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Accepted Paper
Paper long abstract
In L2 acquisition research, individual differences have been widely examined, but research on L2 Japanese pronunciation has focused primarily on a limited set of learner-related variables, most notably motivation (Mori et al., 2020). The current study fills this gap by examining how multiple learner-related factors are associated with individual differences in L2 Japanese pronunciation.
Thirty-three undergraduate learners at an Italian university participated. The program is characterized by systematic pronunciation instruction across all three years, aimed at raising awareness of the tonal aspects of prosody—the most challenging area for L1 Italian learners. Instruction on lexical accent is integrated into vocabulary learning, alongside lectures on intonation and phrasing. Students engage in autonomous practice with audio models and the web-based prosodic reading tutor, Suzuki-kun (Minematsu et al., n.d.). Participants were predominantly monolingual Italian speakers with no experience living in Japan. Data included: (1) responses to an online questionnaire comprising five thematic blocks (motivation, digital resource use, perceived pronunciation difficulty, pronunciation practice engagement, and interest in Japanese culture), and (2) recorded speech samples (self-introduction and dialogue). Samples were rated by three native instructors on fluency, comprehensibility, and accuracy (ICC = 0.73–0.80).
Descriptive analyses showed strong interest in Japanese culture, while motivation and digital resource use varied. Perceived difficulty was high, particularly for lexical pitch accent. Learners frequently utilized digital resources for shadowing and pitch-curve visualization. Outcomes varied across individuals, with higher scores for fluency than accuracy. Correlational analyses based on mean scores for each factor identified motivation as a robust predictor of pronunciation outcomes, particularly fluency (r = 0.56, p < .001), while digital resource use showed a smaller but meaningful contribution, and other factors showed limited or no significant associations. Further quartile-based analyses provide evidence of a hierarchical relationship between motivation and digital resource use, with the latter closely associated with the former rather than operating independently. While previous research has established a link between motivation and pronunciation in L2 English (e.g., Saito & Hanzawa, 2016), this study demonstrates that, in predicting L2 Japanese pronunciation outcomes, digital resource use functions as a behavioral dimension dependent on motivation within a hierarchical relationship.
(Word count for the Body part: 350 words)
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References
Minematsu, N., et al. (n.d.). OJAD - Online Japanese Accent Dictionary: Prosody Tutor Suzuki-kun. University of Tokyo. https://www.gavo.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ojad/eng/phrasing/index
Mori, Y., Hasegawa, A., & Mori, J. (2021). The trends and developments of L2 Japanese research in the 2010s. Language Teaching, 54(1), 90–127. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444820000336
Saito, K., & Hanzawa, K. (2016). Developing second language oral ability in foreign language classrooms: The role of the length and focus of instruction and individual differences. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37(4), 813–840. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000259
| Abstract in Japanese (if needed): | JFL環境における日本語発音習得に関わる 学習者要因 ―質問紙調査及び発話データの量的分析― 上山 素子（ボローニャ大学） 第二言語としての日本語習得における発音の個人差に関する研究は、動機づけなど限られた学習者要因に焦点が当てられてきた（Mori et al., 2020）。本研究では、複数の学習者要因とL2日本語発音の個人差の関連を検討する。 イタリアの大学で日本語を学ぶ初級学習者33名が参加した。本プログラムでは、イタリア語母語話者にとって習得が難しいとされる韻律の音調面への意識化を目的とした継続的な発音指導が行われている。授業では語アクセントを語彙導入とともに扱い、イントネーションやフレージングの指導も行う。さらに、音声モデルや韻律読み上げ支援ツールSuzuki-kun（Minematsu et al., n.d.）を用いた自律的学習が課題として組み込まれている。参加者は主にイタリア語母語話者で、日本滞在経験はない。データとして、質問紙（動機づけ、デジタル資源使用、発音困難度、発音練習関与、日本文化への関心の5領域）および音声（自己紹介・対話音読）を収集した。音声は日本語母語話者3名が流暢性・理解容易度・正確性を評価した（ICC = 0.73–0.80）。 記述統計の結果、日本文化への関心は高い一方、動機づけとデジタル資源使用に個人差が見られた。また、韻律的特徴に対する困難意識が高く、シャドーイングやピッチ曲線可視化ツールの使用頻度が高かった。相関分析では、動機づけは発音、とりわけ流暢性と有意な相関があった（r = 0.56, p < .001）。デジタル資源使用は弱い相関にとどまったが、四分位群に基づく分析から、動機づけとの間に階層的関係が認められた。その結果、先行研究で報告されているL2英語における動機づけと発音の関連に加えて（例：Saito & Hanzawa, 2016）、本研究では、デジタル資源使用が動機づけに依存する行動的側面として位置づけられるという階層的関係が示された。 （ここまでで800字） ________________________________________________________________ 参考文献 Minematsu, N., et al. (n.d.). OJAD - Online Japanese Accent Dictionary: Prosody Tutor Suzuki-kun. University of Tokyo. https://www.gavo.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ojad/eng/phrasing/index Mori, Y., Hasegawa, A., & Mori, J. (2021). The trends and developments of L2 Japanese research in the 2010s. Language Teaching, 54(1), 90–127. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444820000336 Saito, K., & Hanzawa, K. (2016). Developing second language oral ability in foreign language classrooms: The role of the length and focus of instruction and individual differences. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37(4), 813–840. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000259 |
Association of Japanese Language Education: 3/2
Session 1 Saturday 29 August, 2026, -