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Learning syntax through semantics: An instructional experiment
Get PDFThis experiment is part of a doctoral dissertation (Sawyer, 1995) that presents data from three tasks-novel verb elicited production, picture description, and acceptability judgments-to shed light on how adult Japanese learners of English represent the dative alternation, and how those representations can change as a result of instruction. The dissertation adopts the framework of Pinker's (1989) semantic structure theory, according to which the complex constraints on argument structure alternations are fundamentally semantic, and are learnable largely due Universal Grammar-based sensitivity to two levels of semantic criteria. These criteria are assumed to have their effect by means of two layers of lexical rules that operate on the semantic structures of verbs. The particular experiment reported here is an instructional experiment exploring the teachability of semantics-syntax correspondences. One group of learners was given instruction on the semantic criteria underlying the dative alternation, while a second group was given comparable instruction on the locative alternation. A control group was given no relevant instruction. Although no statistically reliable differences were found among the groups, the results were in the expected direction. The group with instruction on the dative alternation became gradually more accurate, followed by the group with information on a related alternation, followed by the control group, whose judgments remained stable.departmental bulletin pape
Concept Formation of Japanese ESL/EFL Students
Get PDFIn order to support instructors' work of developing the conceptual base in the target language this paper attempts to explain what makes concept formation difficult for Japanese ESL/EFL students by analyzing data collected from Japanese students with a median exposure of 9 years to the English language. The research focused on the most frequently used verbs of speech and verbs of perception. Analysis of the data revealed that Japanese students'concept formation is complicated by their grammar-centered approach to the language, their language learning strategy based on rote memorization of language chunks and the transfer of Japanese lexico-pragmatics to Englisgh semantics. Conceptual content acquired by Japanese students comprises mainly syntactic features and very little semantic and pragmatic information which hampers the development of a conceptual system in the target language. In the students' interlanguage emerging concepts are usually represented by one possible syntagmatic environmnet only, which is the result of rote memorization of chunks. Japanese students in this project relied heavily upon the pragmatics of their mother tongue when choosing from several options in the English language. This transfer made concept formation very deifficult and usually led to false generalizations.conference pape
The Degree of Dependence in Complex Sentences in Relation to the Scope of Modality in Main Clause
Get PDF本研究は、述語の連用形や接続助詞で結ばれた二つの節を持つ接続節の複文を、従属節の主節に対する依存の程度(従属度)によって分類した。その際、主節末のモダリティのスコープを従属度を測る指標とした。対象とした接続節の複文は、南(1974)で取りあげられたものを主とし、必要な場合は下位分類を行った。本稿では、条件節を例にモダリティスコープの判定方法等を述べた。その結果、複文は三つに分類され、南(1974)の結果との比較で、大まかな部分において従属度の判定が一致していることがわかった。また本稿では、従属度のスケール上に並んだ各接続節の意味のまとまりを指摘し、この意味のまとまりが存在する要因を複文の機能的・意味的な側面に求め説明を試みた。ここから、接続辞が形態的に同一でも、実現する節の関係的意味が違えば従属度が異なったものになる可能性があることも指摘したThis paper clarifies the degree of dependence between main and subordinate clause in complex sentences that have some types of conjunctive phrases between the two clauses, and describes the elements which determine the degree. Twenty-four types of complex sentences similar to those in Minami (1974) were examined. The scope of modality in main clause was chosen as a criterion for the degree of dependence. Following this criterion, the structures of the complex sentences were categorised as α-structures and β-structures. In the α-structure, the modality of the main clause has scope not only over the propositon of the main clause but over that of the subordinate clause. In the β-structure, the modality of the main clause has scope only over the propositon of the main clause. The degree of dependence is high in α-structurse, whereas it is low in β-structures. Based on these structures, complex sentences are classified into three groups. The judgement of the degree were basically in accord with Minami (1974)'s research. However, my research shows that the semantic and functional relationships between the clauses are important in determining the degree. The semantic relations between the clauses are (1) temporal order and (2) logical sequence. The functional relations are in terms of whether the subordinate clause (1) behaves like adverbial caluse, (2) retains its status of clause, or (3) functions as a modality. This research also shows that as far as semantic and functional relations are different, the degree is different even if the sentences share the same conjunctive phrase morphologically.departmental bulletin pape
Sovereignty Disputes over the Spratly Islands: Can the Disputes Be Resolved?
