REFERENTIAL MANAGEMENT BY ADVANCED LEARNERS OF JAPANESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Abstract
Previous studies on the use of referential expressions by second language (L2) learners have reported two conflicting results: one is that L2 learners tend to use noun phrases {NPs) more often than native speakers do (e.g., Tomlin, 1990) and the other is that L2 learners tend to overuse zero-anaphora, compared to native speakers (e.g., Williams, 1989). This study compares the referential expressions of advanced learners of Japanese as a second language (JSL) to that of native Japanese speakers by utilizing two models: the distance/recency model and the episode boundary model. Four advanced JSL learners, one bilingual speaker of Japanese and American English, and one native Japanese speaker are asked to describe a series of pictures. The study reveals that the JSL learners used NPs more frequently than their bilingual and native counterparts. I speculate that the frequent use of NPs by the JSL learners is due to their limited language processing abilities in an L2.
How to Cite
Kogure, M., (1997) “REFERENTIAL MANAGEMENT BY ADVANCED LEARNERS OF JAPANESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE”, Journal of Second Language Acquisition and Teaching 5, 29-45.
645
Views
455
Downloads