A study on a method of using plain Japanese for non-native speakers of Japanese

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K12613
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 震災問題と人文学・社会科学
• Research Institution: Kagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Todoroki Yasuko 香川大学, 教育学部, 教授 (30271084)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山下 直子 香川大学, 教育学部, 教授 (30314892)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: やさしい日本語 / 防災 / 外国人住民

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigates the skills necessary for Japanese people when using ‘plain Japanese’ with non-native speakers of Japanese. When natural disasters, such as major earthquakes or floods occur, ‘plain Japanese’, yasashii Nihongo, can be used to give non-native speakers of Japanese instructions on how to escape from the damage caused by such disasters. In order to reduce the damage in disaster areas, it is necessary for all Japanese people, not only teachers of Japanese language for foreigners, to be able to use plain Japanese. From the results of questionnaire survey, it was found that it is easy to reduce the number of kanji characters and use a furigana script to show their pronunciation. However, it proved difficult to determine which information was essential or not, or that which could be discarded. The results also revealed that non-native speakers of Japanese were not familiar with countermeasures for earthquakes in daily life, such as in securing furniture to walls.

Free Research Field

言語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本人住民・学生と外国人住民・留学生に実施した防災に関するアンケート調査（回答数約100名）から、防災に対する備えとして多くの日本人が知っている「家具の固定」「すぐに外へ逃げ出さないこと」が外国人には理解されにくいことが明らかになった。また、母国で地震を体験したことがない外国人が非常に多いこと、そのため日本語が比較的上手な学習者でも不安が大きいことが明らかになった。また、日本人が「やさしい日本語」を使ううえでは、日本語をやさしくするテクニックだけでなく、情報を選別し、不要なものを削除する判断能力が重要であることが再確認された。