Level 4 Japanese will have extensive use of informal speech forms, while expanding vocabulary for daily life, such as managing a budget and travel. Extensive use of honorific verbal forms (keigo) will be further developed, as well as the increase of formal speech. Reading comprehension will be heightened through the use of contextualized paragraphs and short stories. Students will be working with authentic materials, such as newspaper articles and selected sections of popular and historical novels. Authentic video and radio shows will be shown or listened to in order to further develop student familiarity with native speech patterns and intonation. Culture bonding concepts and practices, such as “reserve,” “obligation/indebtedness,” and “outside/inside,” will be explored in depth. The Japanese economy is a theme presented in relationship to the workplace. Students should have a working knowledge of at least four hundred Kanji (ideographs) beyond the Hiragana and Katakana syllabaries.
