2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

An investigation on semantic extension of onomatopoeia by learners of Japanese as a second language

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	18K00867
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
Research Institution	Nagoya University
Principal Investigator	Tamaoka Katsuo 名古屋大学, 人文学研究科, 教授 (70227263)
Project Period (FY)	2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
Keywords	オノマトぺ / 語彙知識 / 擬声語 / 擬態語 / 意味拡張 / 構造方程式モデリング / 決定木分析
Outline of Final Research Achievements	It is assumed that learners of Japanese as a foreign language acquire onomatopoeia as vocabulary rather than connecting them to behavior and senses. Using the statistical method of structural equation modeling (SEM), the present study suggested that lexical knowledge contributes separately to the acquisition of sound-imitation onomatopoeia and sense-mimic onomatopoeia among native Chinese speakers learning Japanese. It was also demonstrated that, unlike native Japanese speakers, native Chinese speakers learning Japanese did not have the continuous sequence of acquisition via semantic expansion from the basic through to extended concepts of onomatopoeia. Therefore, it is unlikely that onomatopoeia is unlikely acquired sensorially by learners of Japanese as a foreign language, but rather as general vocabulary.
Free Research Field	外国語としての日本語習得
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	外国語として日本語を学習する場合，オノマトペの習得はきわめて難しいといわれている。それは，日本語母語話者のように，オノマトペの音を行動や感覚に結びつけて習得するのではなく，一般の語彙として習得するかだと考えられる。本研究では，中国人日本語学習者を対象に，語彙知識が擬音語と擬態語の習得に別々に独立して寄与していることを実証して，日本語学習者にとってオノマトペが「擬音語から擬態語へ」という意味拡張によって獲得されるのではないっことを証明した。つまり，第２言語習得の条件では，オノマトペが感覚的に習得される可能性は低く，むしろ一般語彙として習得していることを実証した。