Japanese As A Foreign Language Research Articles

The role of phonological overlap and cognates in dual logographic bilinguals’ phonological processing

Most previous studies on Chinese-Japanese bilingual lexical access have shown that cognates can facilitate L2 Japanese word recognition, and phonological overlap cannot. However, the findings from this research challenge those findings. In this study, both high- and low- proficient JFL (Japanese as a Foreign Language) learners performed phoneme monitoring tasks in their second language. Orthographically similar words with high or low phonological and semantic similarity were fully crossed. Our results suggest that phonological overlap across Chinese and Japanese interferes with phoneme processing speed and accuracy, especially those of the low-proficient JFL learners. Yet as their L2 proficiency improves, this inhibition effect can become smaller. In addition, cognate semantic overlap marginally interacts with L2 proficiency to affect phoneme recognition, though cognates do not directly play a role in phoneme processing. The theoretical implications of our research suggest that phonology functions as a non-selective element in the phonological access phase for bilinguals literate in two logographic languages. Moreover, cross-logographic processing does not conform to the cascading model; instead, it can be more accurately described by the modular or interactive models of bilingual processing.

THE USE OF ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION IN MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOMS IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE TEACHING

Purpose. This article examines the use of English medium instruction (EMI) for teaching Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) by non-native speakers with a focus on multilingual classrooms. It also explores teachers’ positive and negative beliefs about using EMI in classroom settings for JFL instruction. Methods and procedure. 274 non-native Japanese language teachers from around the world (57 countries) voluntarily participated in a survey, answering a questionnaire on Google Forms and Jotform. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. The research instrument was piloted before the main study and was found to be effective and adequate to elicit the desired data. The research questions aimed to identify whether there were any relationships between the use of EMI and the multilingual classroom. Findings. The results showed a clear correlation between the extensive use of EMI and the multilingual character of JFL classrooms. Translanguaging turned out to be a common practice adopted by non-native Japanese teachers regardless of the primary language of instruction. The article concludes that EMI can be a valuable tool for JFL instruction in multilingual classrooms. Based on the investigation of the teachers’ beliefs, the results showed a changing positive attitude towards English employed in JFL classrooms. Implications for research and practice. The findings can be used to further investigate EMI in JFL instructional practices in multilingual classrooms, improve the quality of JFL instruction and facilitate the integration of multilingual education into foreign language teaching. Future research can explore the effectiveness of EMI in different JFL contexts and investigate the impact of EMI on students’ language learning outcomes.

A collostructional approach to Japanese noun-modifying clause construction use and acquisition: a learner corpus study

Abstract Japanese features a general noun-modifying clause construction (NMCC) with a more versatile range of semantic and pragmatic interpretations than equivalent constructions in other languages. Motivated by the learning challenge NMCCs pose to Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) learners, this article examines speech data from the International Corpus of Japanese as a Second Language (I-JAS) to compare learner use of NMCCs against a large L1 Japanese corpus. Instances of the construction from both corpora were analyzed to identify high-frequency part-of-speech categories and subcategories in the modifying clause predicate and head noun slots. A simple collexeme analysis was then employed to identify strongly attracted and repelled lexical items among those identified in realizations of the construction. Taken together, findings from these analyses revealed an important connection between the semantic weight of head nouns in NMCCs and the idiomaticity of the construction, with learner productions demonstrating a tendency toward heavy head nouns. This study lays the groundwork for future research seeking to explore the NMCC at different levels of granularity and to improve its treatment in JFL pedagogical materials.

