| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TAKAYAMA Ichiro Uni.of Tokyo, Fac.of Arts and Sciences.A.Prof., 教養学部, 助教授 (00171554)
OKA Hideo Uni.of Tokyo, Fac.of Arts and Sciences.A.Prof., 教養学部, 助教授 (90091389)
MATSUNO Kazuhiko Uni.of Tokyo, Fac.of Arts and Sciences.Prof., 教養学部, 教授 (90029679)
NAGANO Saburo Uni.of Tokyo, Fac.of Arts and Sciences.Prof., 教養学部, 教授 (50010913)
YOSHIJIMA Shigeru Uni.of Tokyo, Fac.of Arts and Sciences.Prof., 教養学部, 教授 (50011309)
|
|---|
| Research Abstract |
Suzuki, Matsuno, Kiritani and Oyama conducted, with the use of the speech analyzer developed by the team, series of basic experiments for a projected self-access pronounciation training system. They found that for aural identification of the English definite an indefinite articles ("the"and"a"), the sounds that precede them play an important role. It was also found that aural recognition perfomance is positively affected by the subjects' knowledge of grammar.
In other experiments using analysis/synthesis techniques, it was shown through native speakers' judgment that change in duration rather than in stress was more effective in making a particular syllable sound prominent. The principle was applied to teaching situations and proved successful in making students' English speech more communicative.
Oka and Takayama looked into the possible correlation between the English proficiency and the study style and motivation of students. Students with high motivation and/or keen interest in the l
… More
anguage and/or culture, generally supplment their study by attending classes in spoken English outside the formal curricula, and it was found that the training in spoken English they receive in such classes helps augment proficiency in other skills as well.
This presents an entirely new image of the "fluent" speaker of English, and it seriously challenges the validity of the "glib-speech-with-no-content" view traditionally held by adherents to the translation method of teaching English in Japanese universities.
Takeuchi continued with his project of building up a French language database of Malarme's works, and bublished an article on how to make it publicly accessible.
Yoshijima and Karima studied drama on film with particular reference to cultural differences in expression. Karima found that Chinese and Japanese films work on entirely different principles of harmony of contrast in visual structure, which naturally calls for radically different interpretation of seemingly similar visual representations on the screen.
Two films "Seven Samurais" and "The Magnificent Seven" were chosen for comparison in Yoshijima's study and it was demonstrated that the western version relies more on verbal means for communication whereas the Japanese original more on visual expression. Different degrees of verbal/visual orientedness was found in films within a single culture, namely in German films, and this led to the consideration of relative suitability of films as teaching materials in classes of German, and foreign languages in general.
More English and German textbooks for respective native speaking cultures were fed into the databases that are being developed by the research group. Less
|
