scholarly journals Production of Vowel /ə/ in Sundanese by Japanese Native Speakers in First Exposure

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-231
Author(s):  
Rike Febriyanti ◽  
Lailatul Husna
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Native Japanese Speakers ◽  
Phonological Features ◽  
Segmental Phonology ◽  
Speech Data ◽  
Feature Geometry ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
L2 Perception

The research described native Japanese speakers’ perception of Sundanese vowel /ə/ after the first exposure to a controlled naturalistic input of conversation. The research worked in respect of Brown’s model of L2 speech perception and L1 feature geometry, which sought to relate theories of segmental phonology to L2 speech perception and the first exposure treatment. Some Sundanese native speakers conducted a conversation that contained the /ə/ vowel in front of five Japanese native speakers with no prior exposure to Sundanese. Therefore, the researchers had collected speech data from five L1 Japanese native speakers (three males, two females, Mage = 22, SD = 2,1). The Japanese were asked to listen to the short conversation and imitate vowel /ə/, which did not exist in the Japanese language vowel inventory. The observation confirmed Brown’s hypothesis that L2 perception of /ə/ vowel was constrained by the L1 feature geometry. L1 Japanese language phonological properties worked as a perceptual filter to Sundanese L2 input, causing the Japanese L2 learners to perceive only the vowel discriminated by phonological features presented in Sundanese. The data show that the Japanese native speakers are able to overcome the perceptual filters so they can produce various frequencies of vowel /ə/, which are statistically similar to the frequency produced by Sundanese native speakers. The research implies that the possibility of learning new sounds from an entirely new language is wide open when the learner is able to pass through the L1 perceptual filter. 

scholarly journals Investigating Native English Speakers’ Perception of Novel Arabic Phonemes after First Exposure

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hala Alwohaibi
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Prior Exposure ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Segmental Phonology ◽  
Feature Geometry ◽  
L2 Perception ◽  
English Group

This study reports on an experiment carried out to investigate native English speakers' perception of selected Arabic phonemes after first exposure to a controlled naturalistic input of a weather report. It closely follows Brown's model of L2 speech perception and L1 feature geometry (1998), which seeks to relate theories of segmental phonology to L2 speech perception and the first exposure treatment of Gullberg et al. (2010). Eight Arabic sounds were carefully selected for the experiment: /b/-/d/ which are found in both English and Arabic; /x/-/ɣ/ which are not found in English but are distinguished by features which are distinctive in English [dorsal, voice, continuant], and lastly the contrastive pairs /ʔ/-/ʕ/ and /h/-/ħ/, where the latter phoneme in each pair is alien to the phonemic inventory of English. These pairs are distinguished by the feature [RTR (retracted tongue root)] which is lacking in the feature geometry of English. Participants were divided into an Arabic control group, English+ group with prior exposure to Arabic, and an English group with no prior exposure to Arabic. The results from an AX discrimination task confirmed Brown's hypothesis that L2 perception of non-native contrasts is constrained by the L1 feature geometry.

scholarly journals An interdisciplinary study for the development of integral Japanese textbooks for foreign-rooted children using Yasashii-Nihongo (Easy Japanese)

Impact ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (4) ◽  
pp. 24-26
Author(s):  
Isao Iori
Keyword(s):  
Global Education ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Native Japanese Speakers ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study

The different aspects to learning the Japanese language vary in difficulty, with the syllabaries that form part of the Japanese writing system and pronunciation being seen as relatively straightforward elements. Learning Japanese grammar is also considered to be relatively straightforward, but learning the logographic Chinese characters is considered very difficult. Foreign people living in Japan may struggle with these different aspects of learning the Japanese language and, without at least a basic understanding of the Japanese language, will likely find life challenging. Professor Isao Iori, Center for Global Education and Exchange, Hitotsubashi University, Japan, is heading up a project to help long-term foreign residents (LFR) learn Japanese and adequately function in Japanese society. The project covers Japanese language education for children of LFRs and deaf children. A key concept for Iori and the team is Yasashii Nihongo, which refers to easy or plain Japanese and is designed to help LFRs express themselves. The concept involves LFRs learning an easier version of the Japanese language while native speakers of Japanese adjust their Japanese to a level that can easily be understood by LFRs. The researchers have created a realistic, ideal model for Yasashii Nihongo becoming a common language, that involves gradual implementation as well as making clear the necessity of a common language for native Japanese speakers and LFRs alike.

