Japanese Learners Research Articles

Task-generated processes in second language speech production: Exploring the neural correlates of task complexity during silent pauses

Abstract The last three decades have seen significant development in understanding and describing the effects of task complexity on learner internal processes. However, researchers have primarily employed behavioral methods to investigate task-generated cognitive load. Being the first to adopt neuroimaging to study second language (L2) task effects, we aimed to provide novel insights into the neural correlates of task-related variation in L2 oral production. To advance research methodology, we also tested the utility of a neuroimaging technique, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in examining the impact of task-related variables on L2 speech production when combined with cognitive–behavioral tools (speech analysis, expert and learner judgments). Our research focus was the effects of task complexity on silent pausing. Twenty-four Japanese learners of English completed eight simple and complex versions of decision-making tasks, half in their first language and half in their L2. The dataset for the present study included the L2 speech and fMRI data, expert judgments, and participants’ difficulty ratings of the L1 and L2 tasks they completed. Based on our findings, we concluded that brain imaging and L1 task difficulty ratings were more sensitive to detecting task complexity effects than L2 self-ratings and pausing measures. These results point to the benefits of triangulating cognitive and neural data to study task-based neurocognitive processes.

Explicit information and practice type can affect the L2 acquisition of plural marking

Abstract Previous research has indicated that explicit information (EI) about either the first language (L1) or second language (L2) along with task-essential practice can facilitate L2 learning (e.g., Fernández, 2008; McManus, 2022). However, little research has examined L1–L2 contrastive EI with L1/L2 practice. Targeting plural-marking accuracy, the present study sought to fill this gap by exposing 127 Japanese intermediate learners of English to six online treatment sessions across four conditions: (1) non-contrastive EI (pluralization rule explanation) + L2 practice, (2) contrastive EI + L2 practice, (3) as per Condition 2 + additional L1 practice (application of L2 pluralization to L1 through the Japanese suffix –tachi), and (4) using prepositions as a control, non-contrastive EI (prepositional rule explanation) + L2 practice. Accuracy was tested at pre/post/delayed intervals using an acceptability judgement task (reading) and a picture description task (writing). Statistical analyses demonstrated greater gains from the contrastive variables in the immediate post-test, with L1 practice appearing especially beneficial, despite improvements diminishing in the delayed post-test. Supplementary data from retroactive interviews and questionnaire responses indicated favourable orientations towards the intervention. The study advances understanding of how EI and practice type can be used to maximize L2 learning through web-based practices tailored to the nature of the learning problem.

Audiovisual speech perception of multilingual learners of Japanese

ABSTRACT Due to the complex nature of languages and the way they are used, it is often difficult to research multilinguals because of the considerable variation in the ways their spoken languages may impact their perceptions. For this reason, foreign language education research has largely been focused on English L2 speakers, overlooking how different languages might impact perception in multilingual speakers. Focusing on Japanese as a Second Language (JSL) learners, this research investigated how multilinguals responded to audiovisual cues in Japanese and English. Utilising web-based eye-tracking technology facilitated by WebGazer.js. Participants were asked to complete a novel phonetic distinction task while their gaze behaviour was measured. Contrary to initial theoretical expectations, the findings did not reveal significant mediation by gaze behaviour on the relationship between multilingualism and task performance. However, the study found that when looking at the duration of fixation on the mouth, there's a significant difference between native English speakers and native speakers of Asian languages when listening to English or Japanese. These findings indicate that further research that explores the nuances of gaze behaviour among multilingual learners of non-English languages (such as Japanese) is necessary.