The development of syntactic complexity of Chinese JFL learners based on Mean Dependency Distance and Mean Hierarchical Distance

Abstract Mean dependency distance (MDD) and mean hierarchical distance (MHD) are two linguistic measures used in dependency syntax studies to investigate the syntactic features of compositions written by English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. However, their applicability and validity in differentiating proficiency levels and genre effects among Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) learners remain unknown. This study uses a longitudinal dataset that tracks 110 Chinese JFL learners over 12 months and examines their syntactic development as well as the effects of genres. The results indicate that both MDD and MHD effectively capture developmental and genre effects; moreover, both measures show significantly higher values in argumentative writing than narrative writing. However, the extent of genre effects over time is not the same in MDD and MHD. The findings provide new insights into the developmental characteristics of JFL learners’ interlanguage and may contribute to evaluating syntactic complexity and developing automatic evaluation systems.

Factors in cognitive processing of Japanese loanwords by advanced Chinese Japanese-as-a-foreign-language learners.

Previous studies have highlighted the challenges faced by Chinese Japanese-as-a-foreign-language (JFL) learners (whose L2 is English) in acquiring L3 Japanese loanwords. These challenges arise from the linguistic characteristics of loanwords and the limited emphasis on teaching and learning them. However, there is a lack of research on the specific factors that influence the processing of Japanese loanwords among Chinese JFL learners. Significant motivation exists, therefore, to investigate these influencing factors as they provide valuable insight into the integration of phonographic and ideographic language systems, ultimately facilitating future lexical acquisition. In this study, an experiment was conducted on 31 Chinese JFL learners to investigate the effects of loanword familiarity, English vocabulary proficiency, English-Japanese phonological similarity, and context on the processing of Japanese loanwords. Data analysis, using a (generalized) linear mixed-effect model, provided the following insights: (1) the processing of Japanese loanwords is influenced by English-Japanese phonological similarity, loanword familiarity, context, and learner English proficiency. Among these four factors, familiarity has the most significant impact on Japanese loanword processing; (2) the effects of context and phonological similarity on the processing of Japanese loanwords are not consistently positive. As learners improve their proficiency in L3 Japanese, they tend to decrease their reliance on English knowledge and instead access loanword representations directly to conceptual representations. Based on the findings of this study, a processing model for Japanese loanwords among advanced Chinese JFL learners is proposed. The model emphasizes the critical importance of the characteristics of loanwords, including phonological similarity and familiarity. It is necessary to determine the specific circumstances in which context considerably enhances learner processing ability.

Effects of the Continuation Task and the RCC Task on Japanese as a Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

Abstract This study examined the effects of the continuation task and the reading plus continued cloze (RCC) task on Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) vocabulary learning with a view to shedding fresh light on the relationship among depth of processing, interaction, alignment, and learning effects. Three classes of beginning-level JFL learners were randomly assigned to a continuation group, a RCC group, and a control group. A meaning recall test and an oral form recall test were used to gauge vocabulary learning gains. It was found that (i) both tasks led to significant immediate and long-term gains on both the oral form test and the meaning test and (ii) the continuation task showed superiority over the RCC task in promoting JFL vocabulary learning. Implications of these results for JFL vocabulary teaching are discussed.

The Consumption of Popular Culture Products among Japanese Language Learners at Universiti Teknologi Mara

Today, Japanese popular culture stands as one of the leading and most prominent popular cultures around the world. Many researchers from the West studied Japanese popular culture and its relation to various aspects, namely teaching and learning Japanese, tourism, product selling, and also cultural exchange between Japan and the rest of the world. The current study aims to investigate the consumption of Japanese popular culture products among the Japanese language learners at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). The result from the study indicates that the consumption of Japanese popular culture products is high among Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) learners, and this could be implied that they are very interested in anime, manga, song, and seiyu (voice actor), and these are used as a tool to improve their proficiency in the Japanese language.

