ERIC Number: EJ851894
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jun
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1094-3501
EISSN: N/A
Acquisition of L2 Japanese Geminates: Training with Waveform Displays
Motohashi-Saigo, Miki; Hardison, Debra M.
Language Learning & Technology, v13 n2 p29-47 Jun 2009
The value of waveform displays as visual feedback was explored in a training study involving perception and production of L2 Japanese by beginning-level L1 English learners. A pretest-posttest design compared auditory-visual (AV) and auditory-only (A-only) Web-based training. Stimuli were singleton and geminate /t,k,s/ followed by /a,u/ in two conditions (isolated words, carrier sentences). Fillers with long vowels were included. Participants completed a forced-choice identification task involving minimal triplets: singletons, geminates, long vowels (e.g., "sasu," "sassu," "saasu"). Results revealed a) significant improvement in geminate identification following training, especially for AV; b) significant effect of geminate (lowest scores for /s/); c) no significant effect of condition; and d) no significant improvement for the control group. Most errors were misperceptions of geminates as long vowels. Test of generalization revealed 5% decline in accuracy for AV and 14% for A-only. Geminate production improved significantly (especially for AV) based on rater judgments; improvement was greatest for /k/ and smallest for /s/. Most production errors involved substitution of a singleton for a geminate. Post-study interviews produced positive comments on Web-based training. Waveforms increased awareness of durational differences. Results support the effectiveness of auditory-visual input in L2 perception training with transfer to novel stimuli and improved production. (Contains 5 figures, 1 table, and 10 notes.)
Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Japanese, Web Based Instruction, Auditory Perception, Visual Perception, Visual Aids, Pretests Posttests, Measurement Techniques, Feedback (Response), Control Groups, Vowels, Phonemes, Identification, Generalization, Transfer of Training, College Students, Interviews, Stimuli, Foreign Countries
University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center. 1859 East-West Road #106, Honolulu, HI 96822. Tel: 808-956-9424; Fax: 808-956-5983; e-mail: llt@hawaii.edu; Web site: http://llt.msu.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A