The Roles of Language Aptitudes in Second Language Acquisition: A Typological Study

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370595
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese language education
• Research Institution: Musashino University (2016); Ochanomizu University (2014-2015)
• Principal Investigator: Mukoyama Yoko 武蔵野大学, グローバル学部, 教授 (80619817)
• Research Collaborator: ZHANG wenli 西安交通大学, 副教授 ; ULAMBAYAR Tsetsegudulam モンゴル科学技術大学, 教授
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 第二言語習得 / 言語適性 / 適性処遇交互作用 / 言語類型論 / 中国語母語話者 / モンゴル語母語話者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Language aptitudes have significant impacts on second language acquisition. This study aimed to find out how the roles of language aptitudes differ among learners of Japanese with typologically different first languages, focusing on Chinese and Mongolian learners. The language aptitudes were operationalized as linguistic analytic ability, phonological short-term memory, and working memory, and the study examined how these contributed respectively to the success of learning in the beginning phase. Results revealed that phonological short-term memory was important regardless of typological differences of the learners’ first languages, and that language analytical ability was necessary for acquisition of Japanese grammar for Chinese learners. These findings suggest the possibility that certain aptitudes have critical impacts regardless of learners’ first languages, while others contribute differentially according to the distance between first language and target language.

Free Research Field

人文学　言語学　日本語教育　第二言語習得理論