scholarly journals Plural Marking in Spoken and Written Narratives: A Corpus-based Study of Japanese Learners of English

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Yumiko Yamaguchi ◽  
Hiroko Usami
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Developmental Sequence ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
L2 Development ◽  
Plural Marking ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Linguistic Structures

This paper aims to present the results of a learner corpus study on spoken and written narratives by Japanese learners of English using Processability Theory (PT) (Pienemann, 1998). PT assumes that there is a universal hierarchy of second language (L2) development and many studies (e.g., Di Biase, Kawaguchi, & Yamaguchi, 2015; Pienemann, 1998) have shown support for PT stages for English L2. However, few PT studies have addressed the issues of whether learners use linguistic structures in the same way in spoken and written tasks. The current study focuses on learners’ use of plural marking on nouns, since contradictory results have been reported for the developmental sequence of lexical plural -s and phrasal plural -s (Charters, Dao, & Jansen, 2011). The participants in this study comprised 291 university students learning in English programs in Japanese universities. Each of them performed spoken and written narratives using a picture book titled Frog, where are you? (Mayer, 1969) containing 24 wordless pictures. The learner corpus including both 291 audio-recorded and transcribed spoken narratives and 291 written narratives was compiled. The results of the analyses showed a connection between learners’ use of plural marker -s in speaking and that in writing, while a small number of students were found to perform differently in two different tasks. Moreover, this study demonstrated support for the developmental sequence of lexical and phrasal plural marking predicted in PT. 

scholarly journals L2 Proficiency and L2 Developmental Stages: A Learner Corpus Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. p516
Author(s):  
Yumiko Yamaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Learner Corpus Analysis ◽  
Japanese Learners

This paper presents part of the results of a learner corpus study of English oral and written production by a large number of Japanese native speakers. Each participant was asked to perform two tasks, namely spoken and written narratives, using a picture book titled “Frog, where are you?” (Mayer, 1969) containing 24 wordless pictures. For the analyses in the current study, the data from 80 learners, focusing on audio-recorded and transcribed spoken narratives, was used. The Japanese learners’ speech production was examined based on Processability Theory (PT; Pienemann, 1998, 2005; Bettoni & Di Biase, 2015) as well as on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR; Council of Europe, 2001). Results show that there is a correlation between second language (L2) proficiency levels and L2 developmental stages in a learner corpus of L2 spoken English. On the other hand, the dispersion is found to increase at higher stages as shown in previous studies (e.g., Granfeldt & Ågren, 2013; Hagenfeld, 2017).

scholarly journals L2 Written Production by Japanese Learners of English

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. p88
Author(s):  
Yumiko Yamaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Linear Connection ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Written Production ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
L2 Development ◽  
Japanese Learners

This paper presents part of the results of a learner corpus study of English spoken and written performances by Japanese native speakers. For the current study, the written data from 80 participants were used. Their English written production was examined based on Processability Theory (PT; Pienemann, 1998, 2005; Bettoni & Di Biase, 2015) as well as on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR; Council of Europe, 2001). Results demonstrated that there was an implicational pattern in the acquisition of English L2 grammar by the Japanese learners as predicted in PT. It was also shown that there was a linear connection between second language (L2) development as found in PT analysis and L2 proficiency levels as measured by the CEFR rating, while a statistically significant difference was not found.

scholarly journals The acquisition of pronominal case-marking by Japanese learners of English

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Suda ◽  
Shigenori Wakabayashi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Case Marking ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Eighth Grade Students ◽  
L2 Development ◽  
Lexical Learning ◽  
Early Learners ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Lexical Transfer

Eighty-one seventh- and eighth-grade students (age 12—14) learning English in Japanese classrooms were tested on their knowledge of English case-marked pronouns in sentences like He likes her, * He likes she and * Him likes her. The aim of the study was to evaluate the predictions of three theories of second language (L2) development against the results obtained. Given the case-marking properties of Japanese, the Full Transfer/Full Access model of Schwartz (1998) and Schwartz and Sprouse (1994; 1996; 2000), the Minimal Trees model of Vainikka and Young-Scholten (1994; 1996a; 1996b; 1998) and the Lexical Learning/Lexical Transfer model of Wakabayashi (1997; 2002) make different predictions about the kinds of patterns of case-marked pronouns that will be found in the second language English of early learners with Japanese first language (L1). It is argued that the results are consistent with the predictions of the Lexical Learning/Lexical Transfer model, but with neither Full Transfer/Full Access nor Minimal Trees.