The effects of Hong Kong L2 English speakers’ phonological features on listeners’ cognitive and affective perceptions

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-115
Author(s):  
Hsueh Chu Chen ◽  
Qian Wang
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Phonological Features ◽  
Speech Data ◽  
Affective Perception ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Conversational Interviews

Abstract This study explores the most perceivable phonological features of Hong Kong (HK) L2 English speakers and how they affect the perception of HK L2 English speech from the perspective of both native and non-native English listeners. Conversational interviews were conducted to collect speech data from 20 HK speakers of English and 10 native speakers of English in the United Kingdom. Phonological features of 20 HK speakers of English were analyzed at both segmental and suprasegmental levels. Forty listeners with different language backgrounds were recruited to listen and rate the speech samples of the 20 HK speakers of English in terms of the cognitive perception of foreign accentedness and comprehensibility and affective perception of likability and acceptability. This study identifies the phonological variables that contribute significantly to listeners’ perception of accentedness, comprehensibility, likability, acceptability, and overall impression of HK speakers’ English speech.

scholarly journals Interlanguage Pragmatics Failure among Javanese Learners of Japanese

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 231
Author(s):  
Rina Supriatnaningsih ◽  
Tatang Hariri ◽  
Djodjok Soepardjo ◽  
Lisda Nurjaleka ◽  
Silvia Nurhayati
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Interlanguage Pragmatics ◽  
Native Japanese Speakers ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge

In the Japanese language, Keigo refers to the politeness in language that one must adhere to during interactions with native speakers. Japanese language students are obliged to pay attention to this principle and behave politely in spoken communication. In the Javanese language, the manner in which speech is delivered, undha usuk, comprises a variety of registers applied to different social contexts, such as krama (High or formal Javanese) and ngoko (Low or vernacular Javanese). Still, other politeness principles are to be taken into account. This study, driven by such a concern, was devoted to examining politeness violations in communications between 108 university students, most of whom were native Javanese speakers. The politeness principle was employed to unravel the issue. Data were collected by recording conversations between participants and native Japanese speakers. A follow-up interview with each subject was also conducted. The results revealed that most students failed to build intercultural communication in Japanese conversation, due to their lack of socio-pragmatic knowledge. Based on the interview results, in daily communication, the students rarely used the Javanese speech act level of krama, instead using basa ngoko or Indonesian. These findings emphasize the socio-pragmatic concept, and more precisely the politeness principles other than the Keigo style, to students. This should minimize the violation of politeness maxims in the Japanese language.

The Involvement of Native Speakers in Teaching and Learning Japanese Language at UiTM

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Choong Pow Yean ◽  
Sarinah Bt Sharif ◽  
Normah Bt Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Lexical Density

The Nihongo Partner Program or “Japanese Language Partner” is a program that sends native speakers to support the teaching and learning of Japanese overseas. The program is fully sponsored by The Japan Foundation. The aim of this program is to create an environment that motivates the students to learn Japanese. This study is based on a survey of the Nihongo Partner Program conducted on students and language lecturers at UiTM, Shah Alam. This study aims to investigate if there is a necessity for native speakers to be involved in the teaching and learning of Japanese among foreign language learners. Analysis of the results showed that both students and lecturers are in dire need of the Nihongo Partner Program to navigate the learning of the Japanese language through a variety of language learning activities. The involvement of native speaker increases students’ confidence and motivation to converse in Japanese. The program also provides opportunities for students to increase their Japanese language proficiency and lexical density. In addition, with the opportunity to interact with the native speakers, students and lecturers will have a better understanding of Japanese culture as they are able to observe and ask the native speakers. Involvement of native speakers is essential in teaching and learning of Japanese in UiTM.

