Home The influence of first language on referential expressions of Japanese language learners: A focus on narrative story by native Chinese and Korean speakers
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

The influence of first language on referential expressions of Japanese language learners: A focus on narrative story by native Chinese and Korean speakers

  • Chika Tōyama EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: November 6, 2019
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Abstract

The present study examines how Japanese language learners use referential expressions in discourse, especially topicalized or non-topicalized subjects, in addition to whether the first language of a Japanese language learner influences the choice of referential expressions. The text of narrative stories, written in both the subject’s first language and second language (i.e. Japanese) by native Chinese speakers and native Korean speakers, as well as text written by Japanese native speakers, were analyzed. As a result, the first language influence and common difficulties were observed in the use of referential expressions by Japanese language learners. Using referential expressions is not simply a matter of negative or positive transfer.

Acknowledgements

I thank Yang Hong, Kim Wooja and Seo Mincheol for their precise translation from Chinese/Korean language to Japanese language. I am also grateful to the editor-in-chief, Masahiko Minami, and the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.

References

Clancy, Patricia M. & Pamela A. Downing. 1987. Use of WA as a cohesion marker in Japanese oral narratives. In John Hinds, Senko Maynard & Shōichi Iwasaki (eds.), Perspectives on topicalization: The case of Japanese WA, 3–56. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.10.1075/tsl.14.03claSearch in Google Scholar

Givón, Talmy. 1983. Topic continuity in discourse: An introduction. In Talmy Givón (ed.), Topic continuity in discourse: A quantitative cross-language study, 5–41. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.10.1075/tsl.3Search in Google Scholar

Kinsui, Satoshi. 1995. ‘Katari no wa’ ni kansuru oboegaki [The note about wa for narration]. In Takashi Masuoka, Hisashi Noda & Yoshiko Numata (eds.), Nihongo no shudai to toritate [Topic and toritate-particles in Japanese], 71–80. Tokyo: Kurosio Publisher.Search in Google Scholar

Kuno, Susumu. 1973. Nihon bunpō kenkyū [Study of Japanese grammar]. Tokyo: Taishūkan-shoten.Search in Google Scholar

Li, Charles N. & Sandra A. Thompson. 1976. Subject and topic: A new typology of language. In Charles N. Li (ed.), Subject and topic, 457–489. New York: Academic Press.Search in Google Scholar

Mayer, Mercer. 1969. Frog, where are you? New York: Dial Press.Search in Google Scholar

Maynard, Senko. 1997. Danwa bunseki no kanōsei [Possibility of discourse analysis]. Tokyo: Kurosio Publishers.Search in Google Scholar

Maynard, Senko. 2004. Danwa gengogaku [Discourse linguistics]. Tokyo: Kurosio Publishers.Search in Google Scholar

Mikami, Akira. 1960. Zō wa hana ga nagai: Nihon bunpō nyūmon [Elephant’s nose is long: An introduction to Japanese grammar]. Tokyo: Kurosio publishers.Search in Google Scholar

Minami, Masahiko. 2011. Referential topic management in English-Japanese bilingual children’s narratives. In Masahiko Minami (ed.), Telling stories in two languages: Multiple approach to understanding English-Japanese bilingual children’s narratives, 143–167. North Carolina: Information Age Publishing.Search in Google Scholar

Nagatomo, Kazuhiko. 1991. Danwa ni okeru ‘ga’ ‘wa’ to sono shūtoku ni tsuite -Systematic Variation Model- [ga and wa in discourse, and the acquisition thereof -Systematic Variation Model-]. Dai4kai gengo-riron to Nihongo kyōiku no sōgo kasseika yokōshu [Proceedings: The 4th conference of interactional revitalization of linguistic theory and Japanese language education], 10–17.Search in Google Scholar

Nakahama, Yuko. 2004. Dai-ni gengo to shite no nihongo no monogatari hatsuwa ni okeru shiji-taishō no topikku kanri no hattatsu patān [Developmental patterns in referential topic management in Japanese as an L2]. In Masahiko Minami & Makiko Asano (eds.), Gengogaku to Nihongo-kyōiku III, 77–96. Tokyo: Kurosio.Search in Google Scholar

Nakamura, Kei. 1993. Referential structure in Japanese children’s narratives: The acquisition of wa and ga. In Soonja Choi (ed.), Japanese and Korean linguistics, vol. III, 84–99. Stanford: CSLI, Stanford University.Search in Google Scholar

Noda, Hisashi. 2004. Shudai no taishō ni hitsuyōna shiten [The required perspectives in contrastive study for topics]. In Takashi Masuoka (ed.), Shudai no taishō [Contrastive study of topic], 193–213. Tokyo: Kurosio Publishers.Search in Google Scholar

Sakamoto, Tadashi, Nobuko Machida & Takako Nakakubo. 1995. Chōjōkyū Nihongo gakushūsha no hatsuwa ni okeru ayamari ni tsuite [Errors in speech by super advanced level Japanese language learners]. Proceedings: The 6th international University of Japan Conference on SLR in Japan, 66–94. March.Search in Google Scholar

Tahara, Shunji & Takehiko Ito. 1986. A functional approach to the acquisition of Japanese particles wa and ga. In The Faculty of Education, The University of Tokyo, vol. 25, 227–236.Search in Google Scholar

Tōyama, Chika. 2013. Nihongo gakushūsha no bogo ga shugo-meishiku no dōnyū ni ataeru eikyō: Sakubun ni okeru WA to GA no shiyō kara [The influence of Japanese leaners’ first language for introductions of subjects: Use of wa and ga in compositions]. Kotoba to Sono Hirogari 5. 213–238.Search in Google Scholar

Tōyama, Chika. 2015. The first appearance of a concept as a ‘WA’ noun phrase in Japanese learners’ texts: From the perspective of textual cohesion. Studies in Language Sciences 14. 206–226. Tokyo: Kaitakusha.Search in Google Scholar

Watanabe, Fumio. 2003. Nihongo-bogowasha to hi-bogowasha no katari no danwa ni okeru shiji-hyōgen to danwa no matomari [The referential expressions and coherence in narrative by Japanese native speakers and non-native speakers]. In 2003 nen-do Nihongo kyōiku gakkai shūki-taikai yokōshu [Proceeding of the autumn conference of Japanese language education institute in 2003]. 236–238. October.Search in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2019-11-06
Published in Print: 2019-11-26

© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Downloaded on 28.11.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/jjl-2019-2009/html?lang=en
Scroll to top button