scholarly journals Exploring the L2 learning benefits of digital game-based spoken interaction among Japanese learners of English

2020 ◽  
pp. 102-106
Author(s):  
Michael Hofmeyr
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
L2 Development ◽  
Discourse Strategies ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Spoken Interaction

This paper describes the initial findings of an exploratory research project investigating the use of the cooperative digital puzzle game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes as a means to facilitate Second Language Acquisition (SLA). A qualitative case study approach was taken to closely examine the linguistic interaction between three L2 learners of English at a Japanese university who played the game over four one-hour sessions. The findings include clear examples of learners negotiating for meaning and making use of a range of discourse strategies theorised to contribute to effective language learning within an interactionist SLA framework. By demonstrating that the learner-to-learner interaction evoked by this game can set in motion multiple processes linked to L2 development, the results suggest that the game, as well as others that make use of a similar information-gap mechanic, could be effectively put to use for language learning and teaching purposes in a variety of formal and informal educational contexts.

scholarly journals A CONSIDERATION OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SPOKEN AND WRITTEN ENGLISH OF NATIVE SPEAKERS AND JAPANESE LEARNERS: A CORPUS-BASED STUDY

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin’ichiro Ishikawa
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Production Mode ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
The Relationship

It is often said that speeches and writings vary greatly with regard to vocabulary and grammar. However, how these differences can be seen in language use by English native speakers and non-native speakers has not been wholly elucidated. The current study, using the International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English (ICNALE), quantitatively compares topic-controlled speeches and writings by native speakers and Japanese learners of English. Our learner-corpus-based analyses revealed that the difference is not as substantial as widely believed for native speakers in terms of highly frequent words, frequency of eleven textual indices, statistical positioning of individual samples, clustering structure of the indices, and the relationship between the production mode and the indices.

A Learner Corpus Study of Attributive Clauses and Passive Voice in Student Translations

2015 ◽  
pp. 85-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Passive Voice ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Linguistic Structures

This chapter centers on the nuisance caused by passive voice and attributive clauses in student translations. With the use of learner corpus, calculation, categorization, and annotation functions enable analysis of common linguistic features in student translators. The aim of this study is to correct learners' under-use, over-use, and misuse of terms and linguistic structures. By incorporating technology into teaching and by analyzing passive tense and attributive clauses in student translations with learner corpus, the following study can contribute in designing more effective curricula and teaching materials. The use of objective data to examine student translations provides student translators an autonomous learning environment and translation improvement opportunities.

scholarly journals Developmental Stages and the CEFR Levels in Foreign Language Learners’ Speaking and Writing

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Yumiko Yamaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
English Syntax ◽  
Japanese Learners

<p class="AbstractTitle"><em>This paper aims to investigate foreign language learners’ speaking and writing based on a second language acquisition (SLA) theory and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR; Council of Europe, 2001). While the CEFR has been widely used as a reference instrument in foreign language </em><em>education</em><em>, there has been insufficient empirical research undertaken on the CEFR levels (e.g., Hulstijin, 2007; Wisniewski, 2017). Also, few studies have examined how the CEFR levels relate to the developmental stages predicted in SLA theories. In this study, spoken and written narratives performed by 60 Japanese learners of English are examined based on one of the major SLA theories, namely Processability Theory (PT; Pienemann, 1998, 2005; Bettoni &amp; Di Biase, 2015), as well as on the CEFR. Results show that the Japanese L1 learners acquire English syntax as predicted in PT in both speaking and writing. In addition, there seems to be a linear correlation between the CEFR levels and PT stages. However, it is also found that the learners at the highest PT stage are not necessarily at a higher CEFR level.</em><em></em></p>

scholarly journals Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis of Discourse Markers Used by Nonnative and Native English Speakers