The Gendered Construction of the Japanese Language-Learning Boom in Postcolonial Korea

ABSTRACT This article analyses the print news media’s gendered representation of Japanese language-learners in postcolonial Korea. It focuses on why young women, notably yŏdaesaeng (female college students) and kisaeng (sex workers in the tourism or entertainment industry), were identified as the main learners of Japanese. I argue that male media elites could not respond to the growing demand for learning the Japanese language in terms of the anti-Japanese nationalistic framework, which equated Korean nationalism to anti-Japanese sentiment. Instead, they attributed postcolonial Korea’s failure to create and sustain a monolingual state to female subjects’ sentimental, sexually promiscuous desire to learn Japanese. Throughout the article, I argue that public commentaries by male intellectuals on Korean women’s Japanese language-learning, which were widely circulated in the media, reinscribed language ideologies of women and bilingualism. This perpetuated patriarchal gender relations, as male nationalists sought to manage tensions arising from Japan’s continued economic and cultural influence, despite the ‘official’ normalisation of relations between Korea and the former colonial power.

Exploring the Development of Progressive Construction in Chinese and Japanese EFL Writing: A Usage‐Based Approach

AbstractThis study investigates the developmental trajectory of progressive construction among Chinese and Japanese EFL learners through a usage‐based approach. A total of 600 written essays, produced by EFL learners from China and Japan with proficiency levels ranging from elementary to upper‐intermediate, were analyzed. The findings reveal that advanced EFL learners, irrespective of their L1 backgrounds, exhibit higher productivity in using progressive constructions, aligning more closely with native English speakers. Moreover, the results support the aspect hypothesis, as activity verbs are predominantly marked with progressive across all learner groups. As for the development of progressive construction, less prototypical verb types in progressives increase proportionally with proficiency levels in the top 10 contingencies. However, discrepancies in proportions among Chinese and Japanese EFL learners underscore the need for a further examination of the intricate patterns of non‐prototypical form‐meaning associations across L1 backgrounds. The present study bears significance in shedding light on the acquisition of tense‐aspect morphology influenced by L1 transfer and learner proficiency.

Bridging in-class and out-of-class learning experiences: a study of learners of Chinese and Japanese in Australia

ABSTRACT Despite an increasing number of studies that explore language learning beyond the classroom (LBC), research examining LBC activities in relation to in-class learning is very limited. This paper investigates what kinds of LBC activities university students of Chinese and Japanese in Australia engage in and how they connect these activities to classroom learning. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, two-week diary entries about their exposure to the target language and stimulated-recall interviews based on their diary entries. The analysis reveals several ways that the students bridge in-class and out-of-class learning, including integration between in-class learning and LBC which are mutually supportive. It also shows some differences in types of LBC activities between learners of Chinese and those of Japanese, in part due to the limited availability of online resources and media in China. Based on these findings, we need to continue to discuss how to encourage LBC based on students’ digital literacies and practices and how to integrate LBC with classroom learning.

Japanese Compound Verbs 「〜dasu」「〜deru」「〜komu」: Exploring Meaning and Illustrated Pedagogy for Japanese Learners

Research on the use of compound verbs in learning the Japanese language becomes crucial as previous studies have not fully addressed aspects related to the necessity of categorizing compound verbs clearly and accurately with a simple understanding. Although Satou (2002) divides verbs based on morphophonology, the research remains incomplete without considering morphosemantic aspects. Therefore, doubts arise regarding the result of combining the two verbs, whether the Verbs Group 1 ‘Godan Doushi’ (V1), referred to as the initial verb element 'zenkouyouso', or the Verbs Group 2 ‘Ichidan Doushi’ (V2), referred to as the final verb element 'gokouyouso', still adhere to the status of the final verb as a jidoushi or tadoushi. Kageyama's (1993) study on the meaning and usage of compound verbs [-dasu] is divided into two groups, indicating a change of place 'ichihenka' and aspect 'aspekuto,' observed in Japanese sentences. The concepts of compound verbs developed by Satou (2002) and Kageyama (2016) are combined eclectically in this research, aiming to obtain accurate data. The results of this analysis may not be well understood without additional support. Therefore, the analysis is presented with the illustrations of compound verbs 「〜dasu」「〜deru」「〜komu」, which are drawn based on example sentences. This research aims to categorize the meanings of compound verbs in Japanese and illustrate them in pictures. Thus, Japanese language learners will optimally understand the use of those verbs based on both the inherent meaning of verbs and sentence structure.

