We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Air Writing" and Second Language Learners' Knowledge of Japanese Kanji.
- Authors
Thomas, Margaret
- Abstract
Most discussion of the acquisition of Sino-Japanese characters (kanji) conceptualizes it as a three-sided cognitive task of linking visual forms to units of sound and units of meaning. However, native speakers of Japanese frequently rely on kinesthetic stimulation to build their knowledge of kanji, and to cue recall of kanji, by making spontaneous, abstract, gestures with their fingers and hands known as kćsho ('air writing',) while learning or recall is underway. In this sense, one might conceive of kanji as comprising bundles of units of form, sound, meaning-and of movement. This article explores the extent to which adult second language (L2) learners of Japanese exploit this fourth, kinesthetic, facet of kanji expertise, building on psycholinguistic research into native speakers' use of kćsho. An empirical study revealed that 44 of 44 adult L2 learners spontaneously employed kćsho at least once in a variety of kanji learning and recall tasks. Moreover, the data suggest that the more difficulty learners encountered in recalling kanji, the more kćsho they employed. The article concludes with some speculations about the relevance of these findings to the teaching and learning of Japanese as an L2.
- Subjects
KANJI; SECOND language acquisition; GESTURE; PSYCHOLINGUISTICS; JAPANESE language education
- Publication
Japanese Language & Literature, 2013, Vol 47, Issue 1, p23
- ISSN
1536-7827
- Publication type
Article