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Japanese Lexicalization Patterns of Motion Events and its Acquisition by Advanced-level English-speaking Learners of Japanese

Nozaki, Saori
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1557160637689757

Abstract Details

2019, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, East Asian Languages and Literatures.
This dissertation examines Japanese lexicalization patterns of motion events by comparing written production data collected from three native speaker groups: English, Spanish, and Japanese. Then, the author investigates how advanced-level English-speaking learners of Japanese acquire Japanese lexicalization patterns of motion events by comparing the learners’ data and those of Japanese native speakers. Based on Talmy’s (1985, 2000) dichotomous typology of lexicalization patterns of motion events, English is categorized as a Satellite-framed language (S-framed language) that expresses path/trajectory of moving entity with what Talmy calls Satellite and encodes manner of motion with a manner verb in the main verb position. On the other hand, Japanese is classified as a Verb-framed language (V-framed language) that expresses moving entity’s path/trajectory of motion with its main verb and encodes manner of motion outside the main verb or not at all. From the existing studies, three hypotheses are developed: 1) English native speakers (ENSs) employ more manner verbs in the main verb position than Japanese native speakers (JNSs) do to express manner of motion while JNSs express manner of motion with adjuncts and compounds. 2) JNSs express manner of motion more than other V-framed language speakers, such as Spanish native speakers (SNSs), because Japanese language has more linguistic choices to express manner of motion. 3) Describing boundary-crossing motion events and using a combination of a manner verb and goal postpositions に ni and へ e are still challenging even for advanced-level English-speaking learners of Japanese (JFLs) who are at an advanced-level. The results suggest that ENSs employ only manner verbs in the main verb position to express manner of motion even though English has an option to express manner of motion with adjuncts. On the other hand, JNSs express manner of motion in various ways: compounds, adjuncts, and mimetics as well as manner verbs. However, even though both native speakers use different ways to express manner of motion, the amount of the manner of motion expressions were almost same, six out of eight questions. Similarly, although Japanese has more ways to express manner of motion than does Spanish, another V-framed language, there was no difference in the amount of manner of motion expressions in seven out of eight questions. JFLs appear to acquire Japanese motion event expressions in most part, however some learners were still not aware of two grammatical rules: boundary-crossing constraint and ungrammaticality of the use of a manner verb as the main verb with goal postpositions に ni and へ e. I propose that in order for English-speaking learners of Japanese to acquire Japanese motion event expressions successfully, teaching the different lexicalization patterns of motion events between English and Japanese from the elementary-level as well as grammatical rules in describing motion events are necessary.
Etsuyo Yuasa (Advisor)
Mari Noda (Committee Member)
Leslie Moore (Committee Member)
264 p.
Foreign Language; Linguistics
lexicaliztation; Japanese; second language acquisition; motion events

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Citations

  • Nozaki, S. (2019). Japanese Lexicalization Patterns of Motion Events and its Acquisition by Advanced-level English-speaking Learners of Japanese [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1557160637689757

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Nozaki, Saori. Japanese Lexicalization Patterns of Motion Events and its Acquisition by Advanced-level English-speaking Learners of Japanese. 2019. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1557160637689757.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Nozaki, Saori. "Japanese Lexicalization Patterns of Motion Events and its Acquisition by Advanced-level English-speaking Learners of Japanese." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1557160637689757

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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