Compliment Strategies Employed by Japanese and Malaysian Tour Guides during Tour Sessions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roswati Abdul Rashid ◽  
◽  
Roslina Mamat ◽  
Rokiah Paee ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Tourist Attractions ◽  
Tour Guides ◽  
Japanese Speakers ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Language Communication ◽  
Research Goal ◽  
Tourist Guides

This research is a comparative study of Japanese language communication between the Japanese and Malay tourist guides during tourism tour sessions. The research goal is to examine patterns of compliment strategies implemented throughout the interactions of the tour sessions. The study results acquired are in the form of four recordings of a dialogue between the tourist guides and the tourists, in audio and video modes. The conversations are transcribed and coded. The tour guides included two Japanese native speakers and two Malaysian-Japanese speakers. In contrast, the tourists are Japanese native speakers who visited Malaysia, and Malaysians who attended the tourist attractions in Japan. The study reveals that the frequency of compliments applied by both Japanese and Malaysian tour guides are alike, or in other words, there are no significant differences. Nevertheless, category, function and topic or theme of compliment utterance present ssubstantial distinction.

scholarly journals Innovations in Integrating Language Assistants: Inter-Collaborative Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-62
Author(s):  
Fumie Kato
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Japanese Study ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
One Year ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
Study Abroad Students

A language assistant (LA) program was introduced into a university-level Japanese program. The LAs in this program consisted of Japanese study abroad students, that is English as a second language students, coming to study from Japanese universities for either one semester or one academic year, as well as American learners returning from a one-year academic study abroad program in Japan. In the southeastern region of the United States, the Japanese language is not yet considered a major foreign language, thus few opportunities exist for American learners to connect with native speakers of Japanese. The LA program endeavors to ease this limitation. It has been extremely beneficial for our American learners to have opportunities to communicate regularly with Japanese study abroad students in the classrooms. Furthermore, it was found tremendously valuable for Japanese study abroad students and greatly helpful for the instructors as well. This paper describes the procedures and examines the effectiveness of introducing an LA program into Japanese language classes. To analyze the program, questionnaires were distributed to LAs (N=20); five department instructors wrote comments concerning the program; and five Japanese language learners submitted reflection papers. Analyses of the qualitative data indicate that the LA program has many advantages for everyone participating.

scholarly journals ANALISIS KONTRASTIF KOTOWARI HYOUGEN ANTARA PEMBELAJAR BAHASA JEPANG DAN PENUTUR ASLI

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Novia Hayati
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Unpleasant Feeling ◽  
Japanese Learners

 Abstrak Analisis Kontrastif Kotowari Hyougen  antara Pembelajar Bahasa Jepang dan Penutur Asli. Di antara beberapa aktifitas berbahasa, tindakan menolak sering dianggap sebagai tindakan yang cukup sulit karena memberikan perasaan tidak menyenangkan terhadap lawan tutur. Tindak tutur menolak tidak terlepas dari latar belakang tindak tutur berbahasa oleh pengguna bahasa tersebut. Pembelajar yang berbahasa ibu bahasa Sunda memiliki kemiripan dengan penutur asli dalam membuat tindak tutur penolakan dikarenakan adanya kedekatan aturan undak usuk bahasa sunda dengan tainguu hyougen dalam bahasa Jepang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui ungkapan penolakan yang digunakan oleh pembelajar bahasa Jepang kemudian melalui perbandingan dengan penutur asli diketahui persamaan dan perbedaanya serta permasalahan dalam ungkapan penolakan oleh pembelajar. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Discourse Completion Test (DCT). Hasil analisis data menunjukan terdapat persamaan diantara pembelajar dan penutur asli dalam pengguna {wabi} terhadap dosen akrab (penggunanya lebih rendah). Sebagai permasalahan dalam ungkapan penolakan yakni pembelajar menggunakan {fuka} dalam bentuk futsuu no hiteikei, dan {koshou} dalam frekuensi yang cukup tinggi. Sebaliknya, penutur asli menggunakan fukanoukei, dikarenakan apabila menggunakan futsuu no hiteikei akan diterima sebagai arti penolakan yang kuat/keras.Kata kunci: Kotowari hyougen, DCT, Taiguu hyougen, penutur asli, konstraktif  Abstract Contrastive Analysis of Kotowari Hyougen between Learners of Japanese Language and Japanese Native Speakers. Among several speaking activities, action of refusal is often considered a difficult act as it gives an unpleasant feeling againts interlocutors. Refusal speech act cannot be separated from the background of the speech act by the user of the language. Learners whose mother tongue is Sundanese language has similarities with Japanese native speakers in making the speech act of refusal due to the proximity of the undak usuk in Sundanese with tainguu hyougen in Japanese. This study aims to determine the expressions of refusal used by Japanese learners then, through comparison with native speakers, to determine the similarities, differences and problems in the expression of rejection by the learners. The instrument used in this study is Discourse Completion Test (DCT). Form the analysis of the data it was found that there were similarities between learners and native speakers that {riyuu/iiwake}, {wabi}, {fuka} were used as the main semantic formula. There are similarities between learners whose mother tongue is Sundanese and native speakers in using language {wabi} to professors considered familiar (lower usage). The problem of expressions of refusal used by learners {fuka} in the form Futsuu fuka no hiteikei and {koshou} was in a fairly high frequency. In contrast, native speakers use fukanoukei, because using Futsuu no hiteikei will be considered as a strong/hard sense of refusal.Keywords: Kotowari hyougen, DCT, Tainguu hyougen

