RIEKO KIZAWA (TEIKYO UNIVERSITY)

SURVEY ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES UTILIZING KNOWLEDGE OF ROMAJI AND LOANWORDS : SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT

As Japanese and English have different sets of sounds that make up each language, Japanese learners of English often struggle with English pronunciation and spelling. Particularly, in Japanese elementary schools, alongside kana characters and kanji, students learn Romaji, which represents Japanese sounds using the Roman alphabet. Because the same alphabet characters are used, many learners confuse Romaji with English spelling. Furthermore, Japan has adopted many loanwords from English, which are said to account for 14% of the Japanese vocabulary. However, most of these loanwords undergo changes in pronunciation, word forms, and meanings from their original English counterparts, often interfering with English learning. On the other hand, knowledge of romaji and loanwords can facilitate English learning by aiding in the guessing of meanings, spelling, and pronunciation of newly learned words if utilized effectively. To elucidate methods for avoiding interference from these Japanese language features and effectively utilizing them for English learning, a survey was conducted among 700 English teachers. The results showed that the number of teachers consciously addressing Romaji and loanwords in teaching English were 140 and 316 respectively, and various measures were being taken to effectively utilize that knowledge explaining the phonological features of Japanese, contrasting Romaji with phonics rules, and explaining the origins of words. Although many of the teachers recognized the effectiveness of utilizing knowledge of the learners’ mother tongue, the current study suggested that such explicit instruction is not always implemented. Thus, it is implied that developing specific teaching methods is crucial for addressing this issue.

Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (2007) Master's Degree in Education, University of Tokyo (2011) Withdrawal from the Doctoral Program with the Completion of Course Requirements, University of Tokyo (2018) Assistant Professor, Teikyo University (2022 - present)