In Japanese mimetics, a pattern in which expressions that use voiced consonants are associated with relatively bigger referents - compared to their voiceless equivalents - can be widely observed....Show moreIn Japanese mimetics, a pattern in which expressions that use voiced consonants are associated with relatively bigger referents - compared to their voiceless equivalents - can be widely observed. In order to examine if this trait is either language-intrinsic to the Japanese language or can be considered as showing a level of universality, an experiment with 54 Dutch speakers with no knowledge of the Japanese language was conducted. Based on a previous research by Haryu and Zhao (2007) in which Chinese participants were used and the association in question did not seem to be effective, this thesis aims to shed a new light on this phenomenon by instead of Mandarin speakers, using Dutch speakers as participants. Based on multiple linguistic factors, the Dutch participants were expected to perform better than the Mandarin speakers and the results showed this was indeed the case (75.1%). Therefore, the results of this research suggest that within the mind of a Dutch native speaker, the associative link of voiced consonants with relatively bigger referents is present and is therefore not language-intrinsic to Japanese.Show less
Pitch accent is an important but undertaught part of the Japanese language. Differing much from the stress accent found in most Indo-European languages, even learners well into the advanced stage...Show morePitch accent is an important but undertaught part of the Japanese language. Differing much from the stress accent found in most Indo-European languages, even learners well into the advanced stage struggle to utter sentences in a fully native-like manner. Therefore, in this thesis, I tackle the issue of What teaching methods are best suited for pitch accent acquisition (PAA) in the long-term for adult foreign learners of Japanese? I discuss several methods for acquiring pitch accent, and directly compare two of them: Practising with audio-visual stimuli and explaining the rules governing pitch accent. I examined 3 groups of foreign Japanese language learners (n=9) and gave each of them a different set of instructions (or no instruction, in case of thecontrolgroup).Inapretest, posttest, anddelayedposttest, theyweremadeto judge the pitch accent pattern of, and reproduce semi-randomly chosen, common Japanese words. The results suggest that explaining the rules is just as viable an option as compared to traditional training, and that textbook producers and teachers should not be afraid to expose students to the details pitch accent, even in the early stages of their learning. Further study is needed to support these conclusions, and explain what causes some students to respond better to one method over the other.Show less
As the game industry grows larger, game localization becomes more important. This thesis focuses on the way game localizers deal with the translation of Japanese role language in two entries of the...Show moreAs the game industry grows larger, game localization becomes more important. This thesis focuses on the way game localizers deal with the translation of Japanese role language in two entries of the popular Final Fantasy franchise.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to analyze the procedures applied in regional dialect translation from Japanese to English, and the shift of stereotype traits due to localization. To achieve this, I base...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to analyze the procedures applied in regional dialect translation from Japanese to English, and the shift of stereotype traits due to localization. To achieve this, I base my research around the notion of yakuwarigo ‘role language’ for stereotypical traits in fictionalised orality (Kinsui, 2003). I focus on a specific southern dialect in Japan known as the Hakata dialect. Usage of this dialect has been popularized in recent popular media, which is why I take the Japanese manga ‘comic book’ called Nisekoi ‘False Love’ (Komi, 2011-2016) as material for my case study. The manga has two existing translations, one by the official publisher VIZ Media (2014-2018), and one by several unofficial translation groups known as scanlators (2011-2016). The case study consists out of two separate comparative analyses. The first analysis is in regards to the translation procedures applied by the different translators of the manga, mainly at what kind of eye dialect was adapted throughout the whole series. The second analysis is in regards to the transference of the stereotypical traits that were present in the original Japanese version to the English versions. This analysis is done through empirical research by means of a survey; one for native and fluent Japanese speakers; one for native and fluent English speakers. Through these comparative analyses, I would like to expand on the notion of regional dialect as role language and the effects of translation thereof.Show less
This thesis is focussed on the pronunciation and acquisition of second language phonology. More specifically, the acquisition of Dutch vowels in native Japanese speakers. A lot of research on...Show moreThis thesis is focussed on the pronunciation and acquisition of second language phonology. More specifically, the acquisition of Dutch vowels in native Japanese speakers. A lot of research on phonology acquisition, especially with Japanese, tends to look at consonants. However, in this paper vowel acquisition is addressed. Dutch has an extensive vowel system with twelve monophthongs and three diphthongs while Japanese has only five vowels. Japanese learners of Dutch were recorded and formant analysis was used to determine which phonological processes influence the pronunciation of target language phonemes.Show less
In this study, a comparison is made between dyslexia as experienced by both L1 and L2 speakers. In addition, L1 dyslexia in English, German, Hebrew and Hindi is compared with L1 dyslexia in Japanese.
In this thesis I have researched the lexical influence the Dutch language has had on the Japanese language during the Edo period (1603-1868). To do this I have analyzed several sources which...Show moreIn this thesis I have researched the lexical influence the Dutch language has had on the Japanese language during the Edo period (1603-1868). To do this I have analyzed several sources which document this influence and I have used the framework of Johanson (2001) for this analysis. From this analysis I have concluded that the lexical influence of Dutch on Japanese is mostly limited to words related to trade or science, and that these words are mostly copied globally or combinationally and that whether they are copied globally or combinationally depends on whether they are compound words consisting of words of the native language or not.Show less
