. (News originally from TAMPA, Florida, Feb. 28 Kyodo)
( – So much of amazing/inspiring news!!)
Japanese Teacher, Toshiko Jackson
5.4.12
Methods for Learning Mandarin
Visual Methods for Learning Mandarin Chinese
• Use textbooks, flashcards
• Make notes, lists and diagrams
• Watch Mandarin-language videos
• Use coloured highlighters for various language functions like verbs, nouns, measure words etc.
Auditory Methods for Learning Mandarin Chinese
• Use audio materials like CDs and MP3 files
• For classroom study, ask if you can record the lessons
• Watch Mandarin-language videos and listen to Mandarin radio
• Record all your written notes
Kinaesthetic Methods for Learning Mandarin Chinese
• Use flashcards and interactive software
• Play role-playing games and practice dialogs with a partner
• Study in the language lab and with other people
• Find a language-exchange partner
Some stories about our Japanese Courses 6
Hi everyone,皆さん、おげんきですか。
In my classes, apart from regular learning activities of speaking, reading, listening, writing and dialogues making/speaking with use of the course book, “Genki 1”, I used interesting flash cards that had letters and pictures (and with words) and other audio-video based materials and had singing activities. And one of the interesting books that I used was “Hatena? Hakken! Book” (Benesse Corp. Japan). It is an educational magazine for children who start the grade 1 in primary schools. I used some pages of that book for classes. The book is written in Hiragana and Katakana only and it has “many lovely pictures” that are interesting even for adults. The pages that I used for classes included the topics of “secrets of animals that we have in our life”, e.g. a cat, dog, hamster, turtle, rabbit, goldfish etc. That is about those animals’ behavior, emotions and functions that often people do not know or notice. Many plain forms of verbs were used in all of those pages.
Also, I talked about the following things with the handouts/copies of the information from the relevant sources.
1. (Source: Nikkei newspaper, 25.1.12, p.1)
Japanese IT multinationals such as Fujitsu, NTT Communications, NEC etc are increasing investment to India that including a large number of job creations in India. Fujitsu will have 8000 experts in coming 2 years; NEC will have 100; Ntt Data will have 9000. Those firms previous major focus was China in the recent years, but that is shifting to focus in India. Also, NTT Com plans to establish a large data centre in Singapore soon this year and one in Hong Kong next year.
2. (Source: the Japan Times Online, 28.2.12)
The most highly regarded (state-run) university in Japan, The University of Tokyo is opening its office in India. The same with a private university, Rutsumeikan University is taking the similar actions in India.
3. I informed about a film “Zatoichi” (or “Zatooichi”) (2003) that was shown on SBS 1 on 29.2.12. That version of “Zatoichi” is different from old days’ version of “Zatoichi” played by Shintaro Katsu (well over a few decades ago). As for one made in 2003, Takeshi Kitano (“Beat” Takeshi) plays the hero, blind and brilliant swordsman in the setting of the samurai period (i.e. a few hundred years ago). Kitano also took directing, writing and co-editing roles for the film. That film is partly more westernized (than old days’ version) and has more lively elements that include great tap dance of young people wearing kimono. It is the excellent film that earned numerous awards both internationally and in Japan. I loved Zatoichi’s words when he said, “Mekura dakara, hito no kimochi ga motto wakarun da.” (= Because I am blind, I can perceive people’s feelings/mind better.) There are many interesting websites about the fascinating film. I hope you will enjoy visiting them.
– Toshiko Jackson (Japanese Language Teacher)
Simple Listening Tips for IELTS
The Dos and DON’Ts
You SHOULD DO following thing while taking IELTS Listening Test:
• Listen carefully to the introduction to each section. This will give you useful information about the situation and the speakers.
• Use the time at the beginning of each section (and in the middle of Section 1-3) to look through the questions and think about the topic.
• Read the instructions for each task carefully, remember to check the maximum number of words allowed.
• Write all your anser as you listen – remember you won’t read the recording a second time.
• Check that what you write makes sense in the context.
• Answer all the questions even if don’t feel sure about an answer – you may have understood more than you think.
• Wait until the end of the test to transfer your answers. You have ten minutes for this which is plenty of time.
• Write clearly when you transfer your answers. If an answer isn’t clear on your answer sheet, you will lose the mark.
• Check your spelling (and grammar where necessary).
You SHOULD NOT DO following things while taking IELTS Listening Test:
• Don’t worry if you have to cross out or change an answer.
• Don’t panic if you miss one question. Look ahead and concentrate on the next one.
• Don’t try to rephrase what you hear. Write down the words you hear which fit the question.
• Don’t write more than the maximum number of words or letters allowed for each answer.
• Don’t copy any words that were printed on the Question Paper when you transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet.
Test Reading Tips and Strategies designed for the intelligent test-taker
1. Predict! Predict! Predict!
Step 1 is always to get a good idea of what the passage is about by quickly looking at the heading and sub-headings. This speed up and facilities understanding and comprehension.
2. Know what you have to do! Quickly look through the questions. Get a general idea of the question types. Perhaps underline some keywords in the questions at the stage.
3. Read through the passage fairly quickly to form a general picture-is there a line of argument? If so what is it? Essentially find out what is the write trying to do.
4. Go straight to question.1. What kind of answer is required? Skim the passage and then scan for the exact information you are looking for and need.
5. Move to question 2 and repeat this process of understanding the question first. You can underline instruction or key words in the question to help you focus on the specific task at hand. Follow this by skimming and scanning to hopefully get the right answer.
6. Are the questions in the same order as the information in the passage? Yes/No? Knowing this is important as it makes things easier.
7. If the question asks for the exact words from the passage give them exact words.
8. If the question asks for no more than 3 words give them no more than 3 words.
9. If looking for 3 experts and their views or opinions highlight their names in the text. It makes things easier.
10. Looking for parallel expression ”eg.”flight for “ becomes “ struggle”
“problems” becomes “ concerns”
“results in “ becomes “consequences of”
11. In a gap fill look for parts of speech that fit in. is it a adjective or a noun requires? Give them what they want.
12. Matching headings with paragraphs can be tricky. Look for key information in paragraphs not minor details.
13. Always study an example if one is given in the question so you know exactly what they want.
14. Don’t let one tough question stump you and make you upset and angry. Stay cool headed. The next question might be an easy one.
Tenses in Mandarin
Unlike tenses in English grammar, verbs do not change forms in Chinese grammar, instead, additional words are added to indicate different tenses. For instance, if I want to address “I am having dinner”, I would say “wǒ zài chī fàn”. On the other hand, if I want to describe “I had dinner”, I would say “wǒ chī guò fàn le”. Besides, if I want to express “ I am going to have dinner”, I would use “wǒ yào chī fàn”. In short, verbs are remaining the same form as they are in different tenses such as present tenses, past tenses and future tenses.
In Chinese, words such as “guò”, “yǐ jing”, “céng jīng”, “wán” are utilized to imply past tenses, whereas words like “zhèng zài”, “zài”, “zhèng” indicate present tenses. In other cases, the indicators including “yào”, “jiāng”, “hui”, “jiāng yào” depict future tenses.
Therefore, it is important to remember tenses indicators to identify different tenses in Chinese.
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