A study about neural change in second language learning

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02929
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Higashiosaka Junior College (2018-2019); Tokyo University of Social Welfare (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: Ishinabe Hiroshi 東大阪大学短期大学部, その他部局等, 教授 (90424051)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Jeong Hyeonjeong 東北大学, 国際文化研究科, 准教授 (60549054)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 外国語教育 / 第2言語習得

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cross-linguistic influence is one factor that facilitates or hinders L2 grammar acquisition. We investigate cross-linguistic influence on the progress of L2 learning using artificial languages with two groups of native Japanese speakers. We created two artificial languages that had different syntactic features but shared the same vocabulary system. We clarified that the left IFG played the crucial role in the cross-linguistic influence. This finding suggested that the cross-linguistic influence due to the grammatical distance between L1 and L2 was explained by the recruitment of brain activation at the left IFG. In addition, it suggested that the cross-linguistic influence occurred proactively, regardless of L2 proficiency, and relied on the opercular part of the left IFG.

Free Research Field

外国語教育

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の結果は，従来のテストに基づくL2能力の発達過程の結果からは知りえない新たな視点を示唆していると考えられる。従来の行動データとは異なり言語類似性の効果は習得の段階に関わらず現れることが示唆された。学習者のこのような認知特性の理解がさらに進めば，伝統的に続く学習順序とは異なる文法項目導入の仕方が可能になるかもしれない。