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunari Shimada
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Qualitative Analyses

In this study, the use of discourse markers (DMs) in the speech of Japanese learners of English was investigated. To explore the features of their DM use, corpora of nonnative and native English speakers’ speech were analysed using the methodology called Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis. A frequency analysis of DMs revealed significant differences between Japanese learners’ and native speakers’ speech, supporting earlier findings. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the learner corpus data suggest that Japanese learners may use the marker so more frequently than other nonnative English learners, while also using certain interpersonal or cognitive function markers such as you know, I mean, and just less frequently. The findings suggest the need for language instructors and materials writers to understand the characteristics of Japanese learners’ interlanguage and to provide them with appropriately designed DM input. 本研究は、日本人英語学習者の話し言葉における談話標識（discourse markers: DMs）の使用を調べたものである。日本人英語学習者のDMs使用の特徴を探るために、対照中間言語分析の手法に基づき、非英語母語話者と英語母語話者の話し言葉コーパスを分析した。まず、日本人英語学習者と英語母語話者の話し言葉におけるDMsの使用頻度を分析したところ、先行研究と同じく、大きな差が見られた。次に、非英語母語話者の話し言葉を量的・質的の両面で分析した結果、日本人英語学習者が、他の非英語母語話者に比べてsoを多く使用し、you know, I mean, justなどの対人関係的、認知的機能をもつDMsをあまり使用しないことが明らかになった。その結果は、教師や教材作成者が日本人英語学習者の中間言語の特徴を理解し、学習者に対して慎重にDMsをインプットしていく必要性があることを示唆している。

Development of the L2 Motivational Self System: English at a University in Japan

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Aubrey
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
L2 Motivation ◽  
L2 Motivational Self System ◽  
Motivational Structure ◽  
International Posture ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Self System

This paper reports on a study investigating changes in L2 motivation for Japanese learners of English as they completed their first communicative English language course at university. I aim to describe the strength and structure of students’ motivation and the degree to which these changed over one semester. A 36-item questionnaire was used to measure components of the L2 Motivational Self System and International Posture. The questionnaire was administered twice to 202 second-year university students in Japan: during the first week of the semester and 11 weeks later. Structural equation models were created to describe the causal relationships between motivational variables for the two time periods. Paired t tests revealed that both motivated learning behavior and ought-to L2 self significantly increased over the semester. A comparison of the two models indicated that there was a change in the motivational structure from Week 1 to Week 12. 本研究は、英語学習者の動機づけの強さと構造、及びその変化に焦点をあて、日本人大学生の外国語（L2）に対する動機づけの変化を調査した。大学で最初に履修するコミュニケーション英語の授業を対象に、第2言語習得を動機づける自己システム（L2 Motivational Self System）と国際志向性の2側面を測定する36項目からなる質問紙を作成し、2年生202名に対して授業第1週目とその11週間後に調査を実施した。分析は、まず構造方程式モデリングで2回の調査間の動機づけの変化を分析し、それに基づき対応のあるt検定を実施した。分析の結果、動機づけの高い学習行動と義務自己ought-to selfに関する数値が1学期を通して向上したことが明らかになった。

The Generalization of Instruction on Genitive Relative Clause in the Acquisition of English as a Foreign Language

2006 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 99-113
Author(s):  
Akihiro Ito
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Relative Clause ◽  
Relative Clauses ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Special Instruction ◽  
Japanese Learners

This study examines the generalization of instruction in foreign language learning. A group of Japanese learners of English served as participants and received special instruction in the structure of genitive relative clauses. The participants were given a pre-test on combining two sentences into one containing a genitive relative clause wherein the relativized noun phrase following the genitive marker "whose" is either the subject, direct object, or object of preposition. Based on the TOEFL and the pre-test results, four equal groups were formed; three of these served as experimental groups, and one as the control group. Each experimental group was given instruction on the formation of only one type of genitive relative clause. The participants were then given two post-tests. The results indicated that the generalization of learning begins from structures that are typologically more marked genitive relative clauses to those structures that are typologically less marked, and not vice versa.

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