Paper short abstract:

In this presentation, I propose onomatopoeic game teaching materials based on the usage-based model of cognitive linguistics and examine the effects of the game to demonstrate the effectiveness of active learning materials that differ from conventional methods.

Paper long abstract:

I hear from European teachers that there are not enough activity materials to increase Japanese learners' motivation. In this presentation, I propose onomatopoeic game teaching materials based on the theory of cognitive linguistics and examine the effects of the game to demonstrate the effectiveness of active learning materials that differ from conventional methods. Onomatopoeia was born from both the customs and sensibilities of the Japanese people. Thus, the mappings between form and meaning of onomatopoeia are unclear for foreign learners, and even if the learners understand these things, they experience difficulty using them. The onomatopoeia syntax includes particles and co-occurrences with verbs and verb-ized "onomatopoeia+suru" (Kageyama 1996). The usage-based model shows that, in English (Tomasello 2003), patterns (syntax) are learned through experience in the outside world, and researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of this model in Japanese (Hashimoto 2011). Therefore, I have created game material focusing on the context of onomatopoeia usage and its patterns (syntax). When they played the game, Japanese learners were divided into teams and native speakers served as judges. The games were observed and videotaped, and questionnaire surveys and interviews with learners were conducted both immediately and afterward.

Errors on the core meaning of each onomatopoeia, co-verb, connection form, and usage context were confirmed. The questionnaire survey and the interview data showed the following: 1. It is possible for learners to progress from understanding to use (output) and to correct their knowledge. 2. Both the judge's feedback and the sentences of other participants were effective input. 3. The process in which the learner thinks through the possible sentences and makes errors, the imagination of the usage context of onomatopoeia, and accidental learning had a positive impact on learning. 4. Pattern awareness leads to the modification of the syntactic schema. Findings 1 and 2 show the possible effects when learners fill the proximal zone of development (Vygotsky 1934). I presume that a method such as this, where learners recall their own experience and map it to the syntax, is effective for both cognition and memory.

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