Self‐directed learning with anime: A case of Japanese language and culture

AbstractDue to its accessibility and popularity, anime has been explored as a motivation for learning Japanese and as a pedagogical tool linking Japanese‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (JFL) literacy practices inside and outside of the classroom. However, JFL learners' actual practices in anime‐mediated self‐directed learning have not been fully investigated. Thus, this study examined JFL learners' digital literacy practices in their self‐directed learning via anime. The study's anime focus group (AFG) (n = 6) engaged in activities with three commercial anime titles throughout 10 consecutive weeks. Additionally, JFL learners from a Japanese language program (n = 191) and students from an anime class (n = 79) completed surveys, which illustrated the presence of anime in their lives, their purposes for learning Japanese, and exposure to Japanese in their literacy lifeworlds. The AFG's reflections also demonstrated anime's potential in digital literacies to present diverse linguistic and cultural information and links between in‐class and outside‐of‐classroom learning.

A Yonsei’s Heritage Language Learning Journey

This autoethnography chronicles my journey of learning Japanese as a heritage language (HL). Scholarship on Japanese HL learning has explored the challenges of HL learning for Japanese and Japanese Americans (JAs); however, little research was conducted on late-generation (third, fourth) JA learners, and particularly on “receptive learners.” 2 This autoethnography addresses these gaps by answering the question: what external (historical, societal) or internal (ethnic identity) factors influenced the loss or motivation to relearn my HL in the autoethnographer, a late-generation JA? Data were collected from my literacy narrative and pedagogical artifacts (e.g., journals, quizzes and assignments, etc.) from the Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) courses I took, and analyzed thematically for influential factors and motivation patterns. Findings reveal that (1) racism and internment (as the historical and societal factors) and shame and the aspiration to reconnect with the heritage culture (as the internal factors) influenced my longitudinal course of learning Japanese; and (2) what motivated a late-generation JA to study my HL is not for professional reasons, as claimed in previous research, but to heal from a conflicted legacy and the desire to communicate orally with members of the heritage culture. However, my effort to realize these goals was thwarted by the curricular design of the JFL courses, which focused primarily on orthographic practices and insufficiently on oral proficiency, raising legitimate questions about the pedagogical appropriateness of JFL courses for HL learners.

Language ideologies among Japanese foreign language teachers: Keigo and L2 speakers

AbstractThis study reports findings of a survey about keigo, Japanese honorifics, and L2‐Japanese speakers; survey respondents were teachers of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). Researchers have studied keigo ideologies within Japanese society and documented approaches to keigo instruction and learners' efforts to master or resist keigo. However, researchers have not studied teachers' beliefs about keigo and neither the impact of keigo ideologies on classroom practice nor teachers' views of students as legitimate Japanese speakers have been studied. The survey examines JFL teachers' beliefs about keigo, approaches to teaching keigo, and beliefs about keigo's relevance for L2 speakers. Conducted within a qualitative framework, analysis of thematic coding and descriptive statistics demonstrate that respondents report different standards for L2 speakers that convey implicit native‐speaker bias. Findings underscore the importance of foreign language teachers reflecting on language ideologies that affect classroom practices and advocating for L2 speaker legitimacy.

L2 Learners’ Selection of Formality in Japanese Verbs: Linguistic and Non- Linguistic Factors

This study explores how Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) learners express their own cultures and identities as well as their L1 aspects in L2 Japanese in terms of politeness. Many scholars claim that language reflects the speaker’s culture and identity, so it could be natural for JFL learners to express their cultures and identities in Japanese. Based on the idea, how JFL learners’ non-linguistic as well as linguistic aspects are reflected in their use of Japanese verb forms in terms of formality was examined through an activity called ‘Translation-based Communicative Activity’ in a university-level Japanese class. In the activity, the learners selected verb forms at different levels of politeness according to different social contexts. The participants were 12 international students from 8 different countries studying in Japan. As a result, American, German, and French students tend to show their L1 context (both linguistic and cultural aspects) in expressing politeness in L2. On the other hand, half of the Asian students (Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, and Mongolian) selected the verb forms in the way of the Japanese rather than their own ways. In this paper, we discuss what makes the difference in the students’ selections of the verb forms in each context among different subjects.