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The Economy of a Small Island State Malta, 1960-1993
Get PDFThe paper gives a very brief overview of the structure and performance of the Maltese Economy. It will be shown that the most important change that has occurred in the Maltese economy duringthe past 30 years was related to the expansion of the manufacturing sector and the phasing out of the British forces bases in Malta. The paper gives a brief account of Malta's development planning and analyses cyclical an structural changes in the Maltese economy since 1960. The final part of paper gives a brief overview of the most important weaknesses faced by the Maltese economy at present. Malta is a small island independent state located in the Middle of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1993, the Maltese GNP was approximately US $25,000 million and the Maltese population was approximately 360 thousand, occupying a land area of around 320 square kilometers.departmental bulletin pape
THE ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH BY A JAPANESE-SPEAKING CHILD: WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE ACQUISITION OF THE VA SEQUENCE AND THE PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE
Get PDFA longitudinal case study was conducted in Britain on early English syntactic development of a young Japanese-speaking chilld. It was revealed that his English acquisition was markedly different from English-speaking children. The comparison of utterance types revealed that his VO and VA-type utterances were infrequent and restricted. The emergence order of his utterance types was noticeably different. Although the instances ware few, he produced utterances with word-order reversal (i.e. OV and AV sequences), with the sibilant sound attached to Object and Adverbial (Yamada-Yamamoto 1993 and 1994). His preposition + NP combinations also lacked productivity. In addition, he sometimes produced instances with word-order reversal (e.g. you for big (= "A big one for you")). Further, unlike English-speaking children, he did not produce utterances with prepositions being omitted. The lack of productivity, together with word-order reversal, for both VA and Preposition + NP sequences, suggested that this child initially lacked grammaticcal control over VA and/or Prep + NP word orders in English. This suggestions was verified by the experiment based on the Derbyshire Language Scheme (Knowles % Masidlover 1982). The above-mentioned unusual aspect of this child's early English speech was explained from the typological differences between English and Japanese: Japanese is a typical head-final language; English, on the other hand, is a good example of a head-initial language (e.g.Comrie 1981). The scarcity in the production of both VA and AV sequences, as well as both Prep + NP sequences, suggests that this child initially avoided word combinations involving 'V' and 'A' and 'Prep' and 'NP'. The Japanese language influenced, therefore, only as a default, and it worked as a basic principle for him, unless he overruled it by the English principle, such as VA and Prep + NP, which he fradually acquired in due course.conference pape
Learner's Self-Assessment of Japanese Proficiency
Get PDF本論文は、学習者に自己の学習プロセスを意識化させるための具体的な手段のひとつとして「自己l評価」の導入を提唱し、学習者の自己評価の信頼性とその信頼性を高める要因について検討するものである。自己評価の信頼性については、学習者の自己評価と教師評価との相関を算出し、これを信頼性の根拠とした。また、自己評価の信頼性を高める要因については、まず「学習者の自己評価はモニター(m)活動によって形成される」との仮説を立て、モニター(m)に影響を与えると予想されるいくつかの要因の中から「日本での滞在歴」の影響を、その他の要因の中から「学習者の受けた学校教育のレベル」と「日本語の熟達度」の影響について分析を行った。調査の結果、自己評価と教師評価との相関はこれまでの先行研究の結果と比べて必ずしも有望なものではなかったが、統計的には0.5％水準から1％水準で有意であった。また、自己評価の信頼性に影響を与えると予想された3つの要因の中では「日本での滞在歴」でわずかにその影響が確認されたものの、その他の2つの要因では特に影響は見られなかった。その原因については「メタ認知ストラテジー」の観点から考察を加えた。The significance of learners' attitudes toward language learning has long been known to influence their success. This paper suggests that self-assessment is an integral part of a positive attitude toward learning and reports how language learners evaluate their own proficiency. The study looks at two main questions : 1) whether self-assessment is meaningfully correlated with teacher assessment, and 2) whether language proficiency and background variables influence correlations of self-assessment with teachers assessment or tested proficiency. The subjects were 66 students learning Japanese as a second language at a language school in Nagoya, for the purpose of going on to university or colledge. They were asked to assess their own levels in each of the four language skills, using descriptive rating scales ( based on Oskarsson's Type C). The teachers used the same rating scales for their assessment of their own students. A few days later the students took a proficiency test. Self-assessment was correlated with teacher assessment as well as the total score of the proficiency test. Results show that the correlation between self-assessment and teacher assessment was significant at the 0.5 or 1.0 level, however this is lower than other studies. On the other hand, the length of stay in Japan turned out to somewhat influence the reliability of learner's self-assessment.conference pape
中級における会話指導の試み
Get PDF本稿は中級における会話指導の実践報告である。既習の文法項目が、どのようなことを伝えたい時に使えるのかを、モデル会話として提示し、クラスで一対一で練習した。クラスでの練習の最後に毎回数人会話を録音し、後日個別指導を行なった。このような指導を行なったことで、話すということに対して学生があまり気おくれがしなくなり、積極的に自ら話すようになった。また、個別の発音やイントネーションなどの指導で、自分の間違いや癖を自覚できたことも収穫の一つだったと思われるdepartmental bulletin pape
