In this study, we investigate understanding the meanings of proper nouns by JSL and JFL learners. We selected twelve proper nouns which cover personal names, trade names, company names, shop names, etc., each being a polyseme characterized by either having the meaning of both a proper noun and a common noun, or having meanings of two different proper nouns. Fifty significant responses were obtained from 10 native speakers of Japanese (NSJ), 10 JSL learners studying in Japan, and 30 JFL learners majoring in Japanese language in Chinese universities. To make the reading comprehension process observable, Chinese participants orally interpreted the Japanese sentences into Chinese and answered questions about the target vocabulary words in Chinese.
The results of qualitative analyses concerning Chinese learners of Japanese are as follows:
i. Length of residence in Japan may have an effect on the acquisition of proper nouns,
ii. Learners in Japan (JSL) more actively used contents clues such as experiential clues than their JFL counterparts,
iii. Learners were able to guess the meaning of unknown proper nouns somewhat better if they had spent time in Japan.
The results for NSJs are as follows:
i. Sixty percent and 50% respectively did not know and could not guess the meanings of the proper nouns access and bashamichi, while all NSJs were able to guess assist correctly.
ii. The knowledge of NSJs with regard to proper nouns was better than that of JSLs and JFLs. However, NSJs' knowledge was sometimes a negative influence causing eventual guessing failure.
Finally, both Chinese learners and NSJs sometimes showed re-interpretation patterns characteristic of garden-path phenomena.
文章理解過程における日本語学習者の固有名詞の意味理解 : 文脈的手がかりに着目して
papers1407.pdf
(819.08KB)
運用指針、オープンアクセス方針、等
