Paper short abstract:

Reviewing videotaped dialogues in Japanese between native and non-native speakers, the latter explained, in their native languages, what they heard. We found patterns of confusion related to specific grammatical features; we discuss these, and propose guidelines for native speakers.

Paper long abstract:

'Plurilingual and pluricultural competences (PLCC)' comprise more than the ability to use multiple languages; it includes speakers' ability to use their native language in an 'easy' way to make it more accessible for non-native speakers. Research related to this concept seeks to find ways in which Japanese communities can better communicate with non-native members who need extra support in the Japanese language. This presentation proposes that the first step is asking learners what they think they understand; only then can we establish proper guidelines for how native speakers can help improve communication.

Although variations of 'easy Japanese' have been proposed, these were based on the experiences and insights of educators and researchers, not those of Japanese as a second/foreign language (JSL/JFL) learners. This presentation addressed this limitation by investigating what learners found difficult in listening comprehension. The participants were 50 JSL/JFL learners whose native languages were European languages such as English, German, French, and Italian, and a team of native Japanese speakers who were not in the JSL/JFL field to ensure optimal validity. To collect data, we first videotaped dialogues between the learners and the native speakers of Japanese. Subsequently, we played the video and asked the learners to explain what they thought the native speaker had said, examining the conversation sentence-wise using their native language. Further, we encouraged the learners to talk about their difficulties, confusions, guesses, and strategies they had used during the conversation.

This presentation will report our findings, beginning with identifying some patterns of confusion related to grammatical features. One example was the negative form '-nai' embedded in the acknowledgement request 'ja nai desu ka'. Another example was complex sentences with the insertion of a clause in which the subject differed from that of the main clause, such as, 'Hara kun wa sugoi desu yone. Watashi, hitotsu sempai nan desu kedo, kare wa bekkaku desu'. Finally, we will propose some guidelines for native speakers that will help them avoid this confusion.