The impact of note-taking, peer feedback, and automated feedback on summary writing: A study in the Japanese EFL context

Summary writing can be challenging for Japanese EFL learners, who tend to have difficulty with over-copying from source texts, reaching appropriate lengths, and choosing information for inclusion. This study reports on three interventions taken in tandem in an academic writing class: note-taking, peer feedback, and automated feedback. The results suggest that combining these interventions into process-writing-based practice effectively enhanced students’ summary writing ability; text-length and content scores increased from a pre- to post-test and the amount of source text copying decreased. Furthermore, we found that students who had higher language ability and more of a tendency to over-copy initially were more likely to improve. Finally, students reported that they preferred the automated feedback and the greatest change in learners’ writing was observed after the automated feedback, so we think that plays an important role in improving summary writing ability. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .

A survey study of success attribution factors in reading comprehension performance-evidence from Chinese college students of Japanese language majors

Attribution beliefs are important psychological factors that affect students’ reading performance. This paper reports a survey study on Japanese Major students’ success attribution factors in reading comprehension performance through a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. The participants are 160 third-year Japanese language learners from four universities in Jiangsu Province, China. Findings revealed that 1) the Japanese third-year language learners show a tendency of positive attribution style on the whole, with the mean value of Internal Factors (Mean=3.68) higher than that of External Factors (Mean=3.23), which means that most of Japanese Major learners attribute their success to Internal Factors in terms of Japanese reading comprehension performance. 2)There are differences existing between high achievers and low achievers with regard to success attribution factors in Japanese reading comprehension performance, with high achievers’ mean scores higher than low achievers in both Internal Factors and External Factors. The research findings have greatly enhanced our understanding of Japanese language learners’ success attribution beliefs in reading comprehension performance, which will provide educational guidance and recommendation for both teachers and students during the process of teaching and learning Japanese language.

Declarative and Automatized Phonological Vocabulary Knowledge: Recognition, Recall, Lexicosemantic Judgment, and Listening‐Focused Employability of Second Language Words

AbstractThis study revisits the roles of different aspects of phonological vocabulary knowledge in second language (L2) listening. Japanese learners of English (n = 114) completed the TOEIC Listening test and three phonological vocabulary tests assessing (a) ability to recognize the meanings of aural forms (meaning recognition), (b) ability to recall the meanings of aural forms (meaning recall), and (c) ability to spontaneously judge the appropriate use of word meanings in sentential contexts (lexicosemantic judgment task [LJT]). Among the three measures, the LJT best predicted the participants’ ability to access the target words during real‐life L2 listening comprehension of monologues and conversations (measured via TOEIC). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that the LJT was distinct from both meaning recognition and recall and revealed their different associations with listening comprehension scores. In line with the skill acquisition theory, we propose that the LJT reflects automatized knowledge, whereas meaning recognition and recall represent declarative knowledge.

Negative transfers in phonological systems of native Chinese speakers when learning Japanese

Negative transfers in phonological systems of native Chinese speakers when learning Japanese

The effect of instruction on L2 learners’ ability to use verbal irony online

Abstract As verbal irony, including jocular irony, is common in many cultures and since language learners have difficulty with it in the target language, L2 educators have made efforts to help learners recognize irony. However, empirical research on using verbal irony online is lacking. Using a pre-posttest, control group design, this study aimed to fill the research gap by examining the efficacy of instruction on the ability of L2 learners to use verbal irony effectively (e.g., saliently, humorously) in response to social media posts. Japanese learners of English (N = 77) were involved. The instruction focused on sociopragmatics (e.g., appropriate usage) and pragmalinguistic aspects (e.g., non-verbal irony cues). Two instruments of 42 mock social media posts each were created (e.g., “My boss just yelled at me even though it was HIS fault.”), and the participants were asked to choose 12 of these to respond ironically to. Two independent raters judged all 1,848 blinded responses for their overall quality. The irony types and cues were also coded by researchers. The findings suggested that the experimental group significantly improved their ability to use verbal irony appropriately and saliently. Compared to the control group, in the posttest they more often used irony in more appropriate contexts (e.g., in response to funny posts as opposed to saddening news). Moreover, they used more irony cues, and their irony was more often rated as funny in the posttest. Implications for teachers and researchers are discussed.

