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Japanese-Language Education around the Globe - Vol.2 Summaries
On the Characteristics of Passive
Expressions Shown by the Function
Verb Naru: Sewa ni naru, yô ni natte iru, etc.
SAWADA Naoko (Department of Japanese Studies (Linguistics), The Faculty of
Letters, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan)
This paper gives special attention to the characteristics of passive
expressions shown by the function verb naru and attempts to offer
fuller descriptions for references in Japanese grammar and teacher' manuals
for intermediate and upper level classes.
Sewa ni naru and gochisô ni naru are recognized
as one type of collocation in which the function verb naru characterizes
the contrast of "intransitive versus transitive" and the "lexical passive voice" by
forming a pair with suru.
It became clear that this type of collocation has the same functional
nature as "-te morau Benefactive " (Masuoka: 1981), so that it can be
used without helping verbs of giving and receiving in the speech act of" Thanking. "
The analytically final sentential element -yo ni natte iru has
the same syntactic nature in "Incorporation" as yô ni (purpose),
and on analysis it is shown that the combined form of the function verb naru and -te
iru makes a kind of "System of Expression" supported by the contrasting
form suru + -te
aru. Consequently, this analytic form is recognized as one kind of rhetorical
expressive sentence pattern, which shows so-called Agent's backgrounding (typically
seen in passive sentences) and Conditioncentric effect.
The Accuracy Order of Japanese
Particles
YAGI Kimiko
(Graduate School of Policy Science, Saitama University,
Saitama, Japan)
Many studies have been done concerning the accuracy and
the acquisition orders in ESL over the last twenty years ; however, relatively
few have been done in JSL. This paper reports on the accuracy order of
Japanese particles, using the written data from JSL students at an American
university.
All the particles used by the subjects in their compositions on
a given topic are collected, and the ranges of the population mean percentages
of the appropriate use of the particles are calculated, with the level of significance
set at. 05. After this procedure, particles with a range under 0.2 (20 percent)
are extracted and analyzed. There are seven of these: wa, no, ni, ga (case), o,
ga (conj.), and kara (conj.).
It is found that in the case of the learners at the beginning intermediate
level, there are three different levels of accuracy among the seven particles. Ga (conj.)
and kara (conj.) are most accurately used, and ni and wa are
in the second group. The last group includes ga (case). No may
be in either the first group or the second group. O appears to be in
the
second group, but might be in the third (p< .05).
These results are consistent with Dulay and Burt's findings that
the accuracy order is typically formed of groups of grammatical structures which
share very close levels of accuracy, rather than a linear order (Dulay and Burt,1975).
As to the accuracy order among three of the most frequently used
particles,ga (case), wa, and o, the results correspond
to
the findings by Doi and Yoshioka (1987): wa>o>ga (case).
This paper also presents an analysis, based on functional categories, of the
learners' errors in the use of ga, wa, and o.
Toward the Pedagogy of Style:
Choosing between Abrupt
and Formal Verb Forms in Japanese
Senko K. Maynard (Japanese Language and Linguistics, Rutgers
University, U.S.A.)
This study analyzes Japanese verb morphology, da and desu/masu endings,
in three genres of modern Japanese, i.e., conversation, prose, and dialogue
in fiction. Advancing a step beyond the view that the choice between da and desu/masu endings
depends on "styles" - such as formal versus informal, written versus spoken
- I argue that motivations for the mixture of da and desu/masu endings
in a single paragraph or a single speaking turn can be pragmatically explained.
I conclude that the da style is selected (1) when the speaker
expresses abrupt remembrance or a sudden emotional surge, (2) when the
speaker takes a perspective internal to the narrative setting and immediately
responds within that framework, (3) when the speaker presents background
information semantically subordinate within the discourse structure, and
(4) when the speaker finds the addressee close and the speaker uses a style
similar to self-address. The cognitive and social source for the verb morphology
in Japanese is sought in the philosophy of Watsuji and Mori which advocates
the "betweenness" of self and other and, above all, the importance of "thou."
Based on the findings of this study, I conclude that a simplistic
approach to maintaining the principle of stylistic consistency is satisfactory
only for elementary level students. For intermediate and advanced students, discussing
the discourse manipulation of the stylistic mixture is both useful and intellectually
stimulatting. Above all, the importance of the synergy of linguistic research
and its pedagogical application is emphasized.
The Use of Address Terms between
Japanese Spouses
NAGURA Toshie (Nagoya Gakuin University, Aichi, Japan)
Despite their relative shortness, address terms clearly
designate the degrees of politeness in the interpersonal relationship between
the speaker and the addressee. It is generally accepted that the second
person pronouns T and V of major European languages have come to be used
on a reciprocal basis. In other words, those languages have become egalitarian
languages.
