Second language acquisition research incorporating generative grammar and the role of social interaction

2009 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20020022
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Miyagi Gakuin Women's University
• Principal Investigator: YUSA Noriaki Miyagi Gakuin Women's University, 学芸学部, 教授 (40182670)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KOIZUMI Masatoshi 東北大学, 文学研究科, 准教授 (10275597) ; KIM Jungho 東北大学, 文学研究科, 助教 (70513852)
• Project Period (FY): 2008 – 2009
• Keywords: 生成文法 / 個人差 / 下前頭回 / 普遍文法 / fMRI / 日本手話 / 社会性 / 構造依存性

Research Abstract

This study provides the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to show that (1) two distinct regions of the left frontal gyrus explain individual differences in second language proficiency ; (2) post-puberty second language (L2) learners can acquire abstract and complex properties of an L2 that could not be deduced from the L2 input, suggesting the availability of an innate mechanism in SLA ; (3) availability of a language model by itself is not sufficient, as availability of communicative interaction is also necessary for the second language acquisition accompanied by changes in the brain to occur.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Distinct Roles of Left Inferior Frontal Regions that Explain Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition (2009)
  • Author(s): Sakai, L.K., Nauchi, A., Tatsuno, Y., Hirano, K., Muraishi, Y, Kimura, M., Bostwick, M., Yusa, N.
  • Journal Title: Human Brain Mapping vol.30 Pages: 2440-2452
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Left Middle Temporal Deactivation Caused by Insufficient Second Language Word Comprehension by Chinese-Japanese Bilinguals (2009)
  • Author(s): Yokoyama, S., Kim, J., Uchida, S. Miyamoto, T., Yoshimoto, K., Jorge, R., Yusa, N,, Kawashima, R.
  • Journal Title: Journal of Neurolinguistics vol.22 Pages: 476-485
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Scrambling Effects on the Processing of Japanese Sentences: An fMRI study (2009)
  • Author(s): Kim, J., Koizumi, M., Ikuta, N., Fukumitsu, Y., Kimura, N., Iwata, K., Watanabe, J., Yokoyama, S., Sato, S., Horie, K., Kawashima, R.
  • Journal Title: Journal of Neurolinguistics vol.22 Pages: 151-166
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] The Sloppy-Identity Interpretation in Child Japanese: Its Acquisition and Implications (2009)
  • Author(s): Otaki, K, Yusa, N.
  • Journal Title: The Proceedings of the Tenth Tokyo Conference on Psycholinguistics Pages: 193-214
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Neurophysiological Effects of Early L2 Exposure on the Development of L1 (2009)
  • Author(s): Koizumi, M.
  • Journal Title: Proceedings of the 2009 Summer Special Conference of the New Korean Association of English Language and Literature: The Brain and Language Pages: 33-43
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] Experimental Syntax:What we can expect (2009)
  • Author(s): Masatoshi. K.
  • Organizer: 第27回日本英語学会
  • Place of Presentation: 大阪大学
  • Year and Date: 20091114-20091115
• [Presentation] 言語を生み出す脳:脳科学から見た第二言語獲得研究(招待講演) (2009)
  • Author(s): 遊佐典昭
  • Organizer: 第17回言語人文学会、公開シンポジウム「言語と脳と思考」
  • Place of Presentation: 岩手大学
  • Year and Date: 2009-09-28
• [Presentation] 第二言語を生み出す脳(招待講演 (2009)
  • Author(s): 遊佐典昭
  • Organizer: 公開シンポジウム統語構造と文脈-言語認知脳科学の可能性-
  • Place of Presentation: 東北大学
  • Year and Date: 2009-06-13
• [Presentation] A Neurological Index of Instructed SLA: Evidence from fMRI (2008)
  • Author(s): CD Yusa, N., Koizumi, M., Kim, J., Sakai, Y., Kimura, N., Horie, K., Sato, S., Kawashima, R., Hagiwara, H.
  • Organizer: The European Second Language Association 2008
  • Place of Presentation: Aix-en-Provence, France
  • Year and Date: 2008-09-04
• [Presentation] 日本語かき混ぜ文の文処理 (2008)
  • Author(s): 金情浩
  • Organizer: 第7回日本語教育世界大会
  • Place of Presentation: 釜山外国語大学、韓国
  • Year and Date: 2008-07-11
• [Book] はじめて学ぶ言語学 (2009)
  • Author(s): 遊佐典昭
  • Total Pages: 231-250
  • Publisher: ミネルヴァ出版
• [Book] 語彙の意味と文法 (2009)
  • Author(s): 小泉政利
  • Total Pages: 281-305
  • Publisher: くろしお出版
• [Book] 「言語・脳・認知」科学と外国語習得 (2009)
  • Author(s): 金情浩
  • Total Pages: 85-97
  • Publisher: ひつじ書房