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Accepted Paper

Development of Perspective and Information Organization in European Learners’ Japanese Compositions: Insights from a longitudinal written corpus of learner W-CoLeJa   
Nagisa Moritoki Škof (Unviersity of Ljubljana)

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Paper long abstract

This presentation analyses factors that hinder the smooth understanding of compositions written by European learners of Japanese, focusing on the concept of "perspective." Perspective is defined as the "speaker’s camera angle when describing events" (Kuno 1978), influencing the selection of linguistic expressions such as benefactives, motion verbs, and subjective markers. While Japanese prioritizes perspective consistency, it has been noted that learners' compositions often exhibit high perspective mobility and a tendency toward neutral representation.

Theoretically, Slobin (1996) proposed that language-specific grammatical categories influence "thinking for speaking"—the dynamic process of organizing information during the act of formulating an utterance.

Furthermore, von Stutterheim and Carroll (2006) pointed out that restructuring the "principles of information organization", i.e. cognitive frames, formed in one's native language is significantly more difficult than merely acquiring grammatical forms.

Against this background, this study analyses the "Longitudinal Corpus of Japanese Learner Compositions (W-CoLeJa)" by the NINJAL to investigate how European learners develop into language users who effectively share meaning with readers. The corpus contains narratives, explanations, and opinion essays written by learners three times a year over a three-year period.

The analysis reveals three key findings: (1) the use of expressions representing the learner's perspective, such as motion verbs, extends from spatial to temporal domains; (2) as proficiency increases, descriptions transition from a mere listing of events to a style that positions the learner’s own experiences and opinions; and (3) factors beyond perspective expressions also impede smooth reading. Finally, the study suggests that teachers must update their instructional perspectives to provide composition guidance that is tailored to both the learners' current proficiency levels and their subsequent developmental stages.

(Word count for the Body part: 312 words)

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References

久野暲(1978)『談話の文法』大衆館書店.

Slobin, D. I. (1996). From “thought and language” to “thinking for speaking”. In J. J. Gumperz & S. C. Levinson (Eds.), Rethinking linguistic relativity, 70–96. Cambridge University Press.

von Stutterheim, C., & Carroll, M. (2006). The impact of grammatical temporal categories on ultimate attainment in L2 learning. Educating for advanced foreign language capacities, 40-53. Georgetown university press, Washington, D.C.

Abstract in Japanese (if needed): ヨーロッパ日本語学習者の作文における視点の発達と成長 ―「日本語学習者縦断作文コーパス」による分析を通して― 守時 なぎさ(リュブリャナ大学) 本発表では、ヨーロッパ諸言語を母語とする日本語学習者の作文において、読み手の円滑な理解を阻害する要因を「視点」という観点から分析・考察する。「視点」とは、「出来事を描写する際の話し手のカメラアングル」(久野1978)に喩えられる概念であり、授受・移動表現や書き手の主観性を表す言語表現の選択に関わるものである。日本語では視点の一貫性が重視されるのに対し、日本語学習者の作文では視点の移動性が高く、さらに視点が中立的に表現される傾向が指摘されてきた。またSlobin(1996)は言語固有の文法範疇が、発話の瞬間に情報を整理する「発話のための思考(thinking for speaking)」に影響されることを提唱した。また、von Stutterheim & Carroll(2006)は、文法形式の習得以上に、母語に基づき形成された認知的フレームの再編が困難であることを指摘している。 これらを踏まえ、本発表では「日本語学習者縦断作文コーパス」を分析し、学習者がいかに読み手に配慮し、他者と意味を共有しようとする言語使用者へと発達していくかを分析する。 この作文コーパスでは、学習者は体験文・説明文・意見文を年3回、3年間にわたり執筆しており、対象とする作文はヨーロッパ言語を母語とする学習者とした。  分析の結果、①学習者の視点を表す表現は移動表現の空間的用法から時間的用法へ拡張すること、②習熟に伴い事象の羅列から自己の体験や意見を位置づけた記述へ移行すること、③視点表現以外にも読解を妨げる要因が存在することを明らかにする。さらに、学習者の変化を捉え直す過程で教師自身も指導観を更新し、習熟段階に応じた、かつ次段階を見据えた作文指導を行う必要性を提案する。                                                                                 (ここまでで676字) ________________________________________________________________ 参考文献 久野暲(1978)『談話の文法』大修館書店. Slobin, D. I. (1996). From “thought and language” to “thinking for speaking”. In J. J. Gumperz & S. C. Levinson (Eds.), Rethinking linguistic relativity, 70–96. Cambridge University Press. von Stutterheim, C., & Carroll, M. (2006). The impact of grammatical temporal categories on ultimate attainment in L2 learning. Educating for advanced foreign language capacities, 40-53. Georgetown university press, Washington, D.C.
Contribution AJE002
Association of Japanese Language Education: 2
  Session 1 Friday 28 August, 2026, -