Japanese Semiaspectual Forms -teshimau and -teoku as Discourse Markers

Author(s):  
Nandang Rachmat ◽  
Hiroko Otsuka

This paper discusses the Japanese semi aspectual forms -teshimau and -teoku function as discourse markers which serve as speaker’s intentions of utterances for rapport management. In general, the semantic function of the morphological semi aspectual forms such as -teshimau and -teoku are explained as expressions of feelings of remorse or regret as well as preparatory actions, respectively. Both of them derived from the explanation of “completion” as a core meaning. The meanings mentioned above are also learned in elementary and pre-intermediate levels of Japanese language learning as a second language. However, the results of this research, which derived from analysis using I-JAS corpus dialogue data, indicate that in interpersonal discourse, these aspectual forms are used to show self-deprecating and modest attitudes, sentimental mood, or inevitable and difficult situations. Additionally, as a discourse marker, they are used to express utterance intentions such as showing speaker’s responsible recognition for the situation occurred, respecting the opinion of the interlocutor, and avoiding current topic to be continued. They also function as act of politeness due to the effects of “down graders” and “upgraders” in Spencer-Oatey's theory of rapport management, while in this research indicates that improperly use of -teoku might sound impolite depending on the utterance situations. Furthermore, it was found that they work as discourse markers for rounding up dialogs or shifting topics, and there are differences between -teshimau and -teoku in whether it is the interlocutor’s topic or the speaker’s topic that was being rounded up. For these reasons, second language acquisition requires learning about indicative meanings of these forms that function in the contexts and utterance situations, and the findings of this research will also contribute to the research of Japanese language teaching materials.

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-133
Author(s):  
Lisda Nurjaleka

(Developing Interactional competence in A Japanese Study Abroad Context) is a book focusing on second language learning acquisition by Naoko Taguchi. It is a study describing the process of second language acquisition which focuses on the development of interactional competence in a Japanese ゛study abroad゛ context. The book contains nine chapters, which explain the introduction of the study, the method, speech style and style shift in language learning; how incomplete sentences in the Japanese language are produced; and the case histories in the study abroad experience. This book is a qualitative study of learners studying abroad in Japan and explains changes in their interactional competence, such as change in the use of speech styles, style shifting between the polite and plain forms, and the function of incomplete sentences. This function is one of the main characteristics of the Japanese language. The main goal of this book is to enable researchers such as postgraduate students to learn more about second language acquisition and to assist learners in becoming competent L2 speakers in the target community   Book review kali ini membahas buku yang berkaitan dengan Akuisisi pembelajar bahasa Kedua denga judul `Developing Interactional Competence in a Japanese Study Abroad Context` oleh Naoko taguchi. Di dalam buku ini membahas tentang proses akuisis bahasa kedua yang memfokuskan pada pembelajaran studi di luar negeri untuk membangun kompetensi interaksional bahasa Jepang. Buku ini terdiri dari Sembilan bab yang menjelaskan tentang pengantar mengenai penelitian kali ini, metode penelitian, speech style dan style shif dalam pembelajaran bahasa, bagaimana kalimat tidak lengkap terbentuk dalam bahasa Jepang dan deksriptif kualitatif mengenai studi kasus pengalaman studi di luar negeri. Buku ini termasuk kedalam penelitian kualitatif pembelajar bahasa Jepang di Jepang yang melakukan studi lanjut dan menjelaskan bagaimana perubahan dalam kompetensi interaksional mereka, seperti perubahan penggunaan dalam speech style dan style shifting antara bentuk polite dan bentuk normal. Dan bagaiman fungsi-fungsi dari kalimat-kalimat tidak utuh. Tujuan utama dari buku ini adalah memungkinkan bagi para peneliti seperti mahasiswa pasca sarjana dan peneliti pemula untuk belajar mengenai akuisisi bahasa kedua dan membantu para pembelajar menjadi kompeten sebagai Penutur bahasa kedua di komunitas target dalam hal ini di Jepang.


