Cognition and verbalisation of Bengali speakers: an intermediate language study based on a consideration of motion event description

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00792
• 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: Osaka University (2021-2023); University of Miyazaki (2019-2020)
• Principal Investigator: Eguchi Kiyoko 大阪大学, 大学院人文学研究科(外国学専攻、日本学専攻), 講師 (90812537)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ベンガル語 / 認知 / 移動表現 / 類型論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigated how Bengali speakers perceive and verbalize the world.
In particular, we studied motion events such as running and flying. For example, what is expressed in English “run into the room” is said in Japanese as “enter the room by running”. In Japanese, ‘go’ and ‘come’ are also often used together, and from this perspective, Bengali is often thought to be of the Japanese type, but the results of the video-based experiment showed that it is of the English type. However, the fact that the feature of expressing the manner of motion in verbs, as in English, was also not so common, revealed a fact that throws a wrench into the conventional way of classifying languages.

Free Research Field

言語学（語彙意味論、類型論）/ 第二言語習得

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

第一に、移動表現における、日本語との類似点、相違点が明らかになったことで、日本語教育への応用が考えられます。現状では日本語の教科書の多くは、英語との対照に基づく研究の成果を出発点に書かれたものですが、本研究を応用することで、ベンガル語話者を対象とした教材を作成するなど、学習者が、より容易に日本語を習得することができる環境づくりの杖柱となります。
外国語教育全体へと視野を広げた場合には、学習対象の言語だけでなく、学習者の母語の研究の重要性もアピールすることができる。