in North America, but also abroad. The preliminary chapters entitled "Getting Started" were a First Edition feature that many instructors and students found especially useful and effective for their introductory Japanese courses. In response to this positive response, we have revised and expanded these preliminary chapters as a primer to introduce learners to the Japanese language, providing them with a basic foundation for learning Japanese. Yookoso!: Getting Started with Japanese has been developed according to two basic premises: (1) proficient communication in the second language is the goal of foreign language instruction, and (2) the primary function of language is to allow people to communicate, interact, and negotiate meaning. Yookoso!: Getting Started with Japanese provides a starting point for oral and written communication and helps students to develop proficiency in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as in cultural awareness. With this emphasis on interaction in the classroom, students enjoy learning Japanese. The Yookoso! materials and approach have been extensively tested with beginning students of Japanese. In our experience, students become proficient in Japanese more quickly using the Yookoso! approach. The flexible framework of the Yookoso! materials accommodates various approaches to language teaching and different learning styles.

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