Abstract
Recent studies on language acquisition and motivation have targeted Japanese language learners in a formal educational context, with less attention paid to learners who study Japanese informally. The current study aims to investigate the impact of Japanese animations in the context of informal third language acquisition. It targets the native speakers of Arabic who are interested in learning Japanese as a third language (L3), and investigates the motivations of Arab teenagers and young adults to learn Japanese. Further, the paper also focuses on examining aspects of Japanese language proficiency among teenagers and young adults, including vocabulary enhancement and grammar competence. The methodology used in the current study is twofold: an online survey questionnaire adopted from Armour and Iida (2016), followed by an engaging experiment in which participants were divided into two groups (reality anime group vs. action anime group) in order to examine the effectiveness of anime selection in boosting proficiency level. The findings of the online survey indicate that Arabic native speakers are highly motivated to learn Japanese, while the experiment results confirm that the type of anime and consistency of exposure do support the acquisition process. Further, the study concluded that consumption of anime series contributes to the learning process and facilitates learners' proficiency in general and vocabulary learning in particular. However, it remains unknown whether or not Arabic native speakers' motivations lead to their enrollment into formal Japanese foreign language education. Avenues for future research and implications are also presented toward the end of the paper.
Highlights
The Japanese popular culture of anime is an emerging topic in the field of third language acquisition
The current study aims to explore the impact of Japanese animations on third language (L3) acquisition
When participants were asked about their L3 language interest, the results indicate that 64% were interested in learning Japanese (n = 174), while 15% were interested in learning Korean (n = 41), followed by 10% for French (n = 27), 6% for Spanish (n = 16), and the least attractive was Chinese, which only accounted for 5% of responses (n = 4), as illustrated in Figure 1 above
Summary
The Japanese popular culture of anime is an emerging topic in the field of third language acquisition. The artistic style of Japanese animations first emerged in the 1960s and gained popularity internationally in the late twentieth century due to the high quality of graphics and sounds. Anime is usually characterized by a continuous and detailed story line, strong character development, and a creative and distinctive artistic style. It addresses a variety of issues including friendship, honor, respect, ambitions, and overcoming obstacles. The anime industry comprises over 400 production companies that have a global reach. A handful of studies has emphasized the link between the Japanese popular culture of anime and foreign language education. Previous studies have targeted Japanese language learners in a formal educational context, and little attention is given to those who study the language informally
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