Japanese Grammar Self-Taught (In Roman Character)

The scheme of this work is to provide a complete manual of the Japanese language rather than a phrase book for travellers and others temporarily visiting Japan. Such visitors have not been overlooked, however, for a large number of Conversational Phrases and Sentences, conveniently classified, have been added, together with full Vocabularies alphabetically arranged. The work is carried out in the Roman character, as for all practical purposes of international communication the Roman alphabet is being steadily adopted by the Japanese themselves. The Syntax certainly is formidable to a European, as it is quite different from anything met with in Western languages, but Syntax is of very minor importance in Japanese?at least as regards making one’s self understood. The Grammar has been compiled from the Author’s notes, accumulated during many years’ experience in preparing candidates for examinations, etc., and much of the matter introduced has been suggested by the questions and the difficulties of pupils. No attempt has been made to discuss verbroots, archaic forms, and other matters interesting to philologists, but of no value to anyone taking up the study for practical purposes. The particular aim of this book is to meet the need of those who require to make use of the spoken language without the usual expenditure of time and effort necessary to acquiring the grammar.