In discussing Japanese honorifics, we tend to focus on factors such
as status, differences in age and sex, and out-groupness, and in fact those are
the factors which govern people's verbal behavior in the public domain. However,
it is doubtful whether those prescriptive factors impose the same degree of constraint
on the individual's verbal behavior in the private domain. Rather than the factors
mentioned above, I am more interested in the underlying consciousness which works
to determine the individual's linguistic behavior. In order to clarify the possibility
of the egalitarian use of Japanese honorifics, I took, as a barometer, address
terms exchanged between Japanese spouses.
The data required for this study, collected from questionnaires
completed by l50 Japanese couples, are analyzed and discussed. The honorifics
and the address system of Japanese based on Japanese social traditions are also
described.
A Consideration on Teaching
Kanji at the Introductory
Level to Non-Kanji Area Students
Aldo Tollini (University of Pavia, Italy)
There are two problems which the teacher of Japanese often
faces when teaching kanji to beginning (or intermediate) students. Both
are seldom given special attention. The first is related to the difficulty
that students encounter in recognizing and discriminating kanji. The second
is the difficulty of reproducing kanji in the correct way and in the correct
proportions.
I think that both problems have to do with the great difference
between the two main writing systems: the alphabetic and the ideographic.
I tried to analyze some of the main differences between the two
systems and point out the problems they cause to the learners. In short, the
transition from a linear, analytical, sequential, and unidimensional system like
that of the alphabet to one which is global, spatial, bidimensional, and complex
like that of the kanji is surely a source of perplexity for the student coming
from a non-ideographic environment.
In the teaching process, it is advisable to give students a propaedeutic
series of exercises aimed at familiarizing them with pattern recognition. In
the last part of the paper, a number of ad hoc sample exercises are provided.
Toward the Development of a
Teachers' Training Program in Thailand
IKUTA Mamoru (The Japan Foundation Bangkok Language Center,
Thailand)
Japanese-language education has been expanding yearly
in Thailand. With the increase of learners, each institution has been increasingly
concerned with the recruitment and "brush-up" of teachers. The Japan Foundation
Bangkok Language Center, following this trend, has started to extend its
services to the Japanese-language institutions in Thailand. In this paper,
I review the center's activities, including teachers' training courses,
consultation, and Japanese courses for teachers. I also discuss the present
state and future development of the teachers' training program.
First, we hold a "Teachers' Training Course in Teaching Japanese" twice
a year for one week each. This plays a central role in our academic program.
Second, we organize a "Japanese-Language Course for Teachers," which seeks to
improve the communicative abilities of Thai teachers of Japanese and revitalize
their teaching. Last, we offer consultation and visiting services to various
seminars in which we discuss problems of pedagogy and "feedback."
Our teachers' training program will continue to develop through
the above three programs with a view to efficient application of academic knowledge
of the Japanese language to actual classroom teaching. We are now endeavoring
to establish syllabi for teachers' training and to provide opportunities for
the improvement of teaching Japanese.
A College Course in Scientific
Japanese: An Innovative Curriculum
TAGAMI Yukiko (University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan)
Described here in detail is an innovative curriculum for
a college course in scientific Japanese, with its main objective, contents,
and modus operandi used for many years. This curriculum, as one of its
special features, is designed to serve at the same time as a fleeting introduction
to traditional Japanese culture.
The curriculum was first instituted in April, 1985, at University
of Tsukuba primarily for those foreign students majoring in the areas of science
and technology.
Recently more and more foreign scientists and students majoring
in science and technology have come to visit this country. In this respect, the
present paper, which describes seven years of constant renewal and enrichment
of the original curriculum, will no doubt provide many suggestions for the problems
in establishing truly useful as well as systematic curricula for the Japanese-language
education of those foreign visitors specializing in science and technology.
Classroom Analysis Procedures
for Teachers' Self-Development
SAITA Izumi (Tohoku University, Miyagi, Japan)
This paper proposes three procedures for analyzing Japanese
language classrooms. Although all three approaches mentioned here somehow
adopt "contrasting conversation technique," which Fanselow (1988) developed,
they are much easier to put into practice than the original Fanselow version.
That is because the techniques presented in this paper focus on finding
out the teacher's belief on language teaching and put little emphasis on
describing what is actually going on in Japanese language classrooms.
