Japanese: The Spoken Language

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Japanese: The Spoken Language (JSL) is an introductory textbook series for learning Japanese. JSL was written by Eleanor Harz Jorden in collaboration with Mari Noda. Part 1 was published in 1987 by Yale Language Press, Part 2 in 1988, and Part 3 in 1990. The series differs from most Japanese language textbooks in that it focuses exclusively on the spoken language and leaves discussion of any aspect of the written language to other textbooks, such as the parallel series Japanese: The Written Language.

The textbook is controversial both among students of the language and among pedagogical researchers. Detractors of the textbook take issue with its usage of romaji, the complex grammatical explanations, the emphasis on memorization, and the relatively small number of vocabulary items (among other things). However, these same points are cited as strengths of the textbook by supporters. In any case, the book's approach does represent a well-researched and well-tested pedagogical system, rather than just the individual whims of its author.

The book utilizes a form of romaji based closely on the Nihon-shiki form of romanization (which is often used in Japan), but which looks unusual to people who are used to the standard Hepburn romanization. The romanization system attempts to follow the Japanese syllable structure to simplify grammatical relationships, rather than attempting to represent the sound. This causes confusion among some students who do not realize the pedagogical purpose of the romanization system, or who are used to using Hepburn in their classes.