The native speaker model in Japan: constant and changing attitudes

ENGLISH ABSTRACT This paper describes a mixed methods study of Japanese first-year tertiary learners’ attitudes to English language learning models. It outlines the results from a survey comprised of a verbal guise test (measuring respondents’ attitudes to both linguistic and personality features) and vocabulary elicitation, which was administered to 87 participants. Following this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 of these learners. Results of both the survey and interviews showed a strong preference for the native speaker model among participants, as well as negative views of localized Englishes. At the same time, participants were more likely to choose Japanese people as their ideal speaking models. In both cases, perceived personality, more than linguistic features, appeared to be a major factor behind participants’ attitudes. In addition, the findings showed the potential of Japanese language teachers’ use of English as a source of building student confidence, highlighting the importance of developing Japanese teachers’ confidence in their own Englishes.

DICTION AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN DRAMA "WATASHITACHI WA DOUKA SHITEIRU" BY NATSUMI ANDO

The purpose of this study is to describe and explain the diction and figurative language contained in the drama Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru by Natsumi Ando. This research employed the descriptive qualitative method. As for the data provision techniques, the authors used observation and note-taking techniques. Then, the authors analyzed the findings using the translational equivalent method and descriptively presented the results. The research results showed that: a. The uniqueness of the use of language in the drama Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru can be seen in the diction, which refers to the meaning of the use of certain words that the author deliberately chose as follows: (1) diction related to the use of typical greetings, (2) diction related to 「外国語」"gairaigo," (3) diction related to the job of making traditional cakes, and (4) diction related to the use of the word connotations The figurative language typesused in the drama Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru include simile, metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and personification. This research is essential as a reference for Japanese language learners, teachers, and researchersto understand the Japanese language and culture.

Higher reading spans mitigate context effects on lexical processing by low-proficiency L2 learners: a self-paced reading study

AbstractThis study examines context effects on lexical processing by low-proficiency Japanese learners of English during sentence comprehension, and the role of individual differences in verbal working memory (WM). Thirty Japanese learners of English as a second language (L2) and 27 speakers of English as a first language (L1) were recruited for a self-paced reading task with high and low context sentences to assess lexical processing abilities, and a reading span task to measure WM capacities. Bayesian modeling indicated that, at the group level, L2 learners had slower lexical processing times for low context sentences compared to high context ones, especially in the spillover region, while L1 speakers showed no difference. At the individual level, higher WM capacities among L2 learners appeared to mitigate these context effects, supporting the interactive-compensatory model (Stanovich in Read Res Q, 10.2307/747348, 1980; Remedial Spec Educ 5(3):11–19, 10.1177/074193258400500306, 1984). The findings highlight context effects on L2 lexical processing and the crucial role of WM in managing these effects among L2 learners.

Exploring emotions in language learning: Learners’ self-awareness, personal growth, and transformation on a CLIL course

Emotions in language learning are increasingly recognized as playing an important role in learner motivation and flourishing in the learning process. In consequence, much of the research published to date has focused on what happens when different emotions are experienced and the various states that these may lead to. However, studies that consider how language learners understand the importance of emotions in the context of their learning efforts as well as examine ways this understanding is experienced from the perspective of a language learner are scarce in the literature. To address this gap, the present study investigates how Japanese university language learners experienced a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) course specially designed to explore emotions in language learning, including emotional literacy, motivation, character strengths, mindsets, integrated emotion regulation, empathy, and confidence-building connected to positive and negative affect. To interpret this experience, we take a qualitative exploratory approach to analyse the final diary entries of 24 course participants, using the lens of positive psychology applied to language learning. The coding of the diaries uncovered four areas key to understanding the students’ experience, which included social capital, self-awareness of emotions, personal growth, and transformation. The findings suggest that the students profited in diverse positive ways through active engagement and reflection on the rich tapestry of emotion-related constructs connected to language learning, leading to the emergence of new perspectives, growth and transformation related to an enhanced awareness of emotions in language learning.