Being native and being foreign

Abstract Pennington and Richards (2016) argue that if the medium of instruction (MOI) is not the native language of the instructor, lack of proficiency in the MOI could bring about a lack of confidence. This study inquired how native Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) teachers at tertiary institutions in New Zealand and Australia perceive their English proficiency, how it influences their linguistic identity, and how the fact that they are native speakers of the target language influences their linguistic identity. Based on responses from an online questionnaire with more than 50 respondents as well as 12 follow-up individual interviews, this study argues that their linguistic identity is not narrowly conceived around their non-nativeness in English and nativeness in Japanese, but constructed from more multi-faceted aspects of language teacher identity formation, especially by factors pertinent to the very nature of the tertiary teaching environment in these countries.

L2 learners’ perceptions of grammar: the case of JFL learners in the UK

ABSTRACT This study reports on the findings of a questionnaire administered to 93 students studying Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) at British universities, focusing on their views of the role of grammar in their learning of Japanese. Learners’ views are important because mismatches with their teachers’ views can affect their learning negatively. Following previous studies, the learners in this study, who were at upper-beginner to lower-intermediate levels, valued formal instruction and wanted teachers to give detailed explanations on grammar. In particular, their views suggested that they seek greater understanding of the semantic and pragmatic features of new grammatical structures. We suggest that particularly in the case of a ‘less familiar’ language such as Japanese, anglophone learners can benefit from a ‘focus on forms’ approach that incorporates different learning processes such as pattern recognition and making associations, alongside a ‘focus on form’ approach that assists their understanding of how the target grammatical structures are used in context.

Indonesian students’ perceptions of mnemonics strategies to recognize Japanese kanji characters

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to explore university students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of recognizing Japanese Kanji characters by using mnemonic strategies and of understanding Kanji’s meanings. Fifty Indonesian university students majoring in Japanese Language Education participated in this study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire survey and an in-depth interview with Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) students. Drawing on the analysis of questionnaire and interview data, students reported that the use of mnemonic strategies successfully enhanced their comprehension of Japanese Kanji characters lexically and semantically. The findings also showed that the mnemonic strategy was so applicable that students could recognize Japanese Kanji characters. The use of technology also mediated the adoption of the mnemonic strategy. Thus, the implication of the study is that by using different mnemonic strategies along with the use of technology, Japanese teachers could teach Japanese Kanji characters to students whose writing systems background is other than Latin/Roman alphabet systems.

CALL and JFL teacher education in Japan: A course description

This paper explores the integration of ICT into Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) teacher education through a description of a CALL graduate course. It begins with some background on JFL CALL, the course, and the students. The main section describes the course activities for improving the students’ computer literacy; demonstrating techniques for using standard application software for teaching purposes; introducing the range of JFL courseware and Internet sites; providing practice in evaluating these teaching materials; and demonstrating basic techniques of online teaching. The conclusion covers the merits of this approach to CALL teacher education. Most of the activities described could be adapted for use in any CALL teacher education course.

Motivation to learn Japanese as a foreign language in an English speaking country: An exploratory case study in New Zealand

The conceptualization of L2 motivation has largely involved survey-only studies of English, a growing global language, in English as foreign language (EFL) contexts. There has been less consideration of languages other than English, such as Japanese. This study aims to understand the motivation types and learning experiences of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) learners in New Zealand, where foreign language learning is neither required nor widely valued, and where JFL learner numbers have declined at universities. This small-scale exploratory semester-long study examines different motivational constructs through qualitative data from an open-ended questionnaires and quantitative data from an L2 motivation survey. Analysis of the data indicated that integrativeness was the major initial reason for choosing to learn Japanese, but as students engaged in JFL learning and with the L2 community, they developed ideal L2 selves. Positive L2 learning experiences, often related to intrinsic orientation to learning, sustained their JFL learning. This study draws a different picture to previous EFL motivation research about future self-images, showing that different target languages and diverse reasons for learning should be considered in analyzing L2 motivation.

