I recently found this website for learning Japanese (link: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/index.html）for the very very beginner.
From the site: [quote] It was created as a resource for those who want to learn Japanese grammar in a rational, intuitive way that makes sense in Japanese. The explanations are focused on how to make sense of the grammar not from English but from a Japanese point of view. [/quote]
This is a teaching viewpoint I don't often see on English websites, and actually, from the first few lessons I got a little confused because the approach was radically different from what I'd learned in classes before.
I'd like to know, coming from those of you who have studied more and have a good grasp on the grammar, what do you think of this site? Is it a good resource for learning Japanese?
I mostly liked what I saw so far (and I glanced through the slang section and - finally! - found out what ～てば means xD), and I'm definitely all with him on the reasoning he gives for the site, especially the "read a lot and get a feel for it, use it and be corrected, eventually it will start to feel 'right'" parts of it. I'll definitely glance through it some more later.
I do wish he gave background on himself to show why he has the qualifications to be able to reliably write this guide (I get the impression from glancing through that he's a Korean guy either living in Japan or working at a Japanese company in Korea, and theoretically fluent, but that could all be wrong).
On a side note, that bit he gave about eru and iru for identifying ru verbs was exactly how my first year sensei taught it, though she gave us seven exceptions to start with and called them "vowel" and "consonant" verbs.
I wouldn't say use it as your primary resource, but anytime I've ever been unclear on a textbook's explanation, or was looking for some better examples, Tae Kim's page has been a huge help. Certain things that textbooks just don't say (for SOME infuriating reason), he does. And he also seems to be a proponent of teaching all politeness levels, rather than just です/ます, which I think is a big plus.
His blog is interesting too, by the way: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/blog/
I'm so glad that you found that site! Personally I think his website is one of the best for Japanese grammar. As キャシー said, it uses a good method that leaves you to test things out for yourself. It's worked for me, because I know that I've made lots of progress since I started coming here and talking with people. :P
As for his blog; he says that he is writing a textbook based off the guide. I think that's the neatest idea. What do you guys think? :P
I use this site a lot. Whenever I have that uncertainty about grammar, I always check his guide. I also used his guide to learn katakana and hiragana. Ahh the memories. :D
I love his site... I actually came across is before I started studying Japanese with a teacher. I learned ひりがな and カタカナ using his print-outs, and I've used plenty of his other study sheets to help get a grasp on writing. I frequently go between his site, my Genki book, and the information 先生 gives me all the time to get different points of view and explanations of things.
I just checked out his blog for the first time, too, thanks to ジャック. He posted about another really cool site just a couple days ago. It's an all around study site where you can create and share word lists (which is pretty common). The really cool part, though, is that they have a dictation tool to help with listening comprehension. Some users have also created lists with videos attached, so you can learn the words to a song or movie/show etc. while watching/listening, and have the word list in front of you for new content!
I haven't had the chance to poke around the site too much yet, but so far it looks pretty cool!