2008 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 95-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa McGarry

AbstractThe increasing recognition of the concept language ideology and the corresponding increasing use of the term have not yet been matched by applications in the field of second language acquisition. However, applications of the concept in analysis of actual classroom practices have shown it to have considerable explanatory power. Greater consideration of language ideology in SLA is necessary not only to achieve greater understanding of the role of ideology in various areas but also to show connections between these areas that may yield important generalizations and to impel the application of the concept in areas where it has been neglected by highlighting its uneven treatment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiri Lev-Ari

AbstractPeople learn language from their social environment. Therefore, individual differences in the input that their social environment provides could influence their linguistic performance. Nevertheless, investigation of the role of individual differences in input on performance has been mostly restricted to first and second language acquisition. In this paper I argue that individual differences in input can influence linguistic performance even in adult native speakers. Specifically, differences in input can affect performance by influencing people’s knowledgebase, by modulating their processing manner, and by shaping expectations. Therefore, studying the role that individual differences in input play can improve our understanding of how language is learned, processed and represented.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 46-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Robinson

Recent second language acquisition (SLA) research into the cognitive abilities implicated in implicit, incidental, and explicit learning, and in learning and performance on tasks differing in their information processing demands has prompted new theoretical frameworks for conceptualizing L2 aptitude. This research is reviewed and related to measures of abilities operationalized in existing aptitude tests, as well as to measures of abilities that are the focus of more recent research in cognitive psychology. Finally, prospects for developing aptitude tests to serve the purposes of predicting both early and advanced level language learning success are discussed in the light of the SLA findings and aptitude frameworks reviewed.


Author(s):  
Julie M. Sykes

AbstractThe recent surge in a growing body of empirical research is evidence of a strong theoretical push towards L2 pragmatic acquisition in the field of second language acquisition; yet, the reality is that we see very little evidence of pragmatics instruction in L2 contexts, suggesting a notable disconnect between theory and practice. This viewpoints article explores the valuable role both researchers and practitioners play in bridging the gap between theory and practice with the intention of bringing pragmatics to the forefront of the language classroom. It briefly discusses the importance of including pragmatics as a primary component of second language (L2) learning and then explores various obstacles to pragmatics instruction, paying special attention to the role both researchers and practitioners can play in overcoming them. Examples from current projects related to L2 Spanish pragmatics are presented where relevant.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Mahdikhani

<p>The importance of the learner's attitudes and motivation plays a major role for most psycholinguists, either in a language learning situation or in a second language acquisition context. A quick look at the major theories of language acquisition can be helpful to establish this. Krashen's monitor model argues attitudes and motivation most influential in unconscious language acquisition. The learner's motivational level acts as an affective filter on language intake (Krashen 1981, p. 102). In another model language learning begins when the learner feels motivated to communicate something to someone (see Carroll's conscious reinforcement model, 1981). Reinforcement takes place when the desired end is obtained. Bialystok's strategy model (1978) demonstrates that it can be assumed that learners will seek language exposure only if they feel motivated. Therefore, using their explicit and/or implicit knowledge, communication will take place. This study investigates the challenges and the importance of motivation for second language learning or SL acquisition.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-433

The Editor and Board of Language Teaching are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2014 Christopher Brumfit thesis award is Dr Hilde van Zeeland. The thesis was selected by an external panel of judges based on its significance to the field of second language acquisition, second or foreign language learning and teaching, originality and creativity and quality of presentation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
Роман Тарабань ◽  
Маршал Філіп Х.