PREFERENCES FOR MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES: A COMPARISON OF STUDENT AND TEACHER PERSPECTIVE IN JAPANESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (JFL) CLASSROOM IN SRI LANKA

This study was aimed to investigate the teachers’ and students’ preference of motivational strategies employed in motivating students to learn Japanese language in General Certificate of Education (G.C.E) Advanced Level classes in Sri Lanka. The sample consisted of 27 Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) teachers and 275 students. An adapted questionnaire with 28 items was used to measure the perception of students and teachers towards using motivational strategies in JFL classroom. Fourteen items in the questionnaire targeted at measuring traditional strategies while the rest of the items measured innovative strategies. Descriptive statistics was used to find out the mean values of both the teachers’ and students’ preference of strategies and to prepare two lists of motivational strategies according to the priority order of rankings rated by teachers and students. The independent samples T-test was applied to determine the significant level of difference between the two groups. The results indicated that both students and teachers agree on the use of motivational strategies to motivate students. Nevertheless, it is statistically evident that students prefer innovative strategies than traditional strategies while teachers prefer both types of strategies equally. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference between these two motivational strategies as perceived by teachers and students. Article visualizations:

A portrait of Japanese popular culture fans who study Japanese at an Australian university: Motivation and activities beyond the classroom

Abstract This article presents a quantitative study with a focus on portraying Japanese Popular Culture (JPC) fans who take a Japanese language course at a university. Questionnaires were administered to students who were studying Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) at a multi-campus university in Australia. 247 participants (which accounts for an 85.6 per cent response rate) responded to questions concerning interest in studying Japanese, future motivation and out-of-class activities related to JPC. Further data regarding JPC consumption in retrospect and perceived benefits of JPC in studying Japanese were collected from those who identified themselves as JPC fans. It revealed that nearly three-quarters of the students were self-claimed JPC fans. While both fans and non-fans showed high interest in the language, interest in traditional culture and travel to Japan, fans revealed substantially higher motivation than non-fans in all other accounts, namely future motivation. Non-fans, however, showed relatively high motivation only in future employment. A prominent finding was that fans were exposed to Japanese language far more frequently outside the classroom than non-fans of JPC. The most popular activities for fans were watching anime, listening to J-pop music and playing video games. Reading ‘manga’ was also a frequent activity but they were reading translated ‘manga’. The findings suggest that future motivation associated with Japan and Japanese language is an important element in continuing Japanese language study. This article has implications for the role of popular culture in foreign language (FL) education, in particular when many FL learners are interested in popular culture like JPC.

An Investigative Report on Rakugo in the JFL(Japanese as a Foreign Language) Learner’s native language-Through a rakugo performance in Chinese-

An Investigative Report on Rakugo in the JFL(Japanese as a Foreign Language) Learner’s native language-Through a rakugo performance in Chinese-

Computer-assisted learning of communication (CALC): A case study of Japanese learning in a 3D virtual world

AbstractThis study investigates an instantiation of a 3D virtual world–based Japanese learning curriculum within the context of a Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) classroom. Through a mixed-method case study approach, participants’ natural acquisition of Japanese in a 3D virtual environment was examined. In the present study, four sources of data from 11 university-level JFL students (n=11) were collected and analyzed to evaluate the learning outcomes from a new instructional approach called computer-assisted learning of communication (CALC). Based on both interpretative and statistical analyses of data, the major finding of the present study was that the participants, when immersed in the 3D virtual world of Tokyo, acquired contextualized communicative competence. More specifically, quantitative analyses revealed statistically significant improvement in the participants’ acquisition of incidentally encountered vocabulary, in particular, kanji pronunciation and vocabulary interpretation. Qualitative analyses revealed participants’ acquisition of various communicative competencies specific to the context, including persuasive talk, awareness of audience, and collaborative communication.