scholarly journals Authentic Discourse and Model Exemplars in Japanese Language Textbooks: A Case Study of Apologies and Requests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nobuko Kato
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Politeness Theory ◽  
Discourse Model ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Politeness Strategies ◽  
Natural Discourse ◽  
Discourse Strategies ◽  
Language Textbooks

<p>In recent years, the communicative approach has prevailed in second language teaching, such that model dialogues are presented in textbooks for language learners. However, there has been little research on the extent to which such exemplars reflect authentic discourse in Japanese. This thesis, therefore, explores the speech acts of Japanese language native speakers (NSs), non-native speakers who are learning Japanese (NNSs), and discourse model examples presented in Japanese language textbooks (TXs) in order to investigate their similarities and differences, and thereby enhance the contents of textbooks. In particular, this thesis focuses on the discourse structure and expressions. The study takes a quantitative approach to the data analysis, using two different scenarios in settings of apology and requests. NSs pairs and NNSs pairs were requested to perform role-plays of two different scenarios in Japanese. The conversational data of the role-plays were transcribed, and the model exemplars of apology and request presented in the selected Japanese language textbooks were also analysed. The analysis employs the framework of cross-cultural speech act realisation patterns (CCSARP) of Blum-Kulka et al. (1989) to categorise utterances based on the intentions of the speakers into two parts, namely: Head Acts (HAs) and Supportive Moves (SMs). Once the data were classified by the CCSARP, individual HAs and SMs were sorted according to Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory (1987), which divides politeness strategies into four types: bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off record. By adopting both CCSARP and politeness theory, the characteristics of the discourse strategies and expressions of the three groups analysed in this thesis can be grasped. The analysis produces several new findings by identifying various ways in which the model dialogues in Japanese language textbooks fail to reflect the natural discourse of Japanese native speakers. The thesis presents suggestions for improvement for the benefit of textbook authors in future.</p>

scholarly journals Strategies of Impoliteness in Japanese Spontaneous Talks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Calvetti
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
The Other ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Bulletin Board ◽  
Bulletin Board System ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
Board System

If, on the one hand, Japanese language, with its richness of marked allomorphs used for honorifics, has been considered one of the most attractive languages to investigate the phenomenon of politeness, on the other hand, a very small number of studies have been devoted to Japanese impoliteness, most of them limited to BBSs’ (Bulletin Board System) chats on Internet. Interestingly, Japanese native speakers declare, in general, that their language has a very limited number of offensive expressions and that ‘impoliteness’ is not a characteristic of their mother tongue. I tried to analyse some samples of spontaneous conversations taken from YouTube and other multimedia repertoires, in order to detect the main strategies used in Japanese real conversations to cause offence or to show a threatening attitude toward the partner’s face. It seems possible to state that, notwithstanding the different ‘cultural’ peculiarities, impoliteness shows, also in Japanese, a set of strategies common to other languages and that impoliteness, in terms of morphology, is not a mirror counterpart of keigo.

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