MacWhinney, Bates, and colleagues developed the Competition Model in the 1980s as an alternate to Chomskyan models that encapsulate syntax as a special-purpose module. The Competition Model adopted the functional perspective that language serves communicative goals and functions. In contrast to the premise that knowledge of language is innate, the Competition model asserts that language is learned and processed through general cognitive mechanisms that identify and weight phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic cues in the language experiences of the learner. These weighted cues guide the language user in the comprehension and production of language forms. The present article provides background on the Competition Model, describes machine simulations of linguistic competition, and extends the principles of the Competition Model to new machine models and applications through deep learning networks. References Bates, E. & MacWhinney, B. (1982). A functionalist approach to grammar. In E. Wanner & L. Gleitman (Eds.), Language acquisition: the state of the art. New York: Cambridge University Press. Bates, E., & MacWhinney, B. (1989). Functionalism and the competition model. In: The Crosslinguistic Study of Sentence Processing, (pp 3-76). B. MacWhinney and E. Bates (Eds.), New York: Cambridge University Press. Devescovi, A., D’Amico, S., Smith, S., Mimica, I., & Bates, E. (1998). The development of sentence comprehension in Italian and Serbo-Croatian: Local versus distributed cues. In: Syntax and Semantics: Vol. 31. Sentence Pocessing: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective, (pp. 345-377). D. Hillert (Ed.), San Diego: Academic Press. Hauser, M. D., Chomsky, N., & Fitch, W. T. (2002). The faculty of language: What it is, who has it, and how did it evolve? Science, 298, 1569-1579. Just, M. A., & Carpenter, P. A. (1980). A theory of reading: From eye fixations to comprehension. Psychological Review, 87, 329-354. Langacker, R. (1989). Foundations of cognitive grammar. Vol. 2: Applications. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Li, P., & MacWhinney, B. (2013). Competition model. In: The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), Malden, MA: Wiley. MacWhinney, B. (1987). The competition model. In: Mechanisms of Language Acquisition, (pp.249-308). B. MacWhinney (Ed.).Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. MacWhinney, B. (2001). The competition model: The input, the context, and the brain. In: Cognition and Second Language Instruction, (pp. 69–90). P. Robinson (Ed.), New York: Cambridge University Press. MacWhinney, B. (2008). A Unified Model. In: Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, (pp. 341-371). P. Robinson & N. Ellis (Eds.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. MacWhinney B. (2012). The logic of the Unified Model. In: The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition, (pp. 211–227). S. Gass and A. Mackey (Eds.). New York: Routledge. MacWhinney, B. (2015). Multidimensional SLA. In: Usage-Based Perspectives on Second Language Learning, (pp. 22-45). S. Eskilde and T. Cadierno (Eds.). New York: Oxford University Press. MacWhinney, B., Bates, E. & Kliegl, R. (1984). Cue validity and sentence interpretation in English, German, and Italian. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 23, 127-150. MacWhinney, B., Leinbach, J., Taraban, R., & McDonald, J. (1989). Language learning: Cues or rules? Journal of Memory and Language, 28, 255-277. McClelland, J. L., & Rumelhart, D. E. (1986). Parallel Distributed Processing. Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition. Volume 2: Psychological and Biological Models. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Presson, N. & MacWhinney, B. (2011). The Competition Model and language disorders. In: Handbook of Psycholinguistic and Cognitive Processes, (pp. 31-48). J. Guendozi, F. Loncke, and M. Williams (Eds.). New York: Psychology Press. Sokolov, J. L. (1988). Cue validity in Hebrew sentence comprehension. Journal of Child Language, 15, 129-156. Taraban, R. (2004). Drawing learners’ attention to syntactic context aids gender-like category induction. Journal of Memory and Language, 51(2), 202-216. Taraban, R. (2017). Hate, white supremacy, PTSD, and metacognition. In: Improve With Metacognition [online]. L. Scharff, A. Richmond, & J. Draeger (Eds.). Retrieved from: www.improvewithmetacognition.com. Taraban, R., & Kempe, V. (1999). Gender processing in native and non-native Russian speakers. Applied Psycholinguistics, 20, 119-148. Taraban, R., McDonald, J., & MacWhinney, B. (1989). Category learning in a connectionist model: Learning to decline the German definite article. In R. Corrigan, F. Eckman, & M. Noonan (Eds.), Linguistic categorization (pp. 163-193). Philadelphia: Benjamins. Taraban, R., & Roark, B. (1996). Competition in learning language-based categories. Applied Psycholinguistics, 17, 125-148.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-159
Author(s):  
Jan H. Hulstijn

This paper predicts that the study of second language acquisition, as a young discipline of scientific inquiry in its own right, faces a bright future, but only if its scholarly community critically re-examines some notions and assumptions that have too long been taken for granted. First, it is time to reconsider familiar dichotomies, such as second versus foreign language and natural versus instructed language learning. Furthermore, it is worth checking whether and to what extent the puzzling phenomena to be explained by language acquisition theories do really exist (such as uniformity and success and fast acquisition rates in first language acquisition and universal developmental sequences in second language acquisition). The paper furthermore pleas for a multidisciplinary approach to the explanation of the fundamental puzzles of first and second language acquisition and bilingualism, including bridging the divide between psycholinguistic and socio-cultural theories.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document