Japanese

Build a foundation in Japanese while exploring how the language works and the culture that shapes it. Through real-life examples, guided pronunciation practice, and interaction with your instructor, you’ll explore common greetings, introductions, everyday expressions, and the building blocks of Japanese words and sentences. Learn how to address others in different social settings, and the crucial linguistic skills of politeness, respect, and humility.

This class focuses primarily on spoken Japanese, with a brief introduction to the writing system. Written examples will always use the English alphabet.

No prior Japanese experience is needed, though students at any level are welcome to join and strengthen their understanding of the fundamentals.

About the instructor:  Dave Iannucci has been a student of the Japanese language since 1989, and lived in Tokyo for eight years in the 90s. He has an MA in general linguistics from the U, and a doctorate in linguistics with specialization in Japanese from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  He is a fan of Grand Sumo, which you can even watch on normal TV here in Utah!