Author Boyé Lafayette De Mente publishes “Home Course” for People Interested in Speaking Japanese from Day One

Internationally known Japanologist/author Boye Lafayette De Mente's latest book, Speak Japanese Today, features English language phonetic guides that make it possible to pronounce Japanese correctly without previous study.

Paradise Valley, AZ (PRWEB) April 2, 2006 -- It is finally being recognized that cultures and languages are virtual mirror images of each other, with languages not only the cultural repository but also the medium that conveys culture from one generation to the next.
    
Arizona-based author Boyé Lafayette De Mente, a pioneer in the use of this intelligence to identify and describe the cultural attributes of the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans, says that key words in languages are, in fact, “windows” to the values and behavior of their native speakers.
    
He has used this approach in a successful series of hard-cover “cultural code word” books on China, Korea and Japan, beginning with “Japan’s Cultural Code Words” and “Japan’s Business Code Words.”
    
These titles have also been published in paperback editions as “The Japanese Have a Word for It,” “The Chinese Have a Word for It,” and so on.
    
De Mente’s other language titles include “Chinese in Plain English,” “Japanese in Plain English,” and “Korean in Plain English,” in which he uses English phonetics as aides in pronouncing all of the words and sentences in the books.
    
Now, taking advantage of the worldwide interest in the Japanese language resulting primarily from the popularity of Japan’s animated films and TV fare (anime/ah-nee-may) and comics (manga/mahn-gah), De Mente has published what he refers to as a “home course” in Japanese for anyone involved with Japanese anywhere.
    
Entitled “Speak Japanese Today—A Little Language Goes a Long Way,” the content of this new book also has English phonetics throughout, making it possible for the user to instantly pronounce Japanese correctly without any previous study.
    
The word for the Japanese language, Nihongo, is one example. The phonetics for its pronunciation are “Nee-hone-go.” All you do is say or read the phonetics in standard English and it comes out in Japanese.
    
What makes this book even more unusual is that it includes key vocabulary and example sentences for airline pilots, stewardesses, Immigration officials, Customs officials, hotel staff, restaurant staff, bartenders, shop clerks, taxi drivers, tour guides, doctors, people hosting Japanese students, and more.
    
“Speak Japanese Today” is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and major bookstore chains.

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