| Project/Area Number |
23652147
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Foreign language education
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YOKOYAMA Satoru 東北大学, 加齢医学研究所, 助教 (20451627)
TANAKA-ELLIS Nobue 早稲田大学, 理工学術院, 助教 (70593698)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2012
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2013)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,510,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥810,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2011: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
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| Keywords | 第二言語スピーキング / 第一言語スピーキング / 脳活動 / 脳機能イメージング / 発話の行動指標 / 第ニ言語スピーキング / 第二言語習得 / 第二言語のスピーキングパフォーマンス / 習熟度 / 脳機能画像 / ｆMRI / 言語処理 / 英語教育 / 第二言語発達 / 発話力 / 神経科学 |
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| Research Abstract |
This study examined whether second language (L2) speech proficiency measures might have corresponding biological bases. The participants were 55 Japanese university students with Japanese as first language (L1) and English as L2. They described pictures, using L1 and L2 (in different sessions), while fMRI brain scans were taken. The results indicate that L2 speech production requires more brain resources compared to L1 speech production. Preliminary data analyses also provide evidence that L2 proficiency indices are linked to variations in brain activity. Complexity in L2 speech (production of more elaborate utterances) was related to activation in the left hemisphere around Broca's area, while lack of fluency (high use of filled pauses in speech) and use of unfamiliar words in the L2 were both linked to some activation in the anterior part of Wernicke's area. These findings could help in the development of more efficacious instructional strategies for promoting L2 speech acquisition.
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