[COOPER 122] Scope Ambiguity Resolution in L2 Japanese
Abstract (250 words or less in English or 500 characters or less in Japanese)
Previous studies have claimed that L1 Japanese speakers are able to disambiguate scope-based ambiguous sentences using pitch contours (Nakanishi 2007). This study examines if the above claim is true in case of L2 Japanese learners. The experimental design in this study, motivated by Syrett et al.’s (2014) perception study, asks participants first to comprehend the intended interpretations of ambiguous sentences based on contexts and then to decide the appropriate prosodic pattern with the help of audio cues. The results show that the L2 learners’ performance on ambiguity resolution improves significantly when provided with a combination of contextual and prosodic cues than when provided with prosodic cues only. These outcomes are explained in terms of salience and relevance theory. The study sheds light on perception and learnability issues related to scope ambiguities in Japanese language classrooms.
Language
English
Location
Cooper Hall 122
Start Date
10-2-2018 2:30 PM
End Date
10-2-2018 3:00 PM
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[COOPER 122] Scope Ambiguity Resolution in L2 Japanese
Cooper Hall 122
Previous studies have claimed that L1 Japanese speakers are able to disambiguate scope-based ambiguous sentences using pitch contours (Nakanishi 2007). This study examines if the above claim is true in case of L2 Japanese learners. The experimental design in this study, motivated by Syrett et al.’s (2014) perception study, asks participants first to comprehend the intended interpretations of ambiguous sentences based on contexts and then to decide the appropriate prosodic pattern with the help of audio cues. The results show that the L2 learners’ performance on ambiguity resolution improves significantly when provided with a combination of contextual and prosodic cues than when provided with prosodic cues only. These outcomes are explained in terms of salience and relevance theory. The study sheds light on perception and learnability issues related to scope ambiguities in Japanese language classrooms.