Japanese Language Learners’ Revision Behavior in Online Collaborative Writing

Japanese Language Learners’ Revision Behavior in Online Collaborative Writing

More foreign-accented but more comprehensible: Attrition and amelioration of L1 speech in proficient L2 learners.

There is an increasing interest in cross-linguistic influences of the second language (L2) on the first (L1), but its communicative impact remains to be elucidated. This study investigates how L2 learners' L1 pronunciation is perceived as foreign-accented and (in) comprehensible as a function of their L2 learning experience and proficiency levels. Read speech of 154 L1 Japanese learners of L2 English in the J-AESOP corpus was examined, where approximately one-third of them had lived in English-speaking countries and the rest had never lived outside of Japan. Their L1 speech was rated by another group of native Japanese listeners for accentedness and comprehensibility (from October 25, 2022 to August 20, 2023), while their L2 speech was previously rated by native American English listeners for nativelikeness or proficiency. The speakers' vowel acoustics were also examined. More proficient L2 speakers were perceived as more foreign-accented in their L1, but only if they had lived overseas; their length of residence abroad predicted the degree of perceived accentedness. In contrast, more proficient L2 speakers were consistently perceived as more comprehensible in the L1, regardless of prior overseas experience. Acoustic analyses indicated that perceived accentedness is associated with a clockwise chain shift of all vowel categories in the vowel space. It was also revealed that the dispersion, rather than compactness, of vowel production contributed to perceived comprehensibility, although the degree of L1 vowel dispersion did not predict L2 proficiency. The overall results suggest two main conclusions. First, perceptible L1 foreign accent likely results from L1 disuse rather than L2 interference, thereby L1 pronunciation differs from native norms at a system-wide rather than category-specific level. Second, L2 learning has a positive influence on perceived L1 comprehensibility, rather than individuals with clearer and more comprehensible L1 speech being inherently better L2 learners.

Refusals in Japanese and Spanish: Pragmatic Transfer in L2

The article presents a heuristic approach to studying the strategies of refusal employed by advanced Japanese learners of Spanish as a foreign language when compared with those of native speakers of Spanish and of Japanese. It examines responses of refusal to requests, invitations, offers, and suggestions while observing the linguistic phenomena of pragmatic transfer used by the speakers. We administered a discourse completion to elicit refusal strategies from participants. The data include 1101 strategies employed in 432 responses formulated by 54 participants comprising advanced Japanese learners of Spanish, native speakers of Spanish, and native speakers of Japanese We found that linguistic ability among Japanese learners correlated positively with pragmatic transfer. The findings demonstrate how cultural priming and the degree of freedom with which learners prompt their responses are interrelated within their mental pragmatic interface in given situations.

Examining readers' use of machine translation through eye tracking

This study examined the use of Google Translate among 50 Japanese learners of English engaged in task-based reading. There was one novel word per paragraph, and the study analyzed the frequency at which the participants accessed machine translation (MT) as opposed to the use of other strategies (e.g., dictionary use). Using eye tracking, it also examined how learners viewed translated paragraphs on MT pages. Finally, the study analyzed the relationship between the MT usage data and reading outcomes (content and vocabulary recall). A sub-group of participants provided both bilingual dictionary and MT access more often used the dictionary than MT. However, participants that were not provided dictionary access tended to be overreliant on MT, using it for irrelevant passages and when clear context cues were present. Eye movement data revealed that most participants read the English text first before checking MT, but some participants rushed to access translations. Participants displayed various strategies when viewing MT. The study found that aiming to work out the meaning from the text first and then checking the translation to search relevant novel lexical items was associated with positive outcomes. Potential implications for L2 education are discussed.