The proposed approaches are as follows:
| 1. | Utilizing the findings through watching VTR of the class performance. |
| 2. | Utilizing one's own lesson plan as a reflecting mirror to find out one's belief on language education. |
| 3. | Observing one's own class performance after having considered one's belief on education by answering a questionnaire. |
EE The author regards it as indispensable to grasp one's belief and his/her teaching style objectively to improve one's teaching, as well as to cope with the diversity of learners.
Interactive Competence of Learners
of Japanese in an Authentic Situation:
A Case Study of a "Visitor Session" at Monash University
MURAOKA Hidehiro (Monash University, Australia)
There is a strong trend in teaching Japanese as a second
language to go beyond traditional classroom situations in order to increase
the amount of authentic interaction. However, our knowledge about the behavior
of learners and native Japanese speakers in such situations is still extremely
limited.
This paper deals with "visitor sessions," which can be regarded
as a type of authentic situation. Learners' interactive competence was analyzed
by means of learners' comments and analysis of recordings of visitor sessions.
The paper concludes that (l) learners' attitudes toward the visitor
sessions were positive, even though their interactive competence was rather lower
than expected, (2) the effectiveness of using authentic situations in a course
was confirmed, and (3) the topic of conversation management should be stressed
more in the syllabus. Management skills should be studied not only from the point
of view of the learner, but also with regard to the reaction of native speakers
to non-native speakers' management in contact situations.
A Longitudinal Case Study on
Learning Japanese as a Second Language
MATSUDA Yumiko and SAITO Shun'ichi (Niigata University, Niigata,
Japan)
A longitudinal case study was carried out to examine how
a foreign adult learner learns Japanese as a second language. In study
1, a conceptual framework for an utterance was proposed on the basis of
error analysis of two cases. Utterances were classified into three types:
(l) automatic, (2) controlled, (3) quitted. Furthermore, cognitive strategies
mainly used in each type were analyzed. The cognitive strategy in the automatic
utterance was to produce the utterance in implicitly hypothesizing the
structure of the target language. The strategy in the controlled utterance
was to monitor and repair the utterance from the perspective of the target
language. In study 2, the use of case particles (e. g.,ga,o, ni, etc.),
which are very important for the novice learning Japanese, was examined
in order to delineate the cognitive strategies.
It was found that some particles were frequently omitted or mischosen
in the automatic utterance. This result shows that the novice used the strategy
of implicitly hypothesizing the structure of the target language. The omission
was persistent in the cognitive strategy of meaning-dominant type of target language
in language production.
Development of a CAI System
for Japanese-Language
Learning on Television News
SUZUKI Yoko (International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan)
YOKOTA Atsuko (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo, Japan)
TAKAGI Hiroko (Kansai University of Foreign Studies, Osaka, Japan)
ISHIMOTO Sugao and NAGUMO Yaeko (International Christian University, Tokyo,
Japan)
Based on "Development of Course-ware for Japanese-Language
Learning on Television News: Selection and Organization of Learning Items," this
study continues to develop a CAI system in this area. Television news broadcasts
are presented by video, and vocabulary, example sentences, and exercises
are presented on computer display together with audio presentation.
The material consists of one shot of a television news broadcast,
simplified news recorded by an instructor, vocabulary learning, expression learning,
and structure learning. This material is designed to practice listening comprehension
of television news through the completion of several lessons.
Designing a Japanese-for-Specific-Purpose
Course:
Putting Theory into Practice
Elizabeth A. Mulvihill (Victoria University of Wellington,
New Zealand)
Writing English-for-Specific-Purpose-Courses is commonplace
in English language teaching these days. You need only look at the plethora
of material available in any publisher's catalogue. Writing Japanese-for-Specific-Purpose
Courses, however, is not quite as common-place.
This paper describes two
Japanese-for-Specific-Purpose (JSP) courses commissioned by Qantas Airways
Limited in 1988 for their ground staff employees:
one for reservation staff(RSAs and PSAs), the other for airport ground staff
(PAs). These two courses were developed within the framework of Language-for-Specific-Purpose
(LSP) theory and course design.
They serve as one example of putting theory into practice.
The Use of Teaching Assistants
in Japanese Language Teaching
J. V. Neustupny (Monash University, Australia)
This paper deals with the category of teaching assistants within the framework of Japanese language teaching. The author claims that the use of teaching assistants represents a most progressive trend that should further be emphasized, both in classroom teaching and in course components that take place outside the classroom. The category of teaching assistant is defined, and variation among teaching assistants and various aspects of their use are given attention. Teaching assistants should act under the guidance and supervision of qualified teachers. Suitable forms of training of both teaching assistants and the teachers who make use of them should be developed. The paper provides a list of activities in which teaching assistants can be used.