Perspective-taking in Adult Japanese-language Learners’ Oral Narratives: A Cross-linguistic Comparison
Loading...
Date
2023-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ohio State University. Libraries
Abstract
This study, which compares native Japanese speakers and L2 learners of Japanese, discusses the question of what makes narrative sound natural in the light of macro- and micro- narrative structure. The study found that native speakers of Japanese, regardless of topic, tended to use the passive voice together with multiple aspect forms at narrative high points. The use of the passive voice indicated that the speaker’s viewpoint tended to be fixed on the main characters. In contrast, L2 learners, regardless of topic, tended to use the active voice, which indicates that their viewpoint was placed on the subject of the scene. Further, L2 learners rarely used aspect forms; even if they did, they chose one form without attempting to combine them. The study discusses whether these differences are attributable to the L2 learner’s L1 transfer or to the lack of understanding of the concepts to be acquired in the L2.
Description
Keywords
foreign/second language (L2) narrative discourse, oral narratives, Labovian methodology, macrostructural analysis, microstructural levels, first language (L1) transfer, perspective-taking, coherence, cohesion, voice, aspect, modality
Citation
Minami, Masahiko. "Perspective-taking in Adult Japanese-language Learners’ Oral Narratives: A Cross-linguistic Comparison." Buckeye East Asian Linguistics, vol. 7 (August 2023), p